UK or Australia....which is cheaper actually?

[pandaboy]

Greetings everyone....it's been quite some time since my last visit to this forum. I have a problem here..deciding which uni to go, either a UK university or an Australian Uni. I've tried to calculate the total costs of study in these both countries, but I always ended up getting a lesser cost for UK uni. Can anyone studying in UK or Australia clarify this for me? I calculated for the cost of getting an honours science degree(3 years in UK and 4 years in AUS). Thanks..

Oh ya, by the way, the Uk unis that I am referring to are the Uni of Bristol and Uni of Newcastle upon Tyne. Any of u guys studying there now? And for Aus, i've got a reply for Uni of Queensland...need to give my reply by April..so all ur responses and opinions will be highly appreciated!

p/s: is it possible to get a study loan in uk or aus? if yes, how is the interest rate compared to that of malaysian banks?

thanks again...adioz..

[chenchow]

I would say that you would factor in the tuition fee, living cost (including summer & winter, if you decide to stay), and other misc cost, like transportation...

I would say that generally UK is more expensive, due to the hefty exchange rate... and it depends on the location as well. I would leave it to others who know better to reply.

[Belfast_boy]

In UK generally speaking,
5000 pounds + tuition fees per year will be more than enough.
That will include food (cook yourself), accommodation and a return ticket to Malaysia during summer.
Does that sound alright?

[dinna_g]

I don't know about tuition but living expenses Australia is definitely much cheaper especially FOOD. What's more important than food right? One thing you might want to also consider is if you want to work in that country after you graduate.
If you're thinking about working there, I think Australia is definitely a better choice since they need more people to fill up their space. I guess since time is a concern, that is hard to evaluate. Maybe you might wanna consider the educational opportunities that you will get i.e. the system, co-curriculum etc.

[Belfast_boy]

p/s: is it possible to get a study loan in uk or aus? if yes, how is the interest rate compared to that of malaysian banks?

Not too sure about that unless you are studying medicine.

Careerwise you will have equal chances in UK once you graduate.
There are also loads of summer placements (or internships) but competitons are intense.

[budakkerek]

yep..i definitely agree w most of you guys..i'll be going to Aussie..and although at first WAS a bit reluctant coz i really wanted to go to UK, but upon reflecting on the sitch (situation), Aussie's probably the best..cheaper rates plus quite near home..Sure you can go to Europe if you go to UK but well...the exchange rate's higher and the weather's colder...

It's kinda th trend now to go n study in Aussie..better quality of edu they say? :wink:

[Thirdshifter]

go to India, China, Russia! erm South africa! The education is pretty much the same.

I heard a lot of Students are doing Medics in Russia. Rm100,000 for the whole thing.

[trishotiwuth]

Eh, how come pandaboy's pic's big? Sorry it's out of the topic but just wanted to know

[weirdsalmonella]

go to India, China, Russia! erm South africa! The education is pretty much the same.

I heard a lot of Students are doing Medics in Russia. Rm100,000 for the whole thing.

But then we need to learn Russian language before we can apply for the U's there right?

[ElansarGelmir]

Australia is definitely cheaper. But i think UK would be a more comfortable place to stay and study...

[pandaboy]

In UK generally speaking,
5000 pounds + tuition fees per year will be more than enough.
That will include food (cook yourself), accommodation and a return ticket to Malaysia during summer.
Does that sound alright?

yeah...5000 pounds is enough? i calculate 7000pounds for cost of living per year plus tuition fees...all sum up to be around RM350k to Rm450K. Is that a correct estimation? Students in Uk esp in Bristol or Newcastle...please help to confirm this.

To others...thanks for ur replies. There is one thing I realise from ur views. Does high exchange rate means that it is more expensive to study there? U cant say that Uk is more expensive just bcos of the exchange rate of british pounds rite? Do remember that it is 4 years to obtain an honours degree in australia...i think that should be taken into consideration as well... I hope to receive more views from students who r actually studying in australia or uk... i think first hand experience is better in this case ya?

to trishotiwuth, my pic is big ..?? i think its because i dont upload my avatar to this webby, i upload to other website and link it to my avatar here...so...i think thats why it is of diff size, hehe..

anyway, i am still not clear...uk or aus? hmm....

and oh ya, by the way, im not doing medicine...

[kelvinlym]

I heard from a friend in Australia they are raising the tuition fees to a maximum of 25% next intake. Melbourne Uni has confirmed to raise 25%!

And from the Education Attache in Germany, Cik Saraya, the degree of 3 years (in Engineering) in UK is not recognised by JPA. Don't know about other degrees.

*high exchange rate doesn't mean more expensive. e.g. Albstadt in Germany : 25m? room=180? per month, Munich in Germany : 18m? room= 400? per month.

Hope that helps!

[pandaboy]

I heard from a friend in Australia they are raising the tuition fees to a maximum of 25% next intake. Melbourne Uni has confirmed to raise 25%!

yeah...i've heard of that too....for Uni of Queensland...they are going to raise the total fees from $86400 to $91000++ for Bachelor of Biotechnology...

*high exchange rate doesn't mean more expensive. e.g. Albstadt in Germany : 25m? room=180? per month, Munich in Germany : 18m? room= 400? per month.

huh? i dun quite understand what u r trying to explain...munich is a more expensive place to stay compared to Albstadt?

[chenchow]

I think the effect of exchange rate would be like say 5000 Pound, that would be about RM35000 . Whereas Aus$10000 , that would be about RM30000 only.

[Hush]

I am not sure about a science degree, but for an engineering degree, I did a research last year before I decided which uni to go to. The fees in Aus may be higher than those in UK. Firstly, the exchange rate comes into play. Secondly, it's because Aus unis will raise their fees in subsequent years. The fees used to remain the same per year for the whole duration of your study. But, it's no longer the case. =(

Should you go to Aus, I think the living costs in most of the main cities there are relatively the same. It's more obvious if you go to Melbourne or Sydney. The things there are freaking expensive. A plate of rice in Melbourne can cost more than RM20.

[pandaboy]

A plate of rice in Melbourne can cost more than RM20.

that will be around 4-5 times more expensive than in Malaysia?? Wow...how about in UK? Anyone?

[jagganatha]

uk is pretty expensive too.. a roti canai can go up to 20 pounds.. 8O 8O surprised, don be.. Aussie uni's are definately cheaper..

[pandaboy]

i just asked my friend's sis who is in bristol now...
she claimed that 5000 pounds per year is sufficient for cost of living....
plus the uni fees around 10000 - 12000 pounds per year.....this will cost a total of around :

(5000 + 12000) x 7 for exchange rate x 3 years
= RM 357 000

For australia....i read from the prospectus that the cost of living is estimated to be around $15000 - $18000 ...so lets take the median value ...which is around $16500 per year. Plus the university fees....lets take it to be...$21600 per year (this is the fees for University of Queensland year 2004-2005. I heard from my friend studying there who said that there will be an increase in fees next year...but let us not consider that first...). So the cost for studyin in aus will be like :

(16500 + 21600) x 2.8 for exchange rate x 4 years
= RM 426 720

So it seems like studyin in aus is more expensive...the difference is about RM70000??!! It's quite a large sum...

If i calculate again...lets put the cost of living in UK to be 8000 pounds a year...and the uni fees to be 12000 pounds per year....so the cost will be :

(8000 + 12000) x 7 for exchange rate x 3 years
= RM 420 000 --> still cheaper than aus?? 8O

Please help clear my doubts...

[pandaboy]

uk is pretty expensive too.. a roti canai can go up to 20 pounds.. 8O 8O surprised, don be.. Aussie uni's are definately cheaper..

roti canai for 20 pounds = rm 140????
r u sure? well, i am surprised...

[Thirdshifter]

uk is pretty expensive too.. a roti canai can go up to 20 pounds.. 8O 8O surprised, don be.. Aussie uni's are definately cheaper..

roti canai for 20 pounds = rm 140????
r u sure? well, i am surprised...

You can't look at everything based on foreign exchange. I bet the cashier in Mcdonalds probably get paid 9-10 pounds/hour.

70 ringgit/hour at mcdonals? believe it!

So 20 Pound for few roti canai and the gravy sounds normal for a little upscale restaurant. After all i paid 25 bucks for a plate of nasi Lemak in USA.

[pandaboy]

uk is pretty expensive too.. a roti canai can go up to 20 pounds.. 8O 8O surprised, don be.. Aussie uni's are definately cheaper..

roti canai for 20 pounds = rm 140????
r u sure? well, i am surprised...

You can't look at everything based on foreign exchange. I bet the cashier in Mcdonalds probably get paid 9-10 pounds/hour.

70 ringgit/hour at mcdonals? believe it!

So 20 Pound for few roti canai and the gravy sounds normal for a little upscale restaurant. After all i paid 25 bucks for a plate of nasi Lemak in USA.

hmm...that is quite true...
so still no one giving any opinions about my calculation few posts back? why i can calculate that studying Uk to be cheaper than aus? something wrong somewhere?

[DecentMerson]

i just asked my friend's sis who is in bristol now...
she claimed that 5000 pounds per year is sufficient for cost of living....
plus the uni fees around 10000 - 12000 pounds per year.....this will cost a total of around :

(5000 + 12000) x 7 for exchange rate x 3 years
= RM 357 000

For australia....i read from the prospectus that the cost of living is estimated to be around $15000 - $18000 ...so lets take the median value ...which is around $16500 per year. Plus the university fees....lets take it to be...$21600 per year (this is the fees for University of Queensland year 2004-2005. I heard from my friend studying there who said that there will be an increase in fees next year...but let us not consider that first...). So the cost for studyin in aus will be like :

(16500 + 21600) x 2.8 for exchange rate x 4 years
= RM 426 720

So it seems like studyin in aus is more expensive...the difference is about RM70000??!! It's quite a large sum...

If i calculate again...lets put the cost of living in UK to be 8000 pounds a year...and the so the cost will be :
uni fees to be 12000 pounds per year....
(8000 + 12000) x 7 for exchange rate x 3 years
= RM 420 000 --> still cheaper than aus?? 8O

Please help clear my doubts...

which Uni are u talking about??? my frens in LSE and another in Imperial said that tuition fees is about 17k per year...
and why do you compare a 3 years and a 4 years course???

oh yar.... and if u are talking about Medicine.... then the tuition fees is a different story altogether...

[pandaboy]

which Uni are u talking about??? my frens in LSE and another in Imperial said that tuition fees is about 17k per year...
and why do you compare a 3 years and a 4 years course???

oh yar.... and if u are talking about Medicine.... then the tuition fees is a different story altogether...

from the poll above, u know that i am talking about an HONOURS SCIENCE DEGREE... so its 4 years in aus and 3 years in uk...

I'm referring to the university of bristol in uk....the tuition fees is 11000 pounds this year for a degree in Biochemistry...so i use 12000 pounds for calculation to be on the safer side.....

17000 pounds per year? its better to check the unis website... i have the uni website to back me up... check out www.bristol.ac.uk ..

[soul_out]

McDonalds pay 4.50pounds for part time workers who is above 21 years old.

Nasi Lemak in UK is around 5 pounds. Enough for a big guy to eat as a meal.

The latest minimum pay for part time worker in UK is 4.50 pounds.

Pandaboy: Are you sure UK Uni offer 3 years Science Honours Degree course?

Actually, an Aussie Uni students who do 4 yrs Science Honours Degree learn more than a UK Uni students who do 3 yrs Science Honours Degree. Nevertheless, you can do a year of Master of Science (MSc) in UK after you got your degree. So it means you spend 4 years in UK to get a Master instead of 4 years in Oz to get a Honours Degree. Guess that will help you to find a job in future with a MSc.

On the other hand, you can always take 1 year off as a gap year before you graduate while u r doing ur degree in UK to do internship/industrial training hence you can make some money and working experience. I guess the job opportunity in UK for fresh graduates is greater than Oz but this statement is not support by any statistic, just my 2 cents.

My personal opinion is if $$$ is not a major concern, Oz is quite near to M'sia where UK is a far land that you might not be able to go there so often in the rest of your life. So why not spend your prescious Uni life there, while you can always go to Oz to visit your friends for holidays anytime you want.

Good luck.

[jiinjoo]

Don't compare to london schools, london itself is freaking expensive, both in tuition and living cost, but not the other places in UK.

Why count every single cent this way? Why don't just ask yourself which school makes you feel like going to? Which country do you look forward in being part of? If you're thinking of just walking away with the cert, I most certainly agree with ThirdShifter that you should just study in Russia / China and be done with it. It's going to be the best years of your life - choose wisely, not numerically.

Roti Canai 20 pounds... We have 20cents USD roti canai here in California, frozen ones, just put on the pan fry one side 1.5 minutes, then the other side 1.5 minutes, and you'll have something that taste like an average roti canai in PJ. :D

[soul_out]

Roti Canai 20 pounds... We have 20cents USD roti canai here in California, frozen ones, just put on the pan fry one side 1.5 minutes, then the other side 1.5 minutes, and you'll have something that taste like an average roti canai in PJ. :D

no kuah... :lol:

[lester]

I think i may help u answer the living cost problems.

I live in an apartment where locate in Brisbane city. It costs AUD120 per week but not incuding electricity, gas, home phone. So, 1 month will cost AUD800-1000.

Eating outside is pretty expensive, especially asian foods.

[pandaboy]

thank you lester for ur info...
so is food included in the one month cost of AUD800 - 1000?

jinjoo,
I would like to explain something here. I had limit my choices to Aus and UK for my education, and that is after much consideration. I would like to point out that money is not the main factor for me to decide which education that will suit me, but money does play an important role, as I am not from a rich family, nor I am holding any scholarship/sponsorship from any body. And mind you, I am not just thinking of walking away with a cert, if so ... i wont be troubling myself looking for as much information about education in uk and aus as I can, right? So, I am not keen in getting any suggestion of other countries to further my studies, and I am not looking forward to any more accusation that I am judging how good an education system in a country is by merely looking at the costs. So please, dont get me wrong. I just wan to find out why is everyone claiming that studyin in uk is freaking expensive as compared to other countries like aus, as both of these countries are within my choices.

to soul_out, thanks for that info about the salary of the part time workers in uk. And ya, I am sure that UK unis do offer 3 years honours degree in science, but that is not the case for scotland and probably some others. Scotland has a pretty much similar system to Aus ( if i am not mistaken), where the honours degree for science is of a 4 years duration. But most degrees in uk is of 3 years for an honours.

to decentmerson,
this is something i got from the website of Imperial College London at http://www.ic.ac.uk/P1776.htm


Overseas students

Mathematics (excluding Mathematics and Computer Science) ?9,800
Chemistry ?13,400
Pre-clinical Medicine ?12,250
Clinical Medicine ?20,700
Mathematics and Computing ?13,500
Computing ?13,500
Courses in all other departments ?12,600

I dont see any 17k pounds course....except the clinical medicine...

so why is everyone still voting for aus? this is really making me confused....

[soul_out]

so why is everyone still voting for aus? this is really making me confused....

Coz
1. Oz is near.
2. A lot of Asian relatively to UK.
3. Was cheaper when the exchange rate was 1 Oz to 2 RM.
4. More student go there relatively to UK.
5. More IDP than British Council. I would say more Oz education agents than UK education agents.

[pandaboy]

so why is everyone still voting for aus? this is really making me confused....

Coz
1. Oz is near.
2. A lot of Asian relatively to UK.
3. Was cheaper when the exchange rate was 1 Oz to 2 RM.
4. More student go there relatively to UK.
5. More IDP than British Council. I would say more Oz education agents than UK education agents.

ya....i understand that.
but the question of the poll is which country is cheaper for us to get an honours science degree.....not which country is more popular or why australia is a better option.... The reasons above does not explain that aus is a cheaper option....

[Hush]

If I have the dough, I would go to UK instead of Aus. It can be cheaper and I think there is more to see over there. Well, many Asians do go to UK for tertiary studies. However, it's ever much more in Aus! It's like an Asian country in Aus. Basically, if it's not the Australian that you bump into in cities like Melbourne or Sydney, then, he or she would be Asian. I went there to see for myself and it's true. All my friends who are there said the same thing.

So, pandaboy, there is nothing to be confused. Don't care about the vote. You know what your heart wants. They are just views and do not really reflect the truth. All the best to you.

[Belfast_boy]

having study in UK for the 4th year, and having heard about the cost of studying in Australia ,
I can say that UK is definitely CHEAPER, dude

[pandaboy]

If I have the dough, I would go to UK instead of Aus. It can be cheaper and I think there is more to see over there. Well, many Asians do go to UK for tertiary studies. However, it's ever much more in Aus! It's like an Asian country in Aus. Basically, if it's not the Australian that you bump into in cities like Melbourne or Sydney, then, he or she would be Asian. I went there to see for myself and it's true. All my friends who are there said the same thing.

So, pandaboy, there is nothing to be confused. Don't care about the vote. You know what your heart wants. They are just views and do not really reflect the truth. All the best to you.

ya...that is very true. I just asked a lady in my college placement centre, and she also claimed that 3 years in uk is definitely cheaper than 4 years in aus. unless if u compare 3 years in both countries, then aus will be cheaper then. i am really thankful for all the opinions..and now seemed like surfing on recom website is part of my daily life already..haha....guess i can really learnt a lot from here.. hope can meet some recom members if i really go overseas to study...

about my decision to study in which country, i will go to uk if i have no scholarship.... im having an interview for scholarship to study in aus( they dun wan to sponsor students to uk though)...next week....so i will just give it a try. anyway, i have nothing to lose..hehe...thanks everybody.. and take carez

[jiinjoo]

jinjoo,
I would like to explain something here. I had limit my choices to Aus and UK for my education, and that is after much consideration. I would like to point out that money is not the main factor for me to decide which education that will suit me, but money does play an important role, as I am not from a rich family, nor I am holding any scholarship/sponsorship from any body. And mind you, I am not just thinking of walking away with a cert, if so ... i wont be troubling myself looking for as much information about education in uk and aus as I can, right? So, I am not keen in getting any suggestion of other countries to further my studies, and I am not looking forward to any more accusation that I am judging how good an education system in a country is by merely looking at the costs. So please, dont get me wrong. I just wan to find out why is everyone claiming that studyin in uk is freaking expensive as compared to other countries like aus, as both of these countries are within my choices.

Great to know that - coz most of your post sort of implies otherwise. I wish you all the best in making a wise choice.

The mistake I realized I made is that you're just trying to demystify the allegations that surrounds you, rumors that are passed around any arbitrary Malaysian community, like which school are "good", "cheap", "easy to graduate", "friendly to foreigners" etc., instead of trying to seek an honest opinion from others. I on the other hand was trying to bring home 2 points, one is that the attributes (including cost, especially cost of living) of studying at a particular university varies, and two is that every person you ask will give you more "myth" rather than help demystify. Factors like tuition fee increase (occurs occasionally in many schools rather than incrementally), environment/cost of living changes (booming township, industries), personal changes (become more thift / lavish after meeting new gf / bf) etc. contributes a good percentage to the amount you'll spend overseas.

Please don't get me wrong - I never assumed you have a scholarship (or else cost is NOT a problem ... duh), which is why the natural thing for many Malaysian students who seek a foreign experience is to think money first. I also didn't assume that your family was rich (loosely defined) - if not why does it matter and why would you post to this forum? And I'm not suggesting you go China or Russia to study. I'm merely using it to illustrate the point that "going overseas" is like an investment that will have no return unless one feels comfortable and learn from its surrondings.

In your story, you said UK and Aus is the only two choices, so be it. If you're comparing specifically University of Queensland and Bristol and Newcastle, then I think you should focus on areas around those university. Most "myth" (this forum included) claims one "country" is "cheaper" than another, and then gives their emic responses. This is not what you should be looking for.

I hope that answers your question to "I just wan to find out why is everyone claiming that studyin in uk is freaking expensive as compared to other countries like aus". Naturally I can't give you any concrete advise even if I want to because I don't study in those 3 schools. But if I were to anyway, it would be the same thing: go to the school you like, the school you think will give you a better overseas experience, the school that will educate you to be a better person and give you a better head start in society. If it is the cheapest school that gives you that, then so be it. If not, try go get some financial support, either after you attend the university, or take up a partial loan, or if you think you can handle it, do some side job that doesn't affect your studies. When there's a will, there's a way.

Good luck choosing - and let us know which school you choose eventually and why! :D I think we'll all be happy to hear that.

[pandaboy]

wow jinjoo..that was a very long explanation...but it does contain a lot of useful advices and informations. thanks a lot...

well, like i said earlier, i will be attending an interview by sime darby next week. If i do well in that interview and accepted for that scholarship, i will be going to uni of queensland...sime darby oni accepts aus or nz unis though...

if i failed in that interview...i will go to uk, provided my a levels results meet their requirements in the conditional offers i received :)