So this page includes the number most consultancy websites leave off: how many Pakistani applicants are actually approved.
Australia student visa approval and refusal rate for Pakistani applicants
In the first quarter of 2026 (January to March), about 37% of decisions on subclass 500 higher education student visas for Pakistani citizens applying from outside Australia were refusals. Put the other way round, the success rate was roughly 63%. More than one in three files did not make it.
Source: Department of Home Affairs, student visa grant rates (BP0015, data to 30 September 2026). The January to March 2026 figure is 36.7%. The share moves from quarter to quarter: across the 2025-26 financial year it was about 41%, ranging from 37% to 51% by quarter.
Compare that to the way this is usually presented. Agencies quote their own "98% approval rate", which is a number about the cases they chose to submit, not about your chances. Ours is the market figure, and it is the one you should plan against.
The useful part: refusals follow a pattern. Two causes account for most of them, and both are visible before you lodge, which is exactly why checking first is worth four minutes of your time.
What the subclass 500 is
The subclass 500 is Australia's student visa, also called the Australia study visa. It lets you study a registered full-time course, work up to 48 hours per fortnight in term time, and bring dependents in some circumstances. It generally runs for the length of your course plus a short buffer.
There is one student visa, not a separate one per level of study, so the same visa covers a diploma, a Bachelor's, a Master's or a PhD.
What it costs
- Amount
- Visa application fee: AUD 2,500, non-refundable
- Living funds you must prove for year one: AUD 29,710
- Tuition: AUD 20,000 to 45,000 a year, course dependent
- OSHC health cover: roughly AUD 650 to 850 a year, depending on the insurer
The AUD 2,500 does not come back if you are refused, and it does not come back if you withdraw. That single fact is why the order of operations matters: check your chances, then build the file, then pay.
Full breakdown in rupees on the cost of studying page.
What you need to qualify
A confirmed offer and a CoE. Your Confirmation of Enrolment comes after you accept an offer and pay the deposit. You cannot lodge without it. See OSHC and CoE explained.
Proof of funds with a traceable source. AUD 29,710 in living funds plus tuition, and the money needs a history, not just a balance. See the financial requirements guide.
An English test result. IELTS 6.5 overall for most courses, 7.0 for nursing, teaching and several health courses. PTE Academic and TOEFL are also accepted. Details and the individual-band traps are on the IELTS guide.
A Genuine Student statement that holds together. Answered inside your ImmiAccount application, capped at 150 words per question. This is where most files fail. See the Genuine Student guide.
OSHC for the full length of your stay, and health and character requirements.
The documents you will need
Your offer letter and CoE, HEC-verified transcripts and degree certificates, your IELTS or PTE result, bank statements covering a meaningful period, sponsor documents including FBR tax returns where the sponsor is self-employed, and passport-related identity documents.
Having every document is not the same as having a file that survives scrutiny. Names spelled differently across two papers, dates that do not line up, a figure in your statement that does not match your bank statement: these are what get files flagged. The document checklist and verification guide covers what actually gets checked.
How to apply for an Australia study visa online
You lodge through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs online portal. In outline:
- Create your ImmiAccount and start a subclass 500 application.
- Answer the Genuine Student questions, each within the 150-word limit.
- Upload your CoE, financial evidence, English result, academic documents and identity documents.
- Complete health examinations with a panel physician and provide biometrics if asked.
- Pay the AUD 2,500 fee and submit.
- Respond quickly if the Department requests more information, and prepare in case you are asked to attend an interview.
The full step-by-step process covers everything from choosing a course through to landing, with timing.
How long processing takes
Home Affairs publishes how long recent student visa applications have taken, and it varies by provider and by file. Applications tied to providers that are still under their yearly allocation are looked at first, and files that need further checks run considerably longer.
That variation is not random either, and almost nobody explains it. The university risk rating guide covers why your choice of institution changes your processing experience.
Work backwards from your intake and give yourself 6 to 9 months in total.
Why Australia student visas get rejected
Two reasons dominate, and they are worth stating in order:
First, and by a distance: a weak Genuine Student narrative. Your course does not clearly follow from what you studied, or lead to anything specific afterwards. Generic phrasing that could describe any applicant. Answers that contradict your documents.
Second: money that cannot be traced. A large deposit with no history behind it, sponsor income that does not match the balance, or funds spread across distant relatives with no explanation.
After those: undisclosed previous visa refusals from any country, course changes that do not add up, and documents that are inconsistent with each other.
The refusal reasons guide has the full ranked list and what to do about each one.
Official sources
Rules, fees and processing times change. Check the current details on the official pages below before you decide.
FAQ’s
Common questions
Roughly 63% in the first quarter of 2026, meaning about 37% were refused. Your own odds depend mostly on your Genuine Student statement and your funds trail.
AUD 2,500, non-refundable, whether you are approved or refused.
It varies by provider and file, and files that need further checks take longer. Home Affairs publishes recent processing times on its website.
Yes. The whole application is lodged through ImmiAccount. You will still need in-person health examinations and possibly biometrics.
Yes, currently up to 48 hours per fortnight during term time and unlimited during scheduled breaks. Your visa funds must be provable without counting that income. See work rights (/guides/work-rights-for-students-australia).
The fee is not refunded and the refusal stays on your immigration history, which you must disclose in future applications. You can usually reapply, but only after genuinely fixing what caused the refusal.
For most applicants, yes. Narrow exceptions exist, covered on studying without IELTS (/guides/australia-student-visa-without-ielts).
Before you pay the fee, find out where you stand
The AUD 2,500 is gone either way. Four minutes now is a reasonable trade. Or, for a counsellor to read your actual file: book a free assessment (/get-started), written answer in one to two working days.
Check your visa chances