Student case study · Australia
Bikash, from Butwal to Sydney
Diploma of IT, then Bachelor of Information Technology, July 2023 intake
Told his +2 marks were too low for Sydney. A diploma took him into year 2 of the bachelor's. Final year now.
- Low +2 marks
- Pathway
- After +2
- Starting point
- +2 science, GPA 2.21
- English
- PTE Academic 58
- Study gap
- 1 year after +2
- Paid for by
- Father's salary from Qatar, savings and an education loan
- First call to visa
- 102 days
Where Bikash started
Bikash finished +2 science in Butwal with a GPA of 2.21. He wanted to study IT in Sydney, and two consultancies told him his marks were too low for any university there.
His father works in Qatar and sends money home every month. The family had savings, but they were worried a refusal would waste them.
What we found
His marks were too low for direct entry to a bachelor's. They weren't too low for a diploma that counts as the first year of the same university's bachelor's degree. Pass the diploma, and you move into year 2.
The diploma also cost less for the first year, which made the money file stronger. Four years of his father's remittances through the bank explained the savings, so we used those records instead of a large last-minute deposit.
We were plain about the catch: the diploma has a pass mark to move up, and students who work too many hours in the first term are the ones who miss it.
Step by step, with dates
20 Mar 2023
First counselling. Diploma pathway explained, with the pass mark to move into year 2.
28 Mar 2023
PTE Academic: 58 overall.
3 Apr 2023
Application to the diploma and bachelor's package.
19 Apr 2023
Package offer received.
May 2023
Money file: 4 years of remittance records, savings and an education loan, verified with the bank.
12 May 2023
NOC, deposit and CoE.
18 May 2023
Visa lodged.
30 Jun 2023
Visa granted, 102 days after the first call.
10 Jul 2023
Flies to Sydney.
The result
Bikash passed the diploma and moved into the second year of the Bachelor of Information Technology in 2024. He's in his final year, working weekends at a warehouse and doing a summer internship with a software company.
In Bikash's words
Two consultancies told me my +2 marks were too low for Sydney. Prasthan found a diploma that moves into the bachelor's in second year. I'm in my final year now.
If your profile looks like this
- 1
Low +2 marks rule out direct entry, not Australia. Ask about diplomas that count as year 1 of a named bachelor's degree.
- 2
Regular remittances through the bank make a stronger money file than one big deposit. Keep the records.
- 3
Check the pass mark to move from diploma to degree, and keep first-term work hours low. More on IT courses abroad.
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