Actuarial Science Study Abroad Programs in Australia

My time in Sydney with IES Abroad was a memory I'll keep for the rest of my life. Although it had its hard moments (don't underestimate how much homesickness or a hard class can hit you), there were so many amazing experiences I got to have, like seeing quokkas in person or building a group of friends from all over the world. It was a great opportunity to expand my horizons and learn who I am as a person halfway across the world from the same people and places I've always known.

My study abroad experience in Sydney, Australia with IES Abroad was nothing short of transformative. From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed into a vibrant, multicultural city that offered endless opportunities for both academic growth and personal exploration. One of the standout aspects of my experience was the incredible support from IES Abroad. The on-site staff were always available to help, whether it was navigating the academic system, offering travel tips, or organizing cultural events. The IES-organized excursions, like trips to the Blue Mountains and surf lessons at Bondi Beach, were not only fun but also helped me bond with fellow students and immerse myself in Australian culture. Academically, studying in Sydney was an enriching experience. My courses were engaging and complemented by hands-on learning opportunities, such as field trips and guest speakers. I was able to deepen my understanding of global issues while exploring Australia’s unique ecosystem, history, and culture. Outside the classroom, I made unforgettable memories exploring Sydney. Whether it was watching a sunrise at the Sydney Opera House, hiking coastal trails, or discovering hidden cafes, the city had so much to offer. I made lifelong friends along the way by saying yes to new experiences, inviting classmates to explore the city together, and stepping outside my comfort zone. One of the highlights of my trip was a spontaneous weekend getaway that introduced me to my closest friends, reminding me that sometimes the best connections happen unexpectedly. Overall, IES Abroad made it easy to navigate the challenges of living in a new country, and Sydney became a second home. I cannot recommend this program enough for students looking for a balance between academics, adventure, and cultural immersion. My time in Sydney has given me lifelong memories, friendships, and a new perspective on the world.

Going to Brisbane, Australia and studying at the University of Queensland was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life! I went abroad my junior year of college in the fall. I had to go earlier than most abroad programs (left in early July), so I was already so nervous. IFSA's staff was incredible. As soon as I got off the plane, my IFSA advisor helped me get a SIM card to contact my parents and tell them we landed. IFSA staff does a great job of being attentive and responding immediately to anything which may concern you. Whether it was directions to a bus stop or picking a place to go for the weekend, IFSA acted as a family would. They were my rock. They gave me advice. I was able to contact them about big and small issues. Also, IFSA planned several group trips, such as one to Morton Island, which was incredible! All you had to do was show up and be ready for an amazing weekend! Also, the University of Queensland's campus was breathtaking. It was the perfect place to get out after class and stroll on campus to a coffee spot or visit the library. I felt very comfortable navigating through campus. I love the sun shine and being outdoors, so studying on this campus involved days of reading outside on my favorite park bench. Brisbane stole my heart. The people, the memories, the friends. Everything I made there is irreplaceable. Going halfway around the world was worth every second. I visited beaches, met new people, and traveled around Australia while being a student as well. I got to surf and see kangaroos. I got to experience independence while never feeling alone. I highly suggest looking into IFSA's University of Queensland Study Abroad Program! I was worried about my studies while abroad, but travel and school was manageable. Also, the sunshine made me excited for each and every day!

From Day one, when my pre-advisor contacted me with the necessary steps I had to take to get ready for abroad, I knew there were a lot of little details I had to work out (i.e. cell phone plan, getting credit card without international fees, obtaining Australian money, what I should/shouldn't pack, etc.). My pre-advisor could not have been more helpful! She answered all my questions in a timely fashion, and she gave me great advice when I wanted her opinion. Once I got to Australia, I could not have been more blessed with the Student Service Coordinator (SSC) I had. She really cared how each of us were doing, both inside and outside of school. She wanted to make the transition to and from abroad as effortless as possible. She would hold coffee chats so we could hang out and talk with her. She was able to help me on some big decisions. And most importantly, she was always there for me (including leaving her family to sit with me in the ER until 1am just so I wouldn't be alone). Having such a caring SSC really made my abroad experience memorable!

My time abroad was truly a vacation from school. It was a time for me to explore Melbourne, meet new people, and engage with my studies in a relaxed manner. IFSA was great in being a source of support, in every sense of the word. Through my participation with IFSA, I was fortunate enough to have an instant group of friends to explore with and discover all the things that make Melbourne unique. In terms of academics, it was an easy transition from my home school to the University of Melbourne. It was great to enroll in classes that exposed me to Australian cultures and in elective classes that I would not have to opportunity to enroll in at my home university. Overall, it was a great time, and I would definitely recommend! You learn about yourself and the world, and it is a great learning experience for all.

Taking a semester abroad can be a scary thing, especially if you are younger than the "typical" study abroad applicant. As a sophomore planning to go abroad to Australia, a country around 10,000 miles away from home, you can imagine how many questions and concerns I had before I left. From the very beginning of my application until the time I landed back home after the program, I was always supported by the IFSA staff. My pre-departure advisor was always available to answer my hundreds of questions I had about studying abroad and as soon as I landed in my host country, my program advisor took her place to answer even more questions. This made my experience incredibly easy because I was able to focus on my studies and meeting locals rather than things like insurance, cellphone plans, and medications. Additionally, IFSA had planned a couple excursions that focused on specific areas around us including a tour of Sydney, the Great Ocean Road and a hike in a rain forest. These excursions allowed us to experience being a tourist in our city while also learning about the culture and building relationships with other peers on the trip. Overall, I had an excellent experience with IFSA in Melbourne and would highly recommend this program and IFSA in general to anyone planning to study abroad!

IFSA was such a gift to- and really did define- my study abroad experience. From the constant presence of resources and information that lasted from my first thoughts about studying abroad to my re-acclimation to school in the U.S., to the easing into Australian culture and life at the orientation in Sydney, to the wonderful friends that filled my time in Australia with so much comfort and joy, I cannot imagine having studied abroad without IFSA. For example, as an introvert and someone who is slow to warm up to new places and new things, it was immensely comforting to ease into the novelty of studying abroad with IFSA's extensive support and staff. Learning about Australian Aboriginal communities that first day at the orientation in Sydney opened the door not only for many further conversations with other IFSA students, but also for personal academic exploration and work. Thus, I most appreciate the organization, orientation, and information that IFSA was able to provide, allowing for a smooth transition and quick adjustment to a new place, which enabled a much more full, engaging, and transforming experience.

I did two semesters abroad in Melbourne because I loved it so much. I'd definitely recommend living there! My experience studying at Melbourne University as an international student was largely positive, but with ups and downs here and there. I found that the grading at times was less harsh than I expected. I was nervous for exams because I didn't know what they'd be like, but I did much better than I expected. The lectures are all recorded and it's easy to watch them online, so you don't have to worry about missing lectures and you can study pretty methodically just by re-watching as much as you'd like. I definitely had plenty of free time because I could decide to skip a lecture if my friends wanted to go explore around the city or go out to eat, because I'd just come home and watch it online. I had two class-free days a week, too, so I only had to go to campus three days if that. Also, my IFSA program coordinator was extremely helpful with my class decisions before I even met her in person, and even more helpful once I got there. Your program coordinator will let you know how to adjust your course load to suit your requirements and how rigorous you want your classes to be while you're abroad. Living in Melbourne, I definitely had the city life experience. It's like living in any city, so you'll deal with the same things you would living in a city in the U.S. Melbourne is super unique and livable and you'll never run out of amazing new restaurants and sight-seeing. If you're proactive on Facebook, you can find tons of random public events that are super fun to do with friends. White Night is a classic Melbourne tradition where all the shops are open 24 hours for one day and the whole city goes crazy and gets covered in lights all night long! There's tons of night life too so you'll seriously never be bored, but plenty of coffee shops to get work done in. The tram takes you all around, all you need is your Myki card. The outer suburbs are so quirky and cool too and have seriously amazing street art. I lived off-campus so things were accessible, but if you're living on campus it's super easy to hop on the tram and go into the city center because there's a tram stop on campus. There isn't really a notion of school spirit in Australia, everyone really just shows up for class and then goes home. The majority of students live at home and commute every day, so I don't think there are really on-campus parties or anything like that. But if you're proactive and meet people you'll have plenty to do, there just isn't the typical university social scene you'd expect in the US. It's easy to get involved in campus life, and there are plenty of clubs and societies to join too which have their own events. Also, you get super close with your IFSA friends! The program does a great job of organizing meet-ups, study groups, and trips for the IFSA students, so you have an automatic support network. The Great Ocean Road trip is also breathtaking and a great time for bonding. I'd say the best parts were learning to live in a new place and gaining mental strength about putting myself out there to have fun. It really is what you make of it. Sometimes I felt frustrated or just really didn't want to deal with the pressure of being in an unfamiliar place, but that feeling passes. But other days you're ready to jet-set and go see the world! I traveled to amazing places like Cairns, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Noosa headlands, and the Sunshine Coast. You'll have days you just fall in love with the place you're in and other days where you just don't feel great. But through all of that, you'll get home a stronger, more experienced version of yourself and you'll have so much gratitude for life. IFSA absolutely helped me through the harder parts and helped make the great parts great.

IFSA at the University of Melbourne was, overall, a great program. I felt fully supported through all of the complex administrative work that goes into studying abroad--applying for a visa, finding housing, signing up for classes. IFSA did a great job of streamlining and facilitating the whole process, and of making us feel comfortable and safe while we were in Melbourne. I'm typically a more independent person, so I didn't communicate much with our IFSA mentor while at the university, but I really appreciated all of her reaching out and offering to chat. It never really felt like I was fully alone, and being connected to a network of American students in the city was highly useful. The housing options through IFSA were good, though I wish there had been a bit more variety in the residential colleges they allowed us to apply to. I was very happy at International House, but I think we would have benefited from being able to pick from more options. International House had a meal plan that was quite expensive, and I found that once I was in Australia, I very rarely had time to actually eat meals there (especially given the college's 45min windows for lunch and dinner). That felt like a huge waste of money, and I wish IFSA had made those realities clear before I applied. Perhaps my biggest issues with IFSA occurred during the Sydney orientation program. I was glad that we all met up in a single Australian city before going to our individual programs, but I felt that we were treated as young children for most of the time. I was particularly bothered by our visit to an Aboriginal Cultural Center outside Sydney, during which we watched Indigenous people dance (alongside a large group of primary schoolers) and painted boomerangs (an activity, I think, that was designed for 6-8 year olds). The visit offered a very watered-down version of Aboriginal history in Australia, which didn't even really acknowledge colonization or any of its consequent injustices. By contrast, during the Melbourne Welcome orientation program for exchange students one week later, we were made aware of all of these dynamics and did more 'adult' activities, like learning how to throw boomerangs. I think IFSA should restructure the activities during the Sydney program to reflect the age and maturity of its students. This is my most significant complaint about IFSA mainly because this was the period during which I spent the most time with IFSA organizers. The University of Melbourne and the academics offered there were, I found, fantastic. I really enjoyed the classes I took at the Design School and within the Department of Indigenous Studies. I learned a lot in the latter department and met some great professors and students in all my classes, many of whom I am still in touch with. Registration was made easy by UniMelb's help centers and its many advisors, so there were no real issues there. I had a lot of fun in Australia and the people I met will be lifelong friends. I travelled a ton and saw many of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. I would highly recommend this program as a whole to anyone as IFSA makes all of the nitty-gritty details easy to take care of.

I spend the second semester of my junior year on IFSA Butler’s program at University of Melbourne. IFSA helped me feel at home in a new place from organizing a pre-orientation program in Sydney to meet other students and get adjusted to life in Australia to taking us on a surf lesson along the great ocean road. I’ll never forget during my last week in Melbourne I took an extremely hard linear algebra final and afterwards met up with Lindsey, my IFSA contact in Melbourne, who bought me coffee and calmed me down. Having that support system was amazing, especially being so far from home, and I’ll always be so appreciative of all of the work that the staff put in to ensure we had the best time possible. Thanks to the encouragement and help from IFSA staff, I was able to set goals for myself, meet new people, try new things, and step outside of my comfort zone.

IFSA is the perfect program for someone adventurous like me who wishes to study abroad and become immersed into the community. IFSA did a great job with assisting me during the application and pre-departure stages of my abroad experience. I sent IFSA staff so many emails with questions, and they were very quick to respond and always thorough. While the pre-departure stage was rightfully assisted, IFSA really knew how to loosen the reigns when their students arrived in their host country. While I always knew IFSA assistance was there if I needed it, I appreciated the freedom they gave me to explore on my own and become part of Melbourne's community because my goal of study abroad was to go into the experience completely alone and figure it out on my own. However, IFSA did not freely release their students into a new country. I felt very prepared for the transition because IFSA provides education and various tools before the experience. They also check up throughout the semester to make sure everything is going well, and if things aren't, they find ways to help. All of the IFSA staff are intelligent, kind, and cool people who love travel and culture as much as their students. I recommend IFSA to study abroad students who want to find their own way with a constant safety net below.

I studied at University of Melbourne through IFSA-Butler for a semester and had a great experience! From the start, IFSA staff offered helpful advice and practical coordination in the pre-departure and in-country stages, and they took care of our university transfer and apartment rentals in Sydney (for orientation) and Melbourne. The optional group travel throughout the semester was a great way to see more of Australia and connect with fellow IFSA students (especially those you don't live with or don't see at Uni). University of Melbourne is a huge institution so you're bound to find the classes that you need/want. Even though the learning style and expectation is very different to most US colleges, adapting was fairly simple. IFSA coordinators were always available for any questions or concerns, but definitely focus on fostering students' independence -- you do have to pursue opportunities on your own to make your semester into the experience that you want. Melbourne is a really groovy city with things happening all the time and is quite geared towards a younger population, so it's a great place to be a student. I'd absolutely recommend IFSA's study abroad program in Melbourne for anyone interested!

I had the most amazing experience with IFSA Butler at the University of Queensland. With the help of IFSA, I was able to have an advisor there in my city during my entire time abroad and it was incredibly helpful to have her to reach out to. I had questions about using my student health insurance to questions about places to eat out in the city, and she was always an instant reply away. We also had dinners throughout the semester, an incredible orientation experience that allowed us to immediately adjust to the Australian life, and a very fun mid semester trip. IFSA also is how I got my housing in the International House in Brisbane which is where I met friends that I have been in contact with and even traveled to see since returning from Australia. The International House hosted several cultural events, allowed me to meet people from all over the world, and felt like home in a country I had never even been to before. The staff at the International House was also incredibly supportive of its students and helped me get my extended time approved, with the help of my advisor through IFSA.

Everyone I have ever met who studied abroad told me, "it was the best decision of my life." Literally, everyone. Because so many people say this, it kind of goes over your head. Well let me tell you, studying abroad was the best decision of my life. No matter where you go, or what you do, you will take part in a life changing experience. There is no other time in your life when you an opportunity like this will present itself. 10/10.

Studying abroad is incredibly rewarding, specifically if done in Sydney, Australia. Deciding to study abroad was the best decision I have ever made. I truly believe it is the best thing you can do for yourself. I learned more about myself than I ever could have thought, and really grew as a person in general. I gained additional knowledge of the world and became more confident in myself. Being independent for so long and so far away from home enabled me to fully immerse myself in the Sydney culture. The experiences I had are unforgettable.

Studying abroad really did change my life. As I left the country for the first time, I had an amazing time living in a new culture. I was challenged to live on my own and make new friends once again after thinking I had figured everything there was out at my home University. I now enjoy taking pictures and traveling much more than I had prior to my experience and I look forward to making mini vacations and traveling the United States more.

I studied abroad at Uni Melbourne last semester through IFSA-Butler. The experience was amazing and having IFSA take care of all the logistics made my transition into the culture, the school, and the other side of the world so much easier. I loved the programs they planned throughout the year, the location they set up for us in the city was SPECTACULAR (we lived in a Unilodge in the heart of Melbourne) and the overall support I felt from the organization was incredibly comforting. My only complaint was, since I had IFSA take care of all the housing and so forth, all of us Study Abroad students lived together, meaning that I didn't feel as culturally immersed as I originally hoped. I know that it also was due to the cultural differences of Australia and the Australian school system though (many people just commute to Uni from outside of the city, or live at home while going to Uni, so you end up being bunched with International students when you go to Uni in Australia).

I chose the program because IFSA-Butler transfers credits back to my school, it is an English program, it was very organized, and safety was never an issue. It was a new experience!

I chose the program because IFSA-Butler transfers credits back to my school, it is an English program, it was very organized, and safety was never an issue. It was a new experience! My most memorable experience was the week-long immersion before set to school and the ability to travel the whole east coast of Australia.

Studying abroad in Sydney was one of the best decisions I have made. It's impossible to describe my five month experience in a review, but upon my return to the states, I have recommended studying abroad to everyone. I arrived back in the US a different person than when I left, and the changes I went through while abroad shaped me so fully in a very short period of time. Outside of Sydney, I was able to go to Cairns, Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand, Thailand, and Bali. Australia is an amazing destination because there is so much to see within the country, and it is close to lots of outside destinations. IES was very accommodating and helpful, especially concerning direct enrollment at UNSW- they made the process very easy. The trips and excursions IES offers throughout the semester were great, and really allowed us to explore areas outside of the city and near our schools. The mid semester trip to Cairns was a great experience, and IES provided us with a great trip. Australia is a beautiful country with lots of sites to see and amazing people to meet - I will definitely be returning soon.