ELICOS or VET in Australia? Start with your English level

If improving your English is the main goal, start with ELICOS. If you want practical training and an Australian qualification, look at VET. The right choice comes down to your English now, what you want to do afterwards and how long you can stay.

There’s one check to make before anything else: VET is taught in English. If your level isn’t high enough for the course or the visa, you can study English first and move into VET afterwards. You don’t always have to choose one.

ELICOS and VET in plain English

ELICOS stands for English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students. These are intensive English courses approved for international students on a Student Visa (subclass 500).

VET means Vocational Education and Training. The courses are practical and career-focused, with options in Business, Marketing, Hospitality, Cookery, IT, Fitness, Childcare and Design.

You can study VET at a public TAFE institute or a private registered training organisation (RTO). TAFE is the country’s largest public provider network. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) oversees quality across the sector.

The main differences

Use these figures as a first comparison. Prices, entry levels and start dates vary between providers and courses.

If your English is still at beginner level

General English lets you start at any level. It focuses on the language you use every day, especially listening and speaking. There’s no academic entry requirement. The school tests you and places you in the right class.

Most schools use a scale that runs from Beginner to Advanced, with Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate in between. Moving up one level normally takes 10 to 12 weeks.

It’s easy to overestimate your level if you judge it by reading alone. The placement test also checks speaking and writing, which is often where the result changes.

An ELICOS course costs about 250 to 450 AUD per week. The school, city, timetable and number of weeks all affect the final price. Enrolment and materials can be charged separately, usually adding another 200 to 500 AUD.

For the visa, a standalone English course is the simpler route. If ELICOS is your main course, you don’t need to submit an English test score with the application.

Once your level improves, you have a couple of common next steps:

• English for Academic Purposes (EAP) prepares you to study in English at a VET provider, TAFE or university. It usually runs for about 10 weeks and has its own entry level.

• Exam preparation focuses on IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge. It makes sense when your next provider, or the visa, asks for an official score.

If you already have intermediate English

Most vocational courses ask for intermediate or upper-intermediate English. IELTS 5.5 or an equivalent level is common, though some providers use their own test.

The visa requirement is separate. If the immigration authorities ask you to prove your English, the general Student Visa minimum is IELTS 6.0 or the equivalent in another accepted test. They may ask when you apply or later, while assessing the application.

So passing the provider’s test doesn’t always settle the visa question. Check both.

VET qualifications come at several levels:

• Certificate I: 4 to 6 months.

• Certificates II and III: about 1 year each.

• Certificate IV: 12 to 18 months.

• Diploma: 18 to 24 months.

• Advanced Diploma: 24 to 36 months.

A Diploma or Advanced Diploma may give you credit towards a later university degree. How much credit you receive depends on the university and program.

At private providers, VET usually costs 4,000 to 14,000 AUD per year. Business and Marketing tend to sit at the lower end. Courses that need kitchens, workshops or placements cost more, and some TAFE programs are above 15,000 AUD a year.

Many providers split the fee into instalments or term payments. Add every payment period before comparing prices. The first invoice is not the full cost.

From 1 July 2026, the standard Student Visa application charge is 2,500 AUD for VET. The same charge applies whether you begin VET straight away or take English first.

Your course also has to make sense under the  Genuine Student requirement. Picking VET because it looks cheap or easy can raise questions. The provider, subject and qualification should fit your background or a career change you can explain.

Combining English and VET in one package

IELTS 5.0 An English + VET package puts both courses into one study plan. You complete ELICOS first, then move into the vocational course.

This is often the cleanest option when VET is the goal but your current English doesn’t meet the provider’s or visa’s standard. With ELICOS before the main course, the visa minimum falls to IELTS 5.0 or an equivalent result.

The number of English weeks should come from a test, not a guess. The English school measures your current level, and the VET provider confirms where you need to finish. The gap between the two tells you how long to book.

For example, moving from Elementary to Intermediate means going up 2 levels. At 10 to 12 weeks per level, that’s about 20 to 24 weeks of English before VET.

Dates matter just as much as level. General English may start almost every week, while VET courses have fixed intakes. Finish English too early and you could have a long gap without classes. Finish too late and you miss the VET start date.

Before you book, we ask the VET provider how it will confirm your final English level. It may accept the English school’s certificate, run an internal test or ask for IELTS.

• Take someone with Intermediate English who wants to spend at least 1 year in Australia. Their options might look like this:

• Plan A, English only: 48 weeks of ELICOS, costing 12,000 to 21,600 AUD. The lower visa charge applies, and no test score is required.

Plan B, English + VET: 12 weeks of English, costing 3,000 to 5,400 AUD, followed by a 12 to 18-month Certificate IV. Including the first year of VET, the total is 7,000 to 19,400 AUD. The standard visa charge applies, and the visa may ask for IELTS 5.0 or an equivalent result.

The calculation uses the weekly English fee plus 1 year of VET. It doesn’t include enrolment, materials, OSHC, flights or accommodation.

Plan B takes longer. If the Certificate IV lasts 18 months, you’ll also need to budget for the second year. In return, you finish with a qualification and the option to continue studying.

Too little English can delay the VET course. Too much adds weeks and cost you may not need. If you’re unsure, we’ll calculate the timing with you for free.

If you’re only staying for a few months

VET won’t fit a short stay. The courses run for longer and require a Student Visa.An English course of less than 3 months can be taken on a Visitor Visa (subclass 600), but that visa doesn’t allow you to work. General English usually starts every Monday, which makes it flexible when your dates aren’t fixed yet.

For a longer standalone ELICOS course, the latest Student Visa price increase didn’t apply. The application charge is about 2,050 AUD. The official notice is on Study Australia’s page about the Student Visa application charge increase.

2,050 AUD With the Student Visa, you can work up to 48 hours every two weeks48 hours every 2 weeks during study periods, whether you’re studying ELICOS or VET.

Questions to answer before you enrol

• What level did you get on a recent English test?

• What do you want to be able to do after the course?

• How many months can you stay in Australia?

• What English level does the VET provider require, and how will it test you?

• How does the course fit your education or work experience?

• Can your budget cover the full study plan, not just the first payment?

If VET fits the goal but your English falls short, a package is often the most realistic route.

How Australian Way helps

We start with your real English level, what you want to study and how long you can stay. From there, we can compare English schools, VET providers, cities and start dates without forcing you into one route too early.

If you choose a package, we line up the English weeks with the VET intake so the dates work. We coordinate both enrolments, arrange OSHC and help you prepare the course documents needed for the Student Visa application.

You don’t pay us for this, and you’re free to stop at any point.

Frequently asked questions

Send us your current level, the subject you’re considering and how long you want to stay. We’ll map the options before you pay a school or lock in dates. That first review is free.