Australia Sydney Business Internship with University of Sydney
Spring 2025

Even though you’ve been admitted to the BU Sydney Program, you still need to apply to the University of Sydney. Upon applying to the University of Sydney, you’ll indicate your elective course choices, and upon admission you’ll be eligible to apply for a student visa.

To apply, you will need a valid passport. If you do not have a passport, or if your passport is not valid for six months after the program ends, apply for one immediately. Expedited service is recommended.

Step 1 — Select the courses you will take at U of Sydney:

You will automatically be enrolled in your internship course, as well as the required Australian Culture & Society course. But you will need to indicate your elective course choices (the courses you will take at the University of Sydney) on your application. Search for units of study by visiting the Sydney Courses unit of study page:

1. Choose “Units of Study” from the drop-down list
2. Enter your search term/keyword and click “Search”
3. Click “Yes” for “Available to Study Abroad/Exchange” when the search results appear

Units of study at 1000-level through 4000-level are considered Undergraduate and units of study at 5000-level and above are considered Postgraduate. It can sometimes be tricky to find exactly the kind of units you’re looking for, so Kristin Johnson has prepared a “Unit of Study Searching Guide” to help students know which keywords/letters to use in case you want to search for other units of study. This guide explains that for example if you are interested in History, search for “HSTY” or if you’re interested in Marketing, search for “MKTG”, etc. You can view a list of recommended courses here.

You must also be in contact with your advisor at Questrom regarding any units of study that you wish to take to ensure that they will receive approval at BU and Questrom.

As a reminder, you will be looking for courses offered for Semester 1 (Spring). For a quick guide on the terminology used at the University of Sydney, please check out their glossary.

Step 2 — Prepare the following items:

• Notarized photocopy of the signature page of your passport. This is the page in your passport with your picture and personal details. The copy must be good quality and in color. You can get the photocopy notarized by a notary public. The best places to find a public notary are banks, certain post offices, and some FedEx locations. Don’t forget that you will need to bring your actual passport and the photocopy with you to the notary public, as well as some money to pay for this service. You can also go to the Dean of Students Office during their walk-in hours or make an appointment to get your document notarized.
• Official BU transcript. You can order one online on the Office of the University Registrar website, or obtain one in person at 881 Commonwealth Ave, second floor.
• List of preferred units of study – The units of study are typed directly into fields on the online application form.

Step 3 — Complete the online application form:

Kristin Johnson is the study abroad adviser at the University of Sydney, and she will email you with a link to the online application, and some helpful tips. If you have any questions about the application, feel free to email her directly: kristin.johnson@sydney.edu.au.

What’s Next?

After you’ve successfully applied to the University of Sydney, you will receive an email from Kristin Johnson with further instructions on how to accept your offer of admission. Once you’ve accepted the offer, she’ll send you an electronic “Confirmation of Enrolment” (eCoE) which is a code that will allow you to apply for a student visa. You cannot apply for a visa until you have an eCoE.

You will submit the Housing Questionnaire in your Applicant Portal.

Please note, this form requires you to upload a recent passport-style photo for your student ID card. The photo must be an image of your entire upper-body from above your head down to your shoulders against a plain white wall. We accept photos you have taken on your smartphone, but the image must be a high-quality JPG file (at least 200 dpi). The name of the file should be your full name in the format “Last name, First name”. Photos that do not meet these requirements will not be accepted.

Please email busydney@bu.edu if you need to make any changes to these forms after you’ve submitted them. Housing assignments will be made upon arrival in Sydney. For more info, please check the Living Arrangements section of the Sydney website.

After being accepted into the program, you will complete the Internship Form to indicate your specific interests. You might be contacted by the BU Sydney staff prior to departure, but you will most likely not receive your internship placement information until you arrive in Sydney.

• Internship Form
• Australian CV (Résumé): Follow these Instructions & Sample. You will need to upload your Australian CV as part of the Internship Form. NOTE: you must upload your CV as a Microsoft Word Document (not a PDF or other document).

The Placement Process:

Please review the Internship Overview & Placement Process Document. 

All students are guaranteed an internship in your general track, but students must be flexible and open to a range of possibilities. Placements are contingent upon the student’s past experiences, academic history, and professional interests, as well as the availability of placements in any given semester.

The Sydney program staff includes internship advisors, who have many years of experience placing students, maintaining relationships with existing providers, and seeking out new providers. You will be assigned an advisor who will work closely with you, and place you in an internship that aligns with your experience and coursework. It’s important for you to remain flexible and open-minded during the placement process.

In most cases, you will not speak to your internship advisor until you arrive in Sydney. That’s normal! Rest assured that before you arrive, they will be working with the materials you’ve provided to begin the placement process, and as soon as you land in Sydney you’ll be able to meet with them.

Here are some key points:

• Communicate. You will provide your internship interests via the Internship Form submitted on your Applicant Portal. This will be your internship advisor’s first point of reference as the placement process begins, so be sure to complete it on time, carefully and thoughtfully.
• Think Broadly. When thinking about your placement, identify the kinds of skills and activities you would like to work on, rather than just focusing on a particular company name. The internship is an academic and cultural experience; it’s not meant to be a purely pre-professional one.
• Know What to Expect. Australia does not have the same unpaid internship culture that the U.S. does. The internship providers are often small companies and organizations. These factors can work in your favor—an Australian internship provider may be more willing to give a student intern more responsibility, especially if the intern rises to the occasion.

In Sydney, you and your advisor will determine which internship appears to be the best fit, and arrange an interview with that organization. You will not have multiple interviews or “shop” for a placement. Most often, the placement process ends after the interview, and the internship begins. It’s important to communicate a lot with your advisor during the placement process, because once you begin your internship, you can’t quit or change placements.

Beginning Your Internship:

More information on your internship, including the schedule, the academic components, and expectations will be provided during the on-site orientation in Sydney. In the meantime, here are some important considerations as you mentally prepare:

Don’t Compare. There’s no such thing as the “best” internship; what’s good for one student may not be good for another. Don’t waste your time and energy getting caught up on comparing your placement to your roommate’s, or anyone else’s; you are matched with your placement based on your interests and qualifications, and those are different from anyone else’s.

Trust your advisor and Remember Your Academic Lens. You will be receiving course credit and a grade for your internship. This means you will be thinking critically about the organization, and producing academic work based on your time there. The internship is sort of like the field work for your course, so any inefficiencies or things you dislike are really part of building your academic view of the experience.

After you have completed the University of Sydney application process and been accepted (see Phase 1), you will receive your eCoE (electronic confirmation of enrollment).

Once you obtain your eCoE you can begin the process of applying for your visa. You will apply online for the Student Visa subclass 500 visa. You can read more about the Student subclass 500 visa, and begin your application on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website. Make sure that you read through the information about the eligibility requirements and application process before you actually submit your visa application.

Helpful tips for applying:

– The required documents vary by country. Refer to Step 2 in the Step by Step guide on this page to view a list of the documents you will need.

– A “certified copy” means that the document should be notarized. You can find a notary public by doing a quick search of “notary near me,” or you can visit the BU Dean of Students Office for notary services.

– You will need the Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) in order to apply. You will receive this after completing your online application to the University of Sydney.

– Skip any non-applicable documents, such as employment history if you haven’t worked.

– Skip Form 956A .

– You may be asked to type the OSHC start date/end date and policy number into the visa application. You can refer to the eCoE for the start & end date of the OSHC policy.  Your policy number will be your 9-digit USyd student ID# immediately followed by the letters US.

– This visa takes about a month or longer to process, so please be sure to submit your visa application as soon as possible.

– The Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement is a brief statement to say that you are returning to your country of residence to finish your degree at home.

You can start your visa, save it and return to the application. The visa fee starts at $1058.08 USD, though prices may vary, dependent on the date the application is lodged and your citizenship. You must submit your visa application no later than NOVEMBER 1st. If you have questions about your application after it is lodged, you can contact:

Department of Home Affairs

Global Service Centre  +612 6196 0196

In some cases, if an applicant has been previously diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) OR has visited a country within the last 5 years that is deemed by the Australian government to be a medium- or high-risk country for TB, they may be required to undergo a medical exam. This usually involves a chest x-ray and/or medical checkup, and it can cost up to $500 USD. If you are required to complete this test, you’ll be notified AFTER you’ve submitted your application, and you will need to arrange the appointment immediately. Unfortunately, if you’re required to undergo the exam, there’s no way around this; you will not be granted a visa if you do not complete it.

Please note: This information has been prepared by Boston University Study Abroad based on the  most recent information provided by the relevant immigration agency (E.G. consulate, embassy, etc.). It is each student’s responsibility to compile the necessary documents and apply for their visa based on their specific citizenship. Visas are granted by foreign governments only, Boston University does not play a role in visa issuance, nor can we influence immigration policy. While we do our best to keep instructions as up-to-date as possible, visa requirements are subject to change without our knowledge. Ultimately obtaining a visa in a timely manner, and any related costs incurred, are a student’s responsibility. Failure to acquire a visa will preclude participation in the program.

Flight Information

Why should I book a spot on the group flight?
Each semester, we work with Advantage Travel to offer an optional group flight, round-trip from California (depart U.S. JAN 6th) to Sydney.  Although airfare is not included in the cost of the program, all travel booked through Advantage Travel will be monitored by the travel agency on the day of departure, and they will be able to assist with any schedule changes, delays, or missed connections. The flight also allows you to travel with other students from the program. Students are not required to take the group flight.

All students, however, are required to submit a round-trip itinerary for our records using the independent flight form.  If you plan to book an independent flight please keep in mind that late arrivals and early departures are not permitted.

How do I purchase a seat on the group flight?
Specific booking instructions and detailed group flight itineraries will be emailed directly to students.

What if I need to book a connecting flight to the departure city?
If you will be traveling from elsewhere prior to the group flight, Advantage Travel may also assist you with booking a flight to the departure city.

What if I want to arrange my own travel?
If you prefer to travel independently from the group, you are welcome to do so. You can make a reservation completely on your own or Advantage Travel can assist you with reservations from a different airport or on different dates. You must arrive by JAN 8 (depart the US Jan 6) at 9 am and depart on JUN 25. Housing will not be provided before or after these dates, and late arrivals/early departures are not permitted. Once you have confirmed your independent travel, you must submit the independent flight form by DEC 1. 

Arrival Information

Students on the group flight will be met by on-site staff upon arrival and transportation will be provided to the residence.
If you make travel arrangements independent of the group, you should try to arrive at the same time as the group flight (or prior to it), so that you can meet the group at the airport and take the group transportation.

If you will be traveling independently and will be arriving after the group flight, you will be responsible for securing your own transportation to the residence.
Instructions for commuting to the residence center by taxi and other forms of public transportation will be sent via email prior to your departure for the program. Once you have confirmed your independent travel, you must submit the independent flight form by DEC 1.

*Please Note: Boston University Sydney does not provide transportation to the airport for the return flight from Australia to the US. 

Have you completed everything in Phase 1? Here is a self-check to make sure you’re on the right track. Make sure you’re keeping track of any upcoming deadlines and budgeting enough time to complete them on-time. If you missed a deadline, be sure to check in with your Program Manager and complete that task right away.

You should have completed:

• Confirmed your participation via your BU Study Abroad Application and filled out the accompanying online forms.
• Review Important Passport Information
• Applied to the University of Sydney – OCT 6
• Submitted the Housing Questionnaire – In Applicant Portal
• Submitted the Internship Form – OCT 10
• Apply for your visa- OCT 28
• Booked a seat on the group flight (optional) – DEC 1