Visas
Documents required for an Australian student visa (subclass 500)
In short
Home Affairs' subclass 500 page requires that you "be enrolled in a course of study in Australia and hold a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)", "hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)" or fall in an exemption, apply online, prove a welfare arrangement if under 18, and not bring family members unless exempt. The visa costs from AUD 2,500. The Genuine Student requirement is answered inside the form, four questions at 150 words each, and the Department says it gives "more weight to statements supported by evidence": transcripts, employment and income documents, and evidence of ties at home.
Australia's document set is unusual because the central document is not a statement at all: it is four short answers in the visa form plus the evidence behind them. New rules for onshore applications and family members apply from 2 October 2026.
This is one of seven posts on the documents each destination asks for; the [document preparation](/study-abroad-documents) page sets out who produces each document and the order to start them in.
What Home Affairs requires, in its own words
From the subclass 500 page and the Genuine Student page, read on 27 October 2026.
- "Be enrolled in a course of study in Australia and hold a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) when we decide your visa"; a CoE "is no longer valid if it is cancelled or the course is complete".
- "Hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), or fall in one of the exemption categories".
- "Apply online" and "apply from outside Australia unless you hold an eligible visa and meet an exemption allowing you to apply in Australia".
- "Be 6 years or older"; "prove you have a welfare arrangement, if you are under 18".
- "Not bring family members (partners and children) to Australia, unless exempt".
- Genuine Student: the four form questions on current circumstances, why this course and provider, how the course benefits you, and anything else relevant, each with "a text limit of 150 words per response", in English. Full text in the Genuine Student post.
- Evidence the Department encourages: transcripts and certificates; current employment details with a contact who can confirm them; the nature of ties at home; "documents showing employment or business activities for 12 months before lodging"; "income tax return or bank statements"; a complete record of any previous study in Australia.
- English: for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, an overall IELTS 6.5 with 5.5 in each component, or a listed equivalent, unless exempt.
- Health and character checks as directed after lodging; the cost is "from AUD2,500.00", with concessions in limited circumstances.
Why the evidence outweighs the answers
The Department's page says it plainly: "We give more weight to statements supported by evidence in assessing the GS requirement." An Indian applicant's file is usually decided on the economic documents, the 12 months of employment or business activity, the tax return or bank statements, and on whether the course is consistent with current education and future employment. The 150-word answers point at those documents; they cannot replace them.
The university side is separate: a statement of purpose of the usual kind for admission, which the Australia page covers.
The 2 October 2026 changes
Home Affairs states that "From 2 October 2026, there are new rules for Student visas (subclass 500) and Student Guardian visas (subclass 590). The rules change who can apply for and be granted a visa while in Australia, and whether family members can be included in a Student visa application." Anyone planning to apply onshore, or to include a partner, should read the Department's change page before making travel or enrolment decisions, because the eligibility rules are what changed, not the document list.
Order and timing
Accept the offer and pay the deposit to receive the CoE, which the visa cannot be granted without. Arrange OSHC for the full visa period, often through the provider. Collect the economic evidence first, because 12 months of employment or business records and a tax return cannot be produced in a week. Draft the four answers last, each one pointing at an attached document. Lodge online; processing follows the current Ministerial Direction priorities.
Sources
Quoted from the Department of Home Affairs on 27 October 2026.
Related questions
Do I attach a Genuine Student statement or answer in the form?
In the form. Home Affairs says it prefers answers to the four questions in the application form rather than a separate attached statement, with 150 words per response, and gives more weight to the evidence attached.
Can I include my spouse in a student visa application?
The subclass 500 page says applicants must not bring family members unless exempt, and rules on including family members changed from 2 October 2026. Read the Department's change page before assuming a partner can be included.
How much does the student visa cost?
From AUD 2,500, per the Department's page, with concessions in limited circumstances; OSHC, health checks and the English test are additional.