I can't give you comments on the academics, or a realistic comparison, but I am a Swinburne graduate and I'll just share some about the uni.

Swinburne academic is quite good, but the fees are increasing on a yearly basis and I think it's now higher than Curtin's. 5 years ago, I went to Swinburne because the fee was cheaper. This is no longer true.

Both Curtin and Swinburne allow you to graduate with the same testamur as the ones in Australia. Your degree scroll will say you graduate from either Curtin or Swinburne, without stating Sarawak Campus. Meaning, it is the same degree certificate awarded by the home campus.

I would guess Curtin would provide a better social environment, since everyone lives in a campus which is a 20-minutes drive from the city and there is a small community within the campus. In Swinburne, I would estimate 60% of students are from Kuching, and they go to campus for lectures and tutorials and go home after they're done. It's like going to tuitions for them, just go when there's a class, go home after class. Not much campus life.

The problem with Swinburne is that not much accommodation is provided by the university and those that are provided are rather expensive. Majority search for private accommodation.

Kuching has a better city life, and you get more entertainment.

Kuching and Miri do not differ much when it comes to food.

Kuching has an airport that is more well-connected to cities in Malaysia. The same cannot be said for Miri airport.

But in Miri you do get to travel to Brunei occasionally, which I heard takes you the same time to Curtin if you travel from Miri airport.

Depending on where you're from, if you're from Sabah, KL or JB, both Kuching and Miri should be cheaper places to live. If you're from Penang, Ipoh or other states, Sarawak cost of living is noticeably higher.

I'm from Penang (Butterworth though, on the mainland, not Georgetown), and I found Kuching to be a relatively expensive city to live in compared to my hometown. But I've been told it's much cheaper than KK and KL.

I had my fun time in Swinburne. But it depends on you. Hope above insights help.

The course fee for Curtin is here: http://fees.curtin.edu.my/course-fee/course-2019/

It's RM28,264 per annum. Slightly more expensive than Swinburne's. Ya Curtin is a bit more expensive when it comes to CS.

But for engineering, Swinburne costs around RM31k, while Curtin RM29k.

I should point out that majority of students in Swinburne also own a car because it's very inconvenient to move around in Kuching too!

You can rely on Grab, which is constantly available as Kuching is the capital, but it can be very costly. Hence, you can argue that owning a car is not a necessity, but not owning one can be a great inconvenience.

If you don't buy a car, make sure you live on-campus (which typically only offers for first-year students), or areas within walking distance to campus (King Centre).

The downside of Swinburne is that they do not provide enough accommodation for its students (very limited on-campus accommodation, literally no off-campus accommodation). You have to find your own to stay. As I've said earlier, most students in Swinburne are locals, hence the university doesn't offer much for its students because the demand is not high.

If you're forced to find a private accommodation, be prepared for a possibility of needing a car.

Citadines above ST3 is a superb condo but it's very pricey, beyond reach of ordinary students.

It is also directly across Spring shopping mall, with a pedestrian overhead bridge connected to the condo.

The downside is there's less kopitiams around.

There are plenty but at a considerable distance from the campus, which means you'll need a car.

The one above Vivacity has been popular. I heard the price is "reasonable" but in my opinion only probably to those who are wealthy.