Only about thirty miles north of the southern coast of Australia, it has a mild climate and offers year-round outdoor sports opportunities as well. The University of Melbourne has about 30,000 students and is considered one of the best universities in the country. Only fifteen minutes walking distance from the center of the city, Melbourne has a campus reminiscent of many U.S. Ivy League institutions and has world-class research and teaching facilities in many fields. The academic year follows the standard Australian calendar, which is the reverse of the calendar used in the northern hemisphere. Fall semester runs from late February to late June, and Spring semester runs from late July to early December.
Exchanges are possible for a semester or a year.
Fields of study available at Melbourne include agriculture, forestry, horticulture, business, economics, most humanities and social science fields,education, music, and engineering. The university guarantees accommodation for all exchange students. A variety of housing options are available. The most popular are rooms in the residential colleges, which house Australian and international students and which sponsor a variety of academic, social, and cultural activities. Other alternatives include university-owned student apartments and off campus housing.