Is a Study Gap Acceptable in Australian Universities?

Many clients frequently ask about the “study gap” in matters of Australian student visas. The term “study gap” refers to when you no longer enrol in formal education programs. So, this “study gap” is a condition that some international students cannot avoid. 

The study gap year is a frightening spectre for international students; a lot of scattered information says this is acceptable, and one says it is not. To clarify things, education ONE will explain everything you need to know about a study gap year to get an Australian student visa, briefly explaining how to deal with it. For more, here’s what you’ll read:

1. What is a Study Gap Year?
2. Factors Influencing Study Gap Acceptance for Australian Student Visa
3. Acceptable Reasons for Study Gaps
4. Guidelines for Explaining Study Gaps
5. Documentary Evidence and Supporting Documentation
6. Consulting a Qualified Education Agent

To further understand the study gap year on this Australian student visa, you can continue reading the article below until it runs out.

What is a Study Gap Year?

In the education context, the gap year or study gap is a “long break” period for students to continue their studies. In this period, students take on other activities besides studying that will improve their skills and experiences. For example, you can finish one level of education and not immediately proceed to the next or take a break for personal reasons.

Studying gap years can indeed affect international students’ applications for Australian Student Visa (subclass 500), but if you provide strong evidence and explain this gap in your SOP, the gap year will not affect your visa application.

Do Australia Accept the Study Gap?

Yes, Australia accepts a gap year for international students applying for an Australian student visa. But you must remember that you must have clear reasons why you have the study gap year.

Hence the importance of the “study gap” for international students is in how this can affect their academic progress and immigration matters.

Suppose you have a study gap, actually there is no need to worry as this is common. After leaving high school, for example, you might want to experience work. Or maybe try new things while preparing to start your tertiary education in Australia at the right time, other than just sitting at your desk and looking at the screen full of study materials.

Have an intention of becoming Australian PR after your studies? Read our article: Your Frequently Asked Question About Courses That Can Lead To Australian PR

How Much Gap is Accepted for Study in Australia?

There is no definite answer for this, but a gap of 1-2 years is usually understandable and acceptable in most Australian universities. For a longer duration, you need to show:

1. strong reasons
2. supported by evidence
3. to show your genuine intentions, and
4. willingness to pursue further studies in Australia, especially for a lower level of education (Bachelor and Diploma).

While a study gap of 1-2 years is commonly acceptable, how about having more than 3, 5, or maybe 10 years of study gap? You might have a chance if you can clearly explain why taking such a long gap. You also need to provide relevant supporting documents. 

Without sufficient information and documentation, you may have a slight chance, and it is not 100% guaranteed that you can get your student visa. Contact us now to explore your probability of success in gaining your student visa.

Note: The visa officer must be reasonably convinced of the gap and for certain conditions your work history needs to be sufficient to prove. The visa officer will only assess based on available documents and certain criteria. 

Factors Influencing Study Gap Acceptance for Australian Student Visa

Having a student visa is very important for international students when studying in Australia. Australia is known for its good education system and various academic opportunities. 

To get a student visa in Australia, generally speaking you have to show a real intention to study, speak enough English, have money for living expenses, and have proper health insurance.

In addition to the main factors above, please look at the factors that contributed specifically to Australia’s decision to accept your gap year of study:

• Educational Continuity and Visa Approval
• Genuine Intent to Study
• Reasons for the Gap
• Relevance to Field of Study
• Documentation and Communication

With the 5 factors above, you must provide related reasons that make sense and, of course, CAN BE PROVED because everything will only be a hypocrisy if it is only written in the GTE Statement. Of course, there will be a greater possibility of being refused by your visa officer later.

Note: Also make sure you provide original documents.

You can see strong reasons for stating the study gap year statement below.

Acceptable Reasons for Study Gaps

Does education ONE have clients who have breaks between studies? Yes of course, and we managed to help them continue their study in Australia. So, if you want to follow in their footsteps now, you can! Everything comes from a simple step; Book a free consultation with our Career Development Consultants. 

Then what are the reasons for a gap year of study that are usually acceptable for an Australian student visa application?

1. Health issues
2. Family and financial issues
3. Wants to gain work experience 
4. Preparing for an exam
5. Volunteering activities
6. Taking a much-needed break from studying to be able to “start afresh” 

Below, we will describe briefly about each point.  

Health issues 

Sometimes we cannot avoid unexpected situations, such as illness. You may become ill out of nowhere, preventing you from enrolling in the university. 

When you recover and are ready to continue your study in Australia, you need to provide the necessary documents to support the evidence of your illness, such as diagnosis, health reports, and details of the Doctor’s appointments so you could explain why you are having study gaps.

Family and financial issues

If you are dealing with family problems before you apply for an Australian Student Visa, you may need to take a break before continuing your studies. You can inform the university about your previous study gap or write in your GTE statement about your conditions of the family issues. 

Also financially, you will need sufficient funds to support your study and live in Australia. Even if you are receiving a partial scholarship, you still have to fulfil the financial requirements for the student visa by providing a letter from your sponsorship provider. 

Read our article: Australia’s Generous Financial Support for Overseas Students!

Wants to gain work experience 

Who doesn’t want to quickly implement what they learn in school into a real-life experience? This is why gaining work experience is one of the most common reasons for the study gap. Even some universities or study qualifications in Australia prefer students with some work experience.

So, a gap year to work at a firm and gain work experience is acceptable if you have proof. It would be a plus point for you if you could explain the correlation between your work experience and the major you want to study next. Make sure you have all supporting documents that could verify your experience.

Preparing for your exams 

You may plan to continue studying at your desired institution or courses with a high qualifications standard. Or you may need to take an exam that requires a lot of preparation, such as taking the IELTS course to satisfy the study requirements in Australia. 

In terms of these, it might result in you taking a study gap. Providing the result or other details of the exam will back your statement in your following admission process. 

Volunteering activities 

Want to take a break from your study but still do something meaningful? You might decide to do volunteering activities. With providing verification documents, volunteering activity can add positive value to your portfolio and is usually acceptable to institutions. 

Choosing courses that align with your volunteering activities will be better.

Taking a much-needed break from studying to be able to “start afresh”

It is not a secret that taking purposeful breaks from studying to refresh your brain and body can increase your energy and productivity. Everyone has their own time and method of taking a break. 

For example, you love to travel and want to explore countries you have never visited before, so you may need a longer time to take breaks, resulting in a gap year from your previous studies. So, how do you explain this break in your GTE statement? In the section below, we will discuss how to address the study gap in your GTE Statement.

Do you have other reasons for taking such a long break from your previous study? Book a free consultation with us now so we can assess your chances to continue studying in Australia. 

Guidelines for Explaining Study Gaps

If you have any gap between your previous studies, even though it is only for a year, it will be better if you can explain it. It is essential to show in your GTE statement that you are genuine and have a clear intention of studying in Australia with your student visa.

Here are some crucial pieces of information that you should include into your statement:

• Information about your previous study
  • academic transcripts showing qualifications achieved
  • name of the education provider(s)
  • length of study
  • certificates of attainment
• Information about gap in previous study
  • reasons why there is a gap in your studies including where you did not maintain enrolment
  • highlight any relevant skills, experience or knowledge you have acquired from the gap year, and how it prepared you for your chosen course of study
  • explain why you have decided to pursue further studies now and how it aligns with your long-term career goals
• You have to mention what is in your country, including your study and employment background, why you are not studying there, and your financial stability for your study in Australia.
• You need to explain the potential situation in Australia, which gives a solid incentive to remain to study in Australia.
• You should explain the proposed future career and remuneration you intend to gain after finishing your study in Australia.
• Suppose you have ever applied for a visa (whether it was approved, cancelled, or refused) or visited any country other than Australia. In that case, you also need to mention it in your statement.

In addition to the written statement in the application form, you must attach supporting documents to ImmiAccount. Generic statements unsupported by evidence will not be weighed heavily in the GTE assessment. 

A student visa application shall not only be costly but also time consuming. Let education ONE guide you in writing your GTE statement. Book a free consultation with us now. 

Documentary Evidence and Supporting Documentation

We have mentioned above that visa officers will understand that many international students seeking an Australian student visa will need to temporarily suspend their studies during the transition from high school to higher education or usually from undergraduate to master’s programmes.

Although this cannot be avoided, the study gap should be filled with things that can support your later study application to get an Australian student visa. You can still get a student visa provided you present valid documents to the case officer from the start of the application.

The document includes a:

• Certificate of work experience (such as reference letters, payslips or tax returns), or
• Medical certificates, or
• Letter of explanation.

Be honest with immigration officials and provide all required documents on time. Remember you won’t get it if you show inaccurate documents.

These documents will increase your success rate in obtaining an Australian student visa as you will have presented concrete evidence to the immigration officer checking your requirements. Always remember, that the documents you provide cannot be fake or edited.

Consulting a Qualified Education Agent

Study gap can be an obstacle in applying for a student visa to Australia to reach your dream of studying in Australia. We hope you can get insights into what you should do regarding your study gap by reading this article.

While all of this about the study gap year for the Australian student visa application can seem quite daunting, surely there is education ONE that can help you navigate your application for success.

How can we help you?

• Alongside our Registered Migration Agent and professional consultants, we are delighted to provide you with the best advice possible based on your personal goals in Australia. 
• We make sure you have a strong statement and include all the necessary documents, so that your application is decision-ready.
• With an average 5 star review, education ONE is committed not only to helping you with study gap cases, but various cases that may accompany it.

Do not hesitate to contact us to get the best tips and strategies to make your dream of studying in Australia come true. 

education ONE has a team of experienced education agents who are accompanied by in-house Migration Agents. If there is still uncertainty regarding meeting your Australian Study Plan migration prerequisites, do not hesitate. Get a free initial study and Australian Student Visa consultation with our professional Career Development Consultants. Contact education ONE Australia today by email at [email protected] or call us on 1300 083 663.

• Our in-house Migration Agents have a 99% success rate for all visas. Their main aim is to help people migrate to Australia.
• We have years of experience helping hundreds of international students meet their visa requirements, no matter how complicated the circumstances. 
• We treat each individual differently based on their situation to determine the best options for their future Visa. We look forward to assisting you with your Visa and your dream of working after studying in Australia.

That’s all about study gap for Australian Student Visa, see you in the next article!