Why are international students paying $600,000 to study medicine in Australia?
Kyaw Lin Htike estimates his degree will cost more than $600,000.
It is a six-year combined undergraduate/postgraduate degree at UNSW Sydney — a Bachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine — so not ‘just’ an MBBS.
Yet, if he were a domestic student, it would still cost only $78,000, according to the university.
Mr Htike is one of roughly 3400 international medical students in Australia, most of whom are charged hundreds of thousands of dollars for their medical education.
Having moved from Myanmar in 2021 to study, he considers it a worthwhile investment.
“I think Australia offers a well-structured and clinically rigorous medical training system compared with where I am from,” he tells AusDoc.
“The financial investment definitely made me more intentional in how I approach my studies.
“For me, it reinforces the idea of making the most out of every patient encounter, every lecture, because I know how much my parents have sacrificed for me to be here today.
“It is a huge weight on my shoulders but also a huge privilege for me to be here.”
His family covers the degree and he works part-time to cover living expenses.
He plans to become a surgeon — it is his genuine interest — but he acknowledges that the educational bill affects his career planning.
Gastrointestinal, robotic and orthopaedic surgery are high on his list of potential subspecialties.
“They say, ‘Love what you do so you do not have to work a day in your life.’
“But if you are not earning much, not making your means, you will not be happy long-term.
“At the end of the day, though, I just want to give the best to the world and my patients.”
Parkavi Loganathan is doing the same degree, having moved from Singapore.
A “job shadowing” program at a public hospital during her gap year, where she watched doctors at work, inspired her to pursue a medical career.
But Singapore has a very strict cap on medical degree numbers. Ms Loganathan did not make it.
She decided to pursue her dream in Australia despite the massive financial commitment for her parents, who backed her. Her mother started her own business to help pay for the degree.
But with costs rising every year, Ms Loganathan feels guilty about the financial pressure on her parents.
“When I got my offer letter in 2022, they estimated $77,000 a year for the tuition fee, excluding any service and amenity fees,” she tells AusDoc.
“Every year it increases, because the cost per unit of credit constantly increases — by about 8-10% every year.
“By the second year, it was about $79,000, third year was around $80,000-$82,000, fourth year fell to about $65,000 because I did not do honours. Otherwise, it would have been $90,000.
“This year, it is $103,000.
“There was a point in my first year where some self-hatred crept in.
“When you call back home, you see how much your family has to sacrifice.”
Ms Loganthan, who does casual childcare as well, worries that the cost and intensity of medical training will ultimately control her decision whether and when to start a family.
“Financially, honestly, it is not worth it,” she says.
“Over six years, I will have spent close to three-quarters of a million dollars when including my accommodation and extra expenses.”
Like Mr Htike, she is considering surgical subspecialties — potentially plastic or cardiothoracic surgery.
“I will get my return on investment, but the time it takes and the sacrifices you make with life, family and studies — it is a lot.
“If I had known this, maybe I could have chosen a different path.
“If a junior were to ask me, I would say, ‘If you want to help people, there are other ways. And if money is your reason to come into this career, please don’t. You are not going to get the money until you are probably close to your late 30s.’”
But she balances this against her passion for medicine.
“I want to go into a workplace and leave with the feeling I have done something meaningful.
“More than that, I like the stimulation and the challenge.”
