With premier educational programmes, an abundance of activities, including rich cultural and historical experiences and a friendly, safe and affordable ‘real Australia’ lifestyle—Cairns is the perfect destination to study and play in paradise.

‘Cairns is the gateway to Australia’s tropical north. An area blessed with two of the richest ecosystems on the globe; tropical rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef.  The splendid natural environment creates a world of learning opportunity, while the friendly relaxed community creates a chance for a healthy outdoor lifestyle for those who choose Cairns to study,’saysMayor Val Schier.

The population of the Cairns region includes 150,000 Asian, European, South American and Indigenous communities who all add to the cultural diversity.

Flying to Cairns is easy,with air services linking Asia with ten direct weekly flights.Meanwhile, accredited professionals provide a variety of general and specialised English language courses with flexible learning pathways.

One of Australia’s fastest growing economies, Cairns has diversified to include a successful Education sectorthat is proudly promoted by Study Cairns.

‘Cairns is Queensland's number one study and tourism destination offering some of the world's highest quality international study options. International students seek out Cairns as their preferred study location, recognising our high quality schools which provide: English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students, Vocational Education and Training and University institutions,’ says Study Cairns President Susan Rees.

Many courses include practical, hands-on experience, while Tropical North Queensland TAFE delivers a wide range of internationally recognised certificate and diploma courses.

James Cook University offers a comprehensive selection of exciting and career-relevant courses at over 80 undergraduate degree programmes, postgraduate (coursework and research), and short term/semester level.

JCU is consistently ranked in the top five tropical universities of the world, including research performance in the areas of research excellence: ecology/environment, plant and animal science, geosciences, coral reef science and tourism.

Their highly qualified academics are world leaders in their fields: Six JCU academics are among the top ten cited scientists in Marine Science, four of whom are within the School of Marine and Tropical Biology. And four of the top 50 tourism scholars in the world are at JCU.

‘Our award winning education institutions offer a range of courses and qualifications—from high school certificates, to trade and technical certificates and diplomas, through to undergraduate and post graduate degrees,’ Rees says.

‘We have 150,000 friendly locals who love to share our lifestyle with visiting students. Cairns is a small but lively city so students are assured of an intimate, personal and memorable Australian experience,’ she says.

Students have a great choice of accommodation—on campus in modern units, boarding in welcoming friendly home-stays, backpacker resorts, to self catering apartments and hotels. Style and budget are well catered for.

Study tours let students learn about our unique tropical environment and innovative industries, and with over 600 tour options available daily to the reef, rainforest and outback it is no wonder Cairns is often termed ‘nature's classroom’.

The location is critical to the sustainable development of the tropics worldwide.

‘Our location alongside the World Heritage listed rainforests of the Wet Tropics is a focus of excellent research and teaching in biology, ecology and environmental science,’Deputy Vice Chancellor, of JCU, Dr Stephen Weller says.

Students at JCU have the opportunity to learn from distinguished scholars and experience first-hand the environments and cultures of the tropics.

As an international tourism destination, it’s no surprise that business and tourism programmes are among the most popular with international students in Cairns.

The Cairns Institute at JCU is a centre for innovation on issues associated with industries, economies, peoples and societies in the tropics. It rationalises, integrates and enhances the expertise and intellectual resources of more than 20 academic disciplines and three campuses in Townsville, Cairns and Singapore, creating a uniquely robust borderless and relevant research, consulting and teaching hub for Northern Australia, South and South-East Asia and the Pacific.

‘Students in areas including arts, business, education, law and social sciences will be inspired by the work underway at The Cairns Institute,’ Weller says.

From 2011, JCU Cairns will be one of just ten campuses worldwide to offer the Masters Degree in Development Practice, supported by the MacArthur Foundation.The programme bridges the natural sciences, health sciences, social sciences and management.

‘You will find international students in a huge range of courses here, from arts to dentistry, from law to languages, from nursing to multimedia games design,’ saysWeller. ‘What they all have in common is that they enjoy the friendliness and diversity of the Cairns community, and they like studying on a campus that’s small enough for them to get to know their professors and their fellow students.’

‘Study Cairns and James Cook University provide world class opportunity to attain your goals, whatever future you choose,’ says Mayor Schier. ‘On behalf of the Cairns community I welcome you to consider us your home away from home.’