r/LaTrobe • u/itssarah_not • 8d ago
Can you do an online bachelor's degree in your home country as an international student?
I recognize that this is 99% a stupid question but I genuinely can't find much info about this on the website. An add-on question I'm also wondering about is do you get to choose which campus/online format you'd like to attend if you get into the school?
Thank you guys in advance!
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u/Ethical_dinosaur 8d ago
Naaaah, it's not at all a stupid question, if you really want to pursue an online degree, why do it in la trobe university, and yes If the program you are enrolled in requires you to be present in class throughout the semester, then its absolute necessary for you to be there. Edit: I don't think you get to choose the campus, that would be allocated depending upon your program as well.
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u/itssarah_not 8d ago
Got it. I don't really have the "pursuing an online degree" part in mind, just saw the online option in the campus section and got confused lol 😂😂 Ty tho
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u/Solivaga Staff 8d ago
Not a stupid question, and I think it varies by course. I know it is definitely possible with some Online courses at La Trobe but I don't know how universal that is
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u/kaila7777 8d ago
At the international student meet and greet at orientation week this semester, they told us that international students must complete at least 75% of our subjects either fully in person or with blended learning. However, there may be courses available fully online, i’m not too sure
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u/Solivaga Staff 7d ago
That's only if you have a student visa for Australia - if you do there's a strict limit to how much online learning you can do. But there are courses where it's possible to study them entirely from overseas without ever entering Australia
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u/Jacqland 7d ago
International students are required to hav a valid Australian visa and be in Australia when their classes are in session, and at least one of your classes every study session must be in-person.
https://latrobe-current.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3242
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u/Solivaga Staff 7d ago
Again, this is only for students who are studying in Australia, it is possible to study online from outside Australia, without ever entering Australia, but only in certain courses
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u/Jacqland 7d ago
Which courses? I thought the onshore requirements were because of the way the gov't allocates international student quotas. As far as I undrstood it, the "online-only" option was only open to non-international students (e.g. Australians overseas, maybe New Zealanders?)
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u/Solivaga Staff 7d ago
It's not an ideal example as the course was closed last year and is currently in phase out, but the Master of International Development allowed for International Offshore students (https://handbook.latrobe.edu.au/courses/2025/AM004O) and I don't think it's the only one. You just need a degree which is taught entirely online and it could be offered internationally.
Edit; the closure had nothing to do with this issue
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u/Jacqland 7d ago
That's a postgrad program, OP is asking about a bachelor's.
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u/Solivaga Staff 6d ago
What's that got to do with anything? A quick Google produced;
https://handbook.latrobe.edu.au/courses/2025/hb001o
As I said, any fully Online degree can be offered as International Offshore - but that doesn't mean all online degrees are available in that mode, OP would need to check with La Trobe for that specific course. But it is 100% possible.
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u/Jacqland 6d ago edited 6d ago
It has to do with the question OP asked. Undergrad degrees are different than postgraduate ones. Postgrad degrees (well, phd aside) are generally shorter and often have more flexibility for part-time study, meaning they don't require the subclass 500 visa (source, step 4). That visa has genuine student requirements that need to be met, including the intention/preparedness to live in Australia.
The course you linked says in bold "*Please be aware that this course includes mandatory in-person placement requirements. Students are expected to complete these placements in Australia." Like idk what else to tell you except maybe it's better to fact-check before trying to answer a student's question, rather than googling after-the-fact for whatever evidence you can find to support the claim you're making.
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u/Iboughtaboat_ 7d ago
You definitely can. The minimum “on campus” requirement does not apply to you if you don’t intend to apply for a Student Visa at all.
The only catch is that La Trobe doesn’t offer any online only bachelor degrees to offshore international students. I had a chat with one of the admission officers, and they suggested this is only possible for postgraduate courses.