Adding to ongoing discussion about the cost of education in Australia, figures released by the Australian Scholarships Group this week have highlighted the increasing cost of private schooling in comparison to government and Catholic schooling.

With private education costs constantly rising, finance experts have expressed that it is best to start saving as soon as you can. Read on to find out how and how much.

The Queensland Government is working to bring the education system in line with the other states by moving Year 7 to the secondary school system.

Victoria's $57 million maths and sciences coaches program will be discontinued at the end of the year as part of the $441 million in cuts to be made to the education budget over the next four years.

Most often, schools award scholarships to students who demonstrate outstanding abilities in a number of nominated areas, ranging from the creative and performing arts through to peer leadership.

Independent schools are non-government institutions that generally do not belong to a system.

While most scholarships are open to all students, the most likely recipients are generally students who demonstrate outstanding academic merit or financial need.

You can get an overall picture of any school by reading its profile. Each school's profile includes details of its main characteristics.

There are also scholarships provided from time to time by various outside organisations, which are open to students from both government and non-government schools.

Information about scholarships.