Many Canadian families Home stay is a great way for younger international students to immerse themselves in Australian life, and benefit from the safety and supervision of adults. Meals are usually included in the cost, but self-catering Home stay is sometimes available. Single or shared rooms are available. Institutions maintain registers of families who board international students during the academic year. Institutions check that these families are reputable and offer accommodation at a reasonable standard. Hostels are usually run by organizations such as Youth Hostels Australia and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). Students share kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Sharing off-campus accommodation is very popular with international students. You should look for advertisements on campus notice boards and local newspapers. Expect that you will have to provide your own furniture. When renting a house, apartment or bed sitter, landlords require rent to be paid in advance, and will require a security bond equal to one month's rent. Many private secondary schools provide accommodation, meals and laundry services for international students.

Most universities and some vocational institutions offer a variety of accommodation on or near campus, such as apartments, residential colleges or halls of residence. The cost varies on the type of accommodation. Residential colleges are slightly more expensive and provide accommodation with meals. They may also have sporting and social facilities, tutoring, libraries and computer facilities. Halls of residence are located on or near institution campuses. Students usually have meals and some cleaning services provided. Students need to apply early because demand for places is high.

Australia has a special system of health cover for international students called Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). You will need to buy OSHC before you come to Australia to cover you from when you arrive. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship requires you to maintain OSHC for the duration of your time on a student visa in Australia. You might find that your institution has an agreement with a specific OSHC provider. You can choose to take out OSHC with this provider, or with the Australian OSHC provider of your choice. As at July 2008, there are five providers of OSHC in Australia. Your OSHC will help you pay for any medical or hospital care you may need while you're studying in Australia and it will contribute towards the cost of most prescription medicines, and an ambulance in an emergency.