Level 2 Universities in Australia
21 February 2025
Adelaide is one of the world's top ten most liveable cities and is home to people from all over the world. Its caring community is what truly makes it a great place to live. Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth most populous city in the entire country. Located on the south coast, known for attractive wide boulevards, open spaces, parklands and easily navigable city centre, Adelaide is Australia’s fifth-largest city- ranked 26th in the Best Student Cities index.
Adelaide has undergone a rapid transformation within a short period. It’s best known for its fabulous live music and theatre scene, as well as its excellent restaurants, hills, great for hiking, cycling, wildlife-watching in a fantastic Mediterranean climate.
Adelaide achieves its best score in the ‘student mix’ category, with a large and diverse student population. Adelaide has several universities, both private and public. The four main ones are Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, Torrens University Australia, and the University of South Australia. Adelaide is a popular study destination, as it offers both a relaxed lifestyle and a low-cost way of living. Combined, Adelaide’s universities teach approximately 81,000 students, including 17,000 from overseas.
The university strives to be a place of learning that embraces diversity among its students acknowledged, and their culture is respected. The universities focus on this area of study: education, research, and engagement, creative arts and media, medicine, nursing and midwifery, innovation and enterprise, law, and criminology, business, law, arts and social sciences, information technology, education, and the environment, nursing, social work, primary teaching, and engineering.
Adelaide is up to 12% more affordable to live in than other major Australian cities and has the lowest average rent in the country.
To help you understand the costs, below is a sample student budget based on a single student living in shared accommodation in the city.
Depending on the location and type of accommodation you choose, rental prices may vary. Below is a guide to housing costs in Adelaide:
Adelaide’s public transport system Adelaide Metro provides cost-effective and efficient travel throughout the city and the greater metropolitan area. To travel on the public transport system, you’ll need to pay for your fare using either a MetroCard or MetroTicket.
Tertiary students in Adelaide can enjoy unlimited travel on all bus, train and tram services with a 28-Day Pass for AUD 51.50 and primary and secondary school students for AUD 25.50.
Adelaide Metro also provides several free public transport options servicing the city and North Adelaide for your convenience.
Part-time employment in Adelaide can be a great way to balance work with study. Most international students in Australia do part-time jobs while studying to assist with living expenses, meet new people and gain experience in an Australian workplace.
There are many opportunities for you to undertake part-time work from a wide range of industries in Adelaide:
There are many places where you can look for work in Adelaide, including:
Dedicated job search websites like the following:
Internships and volunteering while studying in Australia are a great way to demonstrate to employers that you can:
Adelaide has consistently ranked in the top 10 “most liveable” cities, partly due to its safety record. While it is generally safe to walk around the city at night, standard safety precautions such as walking in a group and being aware of your surroundings apply. This is particularly important when you first arrive and are adjusting to your new way of life.
