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Clarification —best long-tern decision on Master degree scholarship!
Kind greetings to everyone; thank you for offering this supporting space.
I just received an LoO from an Australian university to pursue an IT Master. The offer includes a scholarship and the option to deduct one-session worth in credits due to previous studies.
I’ve read from the government website that one of the points test’s requirements is to achieve a 2 years full-time Australian master’s degree course in case I want to apply for the residency visas afterwards.
My question is the following, and please forgive me if I’m inaccurate:
If I take this university benefit, would I no longer be eligible for the australian education points due to this waived semester?
Thank you for you attention. I’d be grateful if you can provide me further infromation! 🙂
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1 Reply
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Hi Andres, welcome and what a great great question ( I had to do some digging myself on this one) 😊
You’re absolutely right to be cautious here. To claim points for Australian study in the skilled migration points test (e.g. for a subclass 189, 190 or 491 visa), your qualification must meet the “2 academic years” Australian study requirement.
Here’s what that means in detail, per the official definition from the Department of Home Affairs:
- The course must be registered on CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students).
- It must be completed in Australia while holding a visa that allows study.
- It must involve at least 92 weeks (i.e. 2 academic years) of registered study time.
- It must take place over at least 16 calendar months.
Now to your situation:
If your university waives one session (i.e. one semester) based on previous studies, your total CRICOS-registered study duration might fall below the 92 weeks minimum. If this happens, you won’t be eligible to claim the 5 points for Australian study, even if you finish your degree.
What can you do?
Check the CRICOS duration of your course. If it’s registered for 104 weeks and you’re offered a one-session credit (usually about 24 weeks), that brings you down to 80 weeks—not enough.
You might want to politely decline the credit and complete the full 2-year duration, so you can claim the 5 points later on.
Some students take additional units or a graduate certificate alongside the degree to meet the 92-week requirement.
Action steps:
1. Confirm the CRICOS duration of your course: https://cricos.education.gov.au
2. Speak with the university to ask whether the reduced study load will still meet the 92-week threshold.
3. If not, ask if you can opt out of the credit and complete the full study period.
I hope this clears things up for you, Andres. Let me know if you want help checking your course on CRICOS or if you have another pathway in mind.
Cheers,
Mark
cricos.education.gov.au
The Australian Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
The Australian Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
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