If you’re looking for a city that offers (near) year-round sunshine, world-class education and a thriving arts and culture scene, you’ll fall quickly in love with Perth. The Western Australian capital city has a lot to offer, so it’s no surprise that it’s an incredibly popular destination for students from across the globe.
We’ve put together ten great reasons to choose Perth as your study destination.
Perth offers a world-class education
Whatever career you want to pursue, in Perth you’ll find the right course to prepare you for an exciting and successful future.
Through UWA, you can choose from a range of internationally recognised degrees, many of which place highly in various world rankings. As a whole, UWA ranks 86th in the top 100 universities around the world and seven of our subjects are ranked in the world’s Top 50, including Agriculture and Forestry, Anatomy and Physiology, Civil and Structural Engineering, Earth and Marine Sciences, Mineral and Mining Engineering, Psychology and Sports-Related Subjects (QS 2019).
Perth is a safe place to live
Safety is top of mind in Perth, and the city has a low crime rate. Perth is well lit throughout the inner city, offers a reliable and safe public transport network, and has a local population that is friendly and community-minded. You can rest assured that when you’re living in Perth, you’ll feel safe, secure and well-supported.
It’s a great student city
Thousands of international students come to Perth each year – and for good reason. Median rents in Perth tend to be lower than in bigger cities like Sydney and Melbourne, plus Perth is the 14th most liveable city in the world according to The Economist’s 2019 Global Liveability Index, which takes into account healthcare, education, infrastructure and cost of living.
Enjoy a thriving arts and culture scene
There’s never a dull moment in Perth, with events taking place throughout the year, plus fantastic cultural institutions, museums, galleries, restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, live music venues, theatres and more. Don’t miss the annual Fringe World Festival (which happens to be the third-largest fringe festival in the world) and Perth Festival, and be sure to check out the Western Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the State Theatre of Western Australia.
Sunshine aplenty
Did you know that Perth is the sunniest capital city in Australia? Here, you can enjoy an average of around nine hours of sunshine per day, giving you lots of opportunities to head outdoors and explore the many beautiful destinations around Perth.
Full of places to explore
Speaking of beautiful destinations, you’ll be spoilt for choice if you decide to study in Perth. Look for adorable quokkas (tiny Australian wallabies) on Rottnest Island, head down to Margaret River to check out the incredible limestone caves, see the world-famous Pinnacles, go dolphin-spotting in Busselton or hop between wineries around the Swan Valley.
Adventure through the great outdoors
With 19 beaches, lots of green space and an abundance of fun nature-based activities, Perth is truly a city made for outdoor adventurers. Venture to picture-perfect Cottesloe Beach, Scarborough Beach, Mettams Pool or Leighton Beach. Pack a picnic, gather some friends and head to Kings Park. Or, try stand-up paddleboarding, go for a bike ride, hike around the city’s many trails or kayak your way along the Swan River.
Stay an extra year when you study in Perth
Keen to stay in Australia after you graduate? Perth might just be the place to kickstart your career. Even though it’s a lively and bustling capital city, Perth has ‘regional’ classification, so if you study a bachelor's degree or above, you can add an extra year to your Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) and access the Regional Occupation List, meaning a wider choice of visa options and jobs.
There are lots of employment opportunities
There are lots of employment opportunities in Perth, which is the corporate headquarters of more than 30 per cent of businesses on the Australian Stock Exchange and six of the world’s top 10 energy companies (ThinkPerth 2019). The top five industries seeing the most job growth are mining, resources and energy; government and defence; education and training; community services; and manufacturing, transport and logistics. There’s also increasing demand in the healthcare industry and a growing number of tech start-ups, making it a great time to start your career in Perth.
A globally accessible city
Perth may be located in Australia, but it’s actually closer to Singapore and Jakarta than its nearest Australian capital city, Adelaide. That makes it incredibly accessible from Asia, which is ideal if you’re hoping to travel home between semesters. Plus, you can fly from Perth to London on Australia’s only direct to Europe flight, meaning Europe is within easy reach. What’s more, Perth shares a time zone with around 60 per cent of the world’s population. That means businesses, research projects and other enterprises based in Perth have better access to markets and resources around the world.
