International Students Offered 50 Percent Discount for Travel Within Victoria

Sitar legend, composer, teacher and writer, Ravi Shankar receives the University of Melbourne's highest honour, the degree of Doctor of Laws, at a special conferring ceremony in Melbourne on March 19, 2010. WILLIAM WEST/Getty Images

International students will be able to explore the best of Victoria at cheaper costs thanks to a 50 percent travel discount being offered by the Andrews Labor government

The international Student Travel Pass will give international students savings of up to $975  (US$624) when they purchase the Victoria-wide travel Myki cards, available over 90-, 180-, or 365-day durations.

The pass can be used to get to campus, work, or travel throughout Victoria.

It also means that international students in regional Victoria can travel to Melbourne CBD cheaply and more easily while overseas students can do the same and vice versa. The plan is to boost the state’s tourism.

In the meantime, international students also have the option to choose Limited Zone.

When promoting the International Student Pass at Melbourne Central’s pop-up site today, Minister for Trade Tim Pallas stressed that Victoria regarded overseas students as important to the community.

“Victoria is Australia’s top destination for international students because we welcome them with open arms and provide meaningful support like the travel pass,” the minister said.

“Whether it’s travelling to a lecture or the other side of the state, the pass is a winner for students and businesses,” said Mr. Pallas.

International students carry groceries from a foodbank in Melbourne, Australia on Aug. 13, 2021. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Melbourne-based international student Ashmit Badal who enjoyed the benefit, also voiced his support, saying: “The pass is fantastic. I travelled to Geelong with my friends a few weeks ago to go to the waterfront—without the pass, it’s something you’d really think twice about cost-wise.”

The travel pass is critical to Victoria’s International Education Recovery Plan 2025, which aims to bring more overseas students to the area.

Melbourne is Australia’s Leading City for International Students

Melbourne is Australia’s leading city for international students, confirmed in the QS Best Student City report released in July 2023.

Victoria usually hosts more than 170,000 international students from 170 countries yearly, becoming the state’s largest services export while supporting over 40,000 jobs.

The Andrews Labor government’s Study Melbourne service provides free legal advice on employment and accommodation matters and confidential 24-hour, seven-day assistance to international students across Victoria.

At present, participating tertiary institutions in Victoria include Australian Catholic University, Box Hill Institute, Deakin University, Holmes Glen Institute, La Trobe University, Melbourne Polytechnic, Monash University, Photography Studies College, RMIT University, SAE Creative Media Institute, Swinburne University, the University of Melbourne and Victoria University.

For more information about the travel pass visit: ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/concessions-and-free-travel