Your child pulls on the John Paul College uniform, picks a sport, joins a club, and comes home to an Australian family for dinner. Stay 4 weeks, a term, or the whole year.
The JPC Study Abroad Experience is a short-term program at John Paul College in Brisbane, Australia. Students in Years 7 to 11 come for anything from 4 weeks up to a full year, and live the ordinary life of the College while they are here.
That means the uniform, the 8:20am bell, an inter-school sport, a club, lunch outside on the ovals, and dinner with an Australian host family. Not a guided tour with a group from home — the actual school, with the students who go here.
Lessons are taught either in mainstream classes or our High School Preparation Course, depending on your child’s English. Everything outside the classroom is the same either way.
For 30 years, families from many countries have trusted John Paul College — a fully accredited Australian school (CRICOS 00500B).
Everything below is part of your tuition — sorted before your child even arrives. Homestay, student welfare and airport transfers are shown as separate fees in Who can join & what it costs.
Years 7 to 11. From 4 weeks to a full year. Every English level is welcome — including complete beginners.
Only the classroom changes. Same campus, uniform, sport, clubs and homestay either way.
Below CEFR B1 — beginners included.
CEFR B1 or above — about IELTS 5.
We assess your child’s English during the application, then confirm the class in writing before you commit. There is nothing to prepare for.
Many families ask us to put their child straight into mainstream classes, even when their English is still growing. We place every student by their assessed English level.
A student who sits in a Year 10 science lesson without enough English cannot follow it and cannot join in. They stop speaking up, and they come home discouraged. That is not the experience you are paying for.
The Preparation Course is not a waiting room. Same campus, same uniform, same sport, same friends — with lessons your child can take part in from day one. That is why their English grows fast enough to move up, often during the same stay.
Your child’s English is assessed as part of the application. There is nothing to prepare for.
Our International Admissions Team places your child using that assessment, their age and their school reports.
The placement is confirmed to your family, and to your agent, before you commit to anything.
Mainstream classes need CEFR B1 (about IELTS 5). Below that level, your child joins the Preparation Course — on the same campus, in the same uniform.
| John Paul College Year Levels | CEFR | IELTS | EIKEN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainstream — Senior Year 11 | B1 | 5 | Grade 2 |
| Mainstream — Junior Years 9 & 10 | B1 | 5 | Grade 2 |
| Mainstream — Junior Years 7 & 8 | B1 | 5 | Pre-2 Plus |
| Preparation Course Beginner upwards — all levels welcome | A1–A2+ | Below 5 | 5–Pre 2 |
All fees are in Australian dollars (AUD). Flights, visa and student health cover (OSHC) are not included. Contact us for a full, personalised quote.
Most families start at the beginning of a term, but a shorter stay can begin partway through one. Tell us the weeks that suit your family and we will match them to a term.
Placing 3 or more students at the same time? We’ll prepare a tailored group quote.
Classes run from 8:20am to 3:15pm, Monday to Friday — be on campus before the first bell. That part is the same every day. Everything around it is yours to choose.
Your class placement and timetable are confirmed before you fly. You choose your activities in your first week.
Same uniform, same campus, same hours as every JPC student — in mainstream classes or the Preparation Course.
Lunch outside — two ovals, courts and bushland, almost every day of the yearBe on campus before the first bell. Some sports train earlier — swim squads start at 6:30am.
After 3:15pm
13+ inter-school sports, six student-led clubs, performing arts. All in your fee.
Tue & Thu · 3:30–6:00pm
From week 2: a mentor for homework, then a dinner cooked at school. Home by 6:30pm.
Sat & Sun · no bells
Saturday sport in College colours, then free time — a barbecue, the koala sanctuary at Daisy Hill, or the coast.
Whichever class your child is placed in, everything on this page is the same. This is where the friendships are actually made.
The same group of Australian students every morning, and lunch outside on the ovals. Belonging starts with having somewhere to sit.
See Years 7–11
Specialist welfare staff for students under 18 under the JPC CARE framework, and a College contact available 24 hours a day.
See student wellbeing
Full board and their own room, with a family checked and visited before any student is placed. Every adult holds a Working with Children check.
See homestay
Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30–6:00pm from week 2 — a mentor for homework and a dinner cooked at school. Included for homestay students.
See the Extended Day Program
The full life of the school beyond the classroom — the activities that build friendships, teamwork and a sense of belonging.
See activities & clubs
Start dates and lengths of stay chosen to suit your family’s plans — from 4 weeks to a full year.
See term datesCan't visit us yet? Explore the very spaces your child will learn in. Tap a place and look all the way around, just as if you were standing there.
Classrooms, the science centre, the theatre and the pool — pick a place and explore.
Your education agent can do every one of these with you, or for you.
Make an enquiry and our friendly International Admissions Team will guide you, step by step.
Make an enquiry 2We assess your child’s English, confirm the class in writing, and match a start date to your plans.
Entry requirements & term dates 3We meet the flight, take your child to their homestay family, and settle them into class.
See the first day 4Come home with stronger English, a JPC report card, and a second family on the other side of the world.
If they want to stayBook a short online consultation and meet the International Admissions Team. Ask about your child’s English level, start dates, homestay — anything. There is no obligation to apply.
It is a short-term immersion program at John Paul College in Brisbane, Queensland. International students in Years 7 to 11 live the full life of the College — sport, clubs, performing arts, campus life and an Australian host family — from 4 weeks up to a full year. It is everyday school life, not a guided tour.
Only if your child meets the English entry requirement of CEFR B1, about IELTS 5. Students below that level begin in the High School Preparation Course, where English and subjects are taught at their level, and many move up into mainstream classes during their stay.
Every student, in either class, wears the same uniform and joins the same sport, clubs, performing arts and homestay. We assess your child’s English during the application and confirm the placement in writing before your family commits. See both classes side by side.
No. We do not place a student in mainstream classes below CEFR B1 (about IELTS 5), and we say so plainly because many families ask.
A student who sits in a Year 10 science lesson without enough English cannot follow it, cannot join in, and comes home discouraged. Those students begin in the High School Preparation Course instead, which teaches English at five levels from CEFR A1 — and many move into mainstream classes during their stay.
No. It is taught on the same John Paul College campus, by College teachers, in the same uniform and the same school day of 8:20am to 3:15pm.
Preparation Course students join the same inter-school sport, the same clubs and performing arts, the same Extended Day Program and the same homestay families as every other student. Only the lessons are different, because they are pitched at your child’s English level. See the five English levels.
From 4 weeks up to a full year, with several start dates during the year. A school term is about 10 weeks. The program runs from Year 7 to Year 11.
No. Year 12 is Australia’s final senior year and is assessed across the whole year, so it cannot be joined for a term. The Study Abroad Experience runs from Year 7 to Year 11. Students who want to complete Year 12 and receive an ATAR need to enrol full time.
Classes run 8:20am to 3:15pm, Monday to Friday. Lunch is outside on the ovals and courts. After 3:15pm students choose from more than 13 inter-school sports, six student-led clubs and performing arts, all included in tuition.
On Tuesday and Thursday, from the second week of term, homestay students attend the Extended Day Program for supervised study and a community dinner, and are home by 6:30pm. Weekends are free time with the host family. See the day laid out.
With a John Paul College homestay family in Brisbane. Every host family is checked and visited before any student is placed, and every adult in the home holds a Queensland Working with Children check.
Homestay is A$550 per week and includes full board and your child’s own room. Students under 18 have specialist welfare staff under the JPC CARE framework, and a College contact is available 24 hours a day. See homestay.
Students receive a full John Paul College report card at the end of the program, showing the subjects studied and the results achieved. Many families use this report to have the period recognised by their home school.
Recognition rules differ by country and by school, so please confirm with your child’s home school before applying. We are happy to supply the report format in advance.
Most stays require an Australian Student visa (subclass 500); very short stays may be possible on a visitor visa. John Paul College issues the Confirmation of Enrolment needed for the visa application, and our International Admissions Team guides families through it. John Paul College is a registered Australian provider, CRICOS 00500B.
Tuition is A$8,725 per school term, and a full year is four terms. The same tuition applies to mainstream classes and to the High School Preparation Course. The Preparation Course also has a weekly option at A$900 per week for shorter stays.
A one-off application fee of A$500 applies. Homestay is A$550 per week, with a one-off A$1,000 student welfare fee that includes airport transfers. The full JPC uniform is included. Flights, visa and overseas student health cover are not included. All fees are in Australian dollars.
Yes. If you are placing 3 or more students starting at the same time, we have separate group arrangements for education agents. Please make an agent enquiry and our International Admissions Team will prepare a tailored quote for your group.
Make an enquiry online, or contact your local education agent. Our International Admissions Team will assess your child’s English, confirm the class placement, and guide you on start dates, length of stay, homestay, visa and fees.
Give your child the chance to experience the best of an Australian education — before you commit to a full year. Make an enquiry today and our friendly team will guide you, step by step. Prefer to speak with someone local? Your education agent can help you enquire.