Coming to Melbourne to Study with a Child? Here’s What You Need to Know About School

Moving to Australia for study rarely begins with the university itself.

It usually begins with much more practical questions.

Where will we live? How will health insurance work? What documents should we bring? And, if you are moving to Melbourne with a child, where will your child go to school?

For many international students, this last question turns out to be more complicated than expected.

It may seem simple: if your child is coming with you as a dependant on your Student visa, surely you can just find the nearest government school and enrol them.

In Victoria, the reality is slightly different.

A dependent child of an international student can attend school, but whether government schooling is tuition-free, which school the child can attend, and when the enrolment process should begin depends largely on the parent's study and visa circumstances.

Here is how it works.

First: what does “dependant” mean?

Consider a typical situation.

A parent enrols in a university or another education provider in Melbourne and obtains a Student visa (subclass 500). Their child accompanies them as a dependent family member.

This is different from a child travelling to Australia as an international school student in their own right.

Children accompanying international students are dealt with under a specific dependant framework.

Home Affairs may allow an eligible dependent child to be included in the Student visa arrangements. Once the family is in Victoria, however, school enrolment is also governed by Victorian education rules.

And this is where one of the most important points appears:

having the right to attend school does not necessarily mean that government schooling will be free.

The most common misconception: “Government school is free”

For Australian families, government schooling is generally associated with free public education.

For dependent children of Student visa holders, however, the situation depends on the category of the principal student.

If the parent is studying in sectors such as:

• • Higher Education
• • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
• • ELICOS
• • Non-Award study

their child will generally fall within the fee-paying dependant student arrangements.

This means the child can attend a Victorian government school, but tuition fees may apply.

For 2026, the published Victorian government school tuition fees for dependant students are:

• • Prep–Grade 6: AUD 13,600 per year
• • Years 7–10: AUD 16,660 per year
• • Years 11–12: AUD 18,700 per year

An application fee also applies under the current fee schedule.

For a family preparing to relocate, this is a significant cost.

If you budget only for university tuition, rent and living expenses, a school bill of more than AUD 13,000 per year can come as an unpleasant surprise.

That is why schooling should be part of the financial planning process before the move.

But postgraduate research can be very different

There is an important exception.

If the parent is studying at a Victorian university for postgraduate research purposes, their dependent child may qualify for exemption from tuition fees at a Victorian government school.

Certain Australia Awards and Defence-sponsored categories may also receive exemptions.

The difference can be substantial.

Imagine two families.

One parent comes to Melbourne for a Master by Coursework program. Their child may be required to pay government school tuition fees.

Another parent comes to Melbourne for a PhD. Their child may be eligible for a fee exemption.

So the question:

“I am studying at a university. Will school be free for my child?”

is not specific enough.

The better question is:

“What study sector and visa circumstances apply to the principal student?”

That should be established before estimating school costs.

When should you start looking for a school?

Ideally, before arriving in Australia.

You do not necessarily need to wait until the family is physically in Melbourne.

For a fee-paying dependant child, the Victorian Department of Education operates a Dependant Application process.

A typical pathway may involve:

choosing preferred schools, submitting the application, receiving an offer and written agreement, paying the required invoice and receiving confirmation of placement.

In some cases, school placement documentation is also relevant to the family's visa process.

Schooling therefore should not always be treated as something to organise only after landing in Melbourne.

It can form part of the relocation planning itself.

Which school can your child attend?

Your residential address is extremely important.

Victoria operates a system of school zones.

Once you know where you will live, you can use the Victorian Government's Find My School service to enter the address and identify the designated neighbourhood school.

This is why choosing a home and choosing a school can be much more closely connected than families initially expect.

A family may find a suitable rental property, sign a lease, and only afterwards discover that the school they wanted is outside their zone.

If a particular school or school area matters to you, it is sensible to check the school zone before signing a long-term lease.

Families can sometimes apply to schools outside their local zone, but placement may depend on school capacity and the applicable placement rules.

What documents should you bring?

It is generally better to arrive with more useful documentation than to discover later that an important record has been left overseas.

Depending on the situation, you may need or find it useful to have:

• • the child's passport
• • birth certificate
• • visa documents
• • the parent's Student visa information
• • the parent's Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
• • the parent's Letter of Offer
• • OSHC documentation
• • previous school reports
• • vaccination records
• • relevant medical or learning-support information

Documents issued in another language should be accompanied by appropriate English translations where required.

Victorian guidance indicates that dependant students are not generally being academically selected in the same way as some other international school students.

Nevertheless, previous school reports can still be useful.

They help the school understand the child's educational background and determine the most appropriate Year Level.

What if your child speaks very little English?

This is one of the most common concerns for parents.

But limited English should not automatically be a reason to delay school.

After enrolment, the school can assess the child's English proficiency.

Depending on their needs, the child may:

remain in a mainstream classroom with additional English as an Additional Language (EAL) support,

or receive more intensive English-language assistance through appropriate programs.

Victoria's government education system is accustomed to supporting students who arrive from different linguistic backgrounds.

For many families, this is more practical than trying to keep a child out of school for several months while arranging private English lessons first.

What about vaccinations?

If your child received vaccinations outside Australia, bring the most complete vaccination history you have.

After arrival, the records can be reviewed by a recognised Australian vaccination provider, such as a GP.

The provider can:

review the overseas records, compare them with the Australian immunisation schedule, recommend any required catch-up vaccinations, and arrange for eligible overseas vaccination history to be recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

An Immunisation History Statement can then be obtained where required for school enrolment.

Having overseas records available in English makes this process considerably easier.

Do not forget the child's OSHC

Families should also check health insurance carefully.

Do not assume that the principal student's individual OSHC policy automatically covers dependants.

If a child accompanies the Student visa holder, the family needs appropriate health insurance arrangements covering the dependant.

Before travelling, check the insurance certificate and make sure the child is actually included in the policy.

School costs are not limited to tuition

Even where a child qualifies for a tuition-fee exemption, schooling is not completely cost-free.

Families may still need to budget for items such as:

• • school uniform
• • textbooks and stationery
• • camps
• • excursions
• • laptop or other electronic device
• • subject-specific materials

Some of these costs can amount to hundreds or more than a thousand Australian dollars.

It is therefore better to calculate a realistic annual school budget, rather than focusing only on tuition.

What does this look like in real life?

Imagine you are coming to Melbourne for a Master by Coursework program with a 10-year-old child.

First, you confirm the child's visa arrangements and OSHC.

You establish that the child is likely to fall within the fee-paying dependant category.

You then investigate suitable government schools, submit the relevant dependant application and arrange placement.

Once your Melbourne address is confirmed, you check the local school zone through Find My School.

After arrival, you finalise enrolment, organise immunisation records, arrange uniform and school supplies, and discuss any English-language support your child may need.

Now consider another family.

The parent is coming to Melbourne for a PhD.

Their child may fall into a tuition-fee-exempt dependant category.

The family may therefore be able to deal directly with the local government school rather than paying the standard annual international dependant tuition fee.

Same city.

Same Student visa subclass.

Potentially very different school costs.

That is why identifying the parent's exact study category should always come first.

If you remember only three things

First:

A child of an international student can attend school in Victoria, but government schooling is not automatically tuition-free.

Second:

Postgraduate Research is an important category because eligible dependants may qualify for tuition-fee exemption.

Third:

Start planning school before you move, particularly if you already know where in Melbourne you intend to live.

From there, the process becomes much easier to understand:

study sector → dependant status → fees or exemption → address → school zone → application → documents → enrolment.

What initially looks like complicated bureaucracy becomes a manageable sequence of steps.

Official sources

Before submitting applications, always check the current information published by:

• • Australian Department of Home Affairs — Student visa subclass 500
• • Victorian Department of Education / Study Victoria — Dependant Students
• • Study Victoria — School Fees
• • Victorian Government — Find My School
• • Victorian Government — School Enrolment
• • Study Melbourne — Bringing Your Family
• • Services Australia — Australian Immunisation Register

How MEGAPOLIS can help

MEGAPOLIS can help families understand the education side of relocating to Melbourne: the school enrolment process, official information sources, school zones and the practical steps needed before and after arrival.

Individual visa strategy, interpretation of visa conditions and immigration advice should be checked with the Department of Home Affairs or an appropriately authorised professional.

MEGAPOLIS — Your Path to Education in Melbourne.

This article provides general information only and is not migration or legal advice. Visa requirements, government fees and education policies can change. Always check the current official sources before making an application.