Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the school year begins in February and applications are submitted in September, a few months after you have graduated from SAS. A number of universities also offer a small amount of students the opportunity to begin their studies in July. While this works better with the SAS calendar, students entering in July will be a semester "out of synch" with the majority February entrants, and housing may be limited at that time of year. Thus, the first questions to answer regarding study in Australia are whether the program you want to take offers you different calendar entry options, and if so, when you wish to begin.

Education is big business "Down Under," particularly in attracting international students who pay full fees. It is possible to enter Australian universities with an American high school diploma, but it is not always easy. The first step is to contact the people at the International Development Program (IDP) Education Australia. IDP is a semiprivate company set up by Australian universities and their government and serves as a "one stop shop for Australian education." There is a local office in Singapore, and the contact person there for SAS students is Gary Lam, who will understand your American diploma and credentials in the context of the Australian university system.

There are different types of universities in Australia: the "Group of 8" research universities, the technology universities, and the universities that focus on undergraduate teaching. Admission criteria will differ among these groups, and even from one university to another. However, as a general rule, Australian universities will seek students with very high SAT Reasoning Test or ACT scores. In addition, some will accept a student with three to five good AP scores and a strong GPA. Some universities will be more flexible and say, "Send us what you have and we'll take a look at it." This will mean sending a transcript, letters of recommendation, and SAT Reasoning Test scores.

If your qualifications are not sufficient to gain you admission to a university, you may want to consider admission to a "Diploma" or "Advanced Diploma" course. After 12 to 18 months of study, these courses lead directly into the second year of a B.A. or B.S. degree program. Another option for non-Australians is entry to a six-month to year long "Foundation Course." Many courses in Australia are three years long, so taking the Foundation Year will still give you the same four-year experience as you would have had in the U.S. 

With its close proximity to Singapore and lower costs than most American colleges, Australia could be worth considering. More information can be found at StudyLink or by looking at Yahoo's list of Australian universities.