There are two completely different admission systems in Australia, and which one applies to you depends on whether you are a domestic or an international student. Domestic school leavers are ranked against each other by ATAR and apply through a central state admissions centre. International applicants have no ATAR and apply directly to the university. Almost every piece of confusing advice you will read online comes from mixing the two up.
If you are a domestic student: ATAR and the admissions centres
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is not a mark. It is a percentile rank between 0 and 99.95 that says where you sit relative to your Year 12 cohort — an ATAR of 80.00 means you finished ahead of roughly 80% of the age group, not that you scored 80%.
You do not apply to each university separately. You lodge one application with the admissions centre for your state and list your course preferences in order:
- UAC — New South Wales and the ACT
- VTAC — Victoria
- QTAC — Queensland
- SATAC — South Australia and the Northern Territory
- TISC — Western Australia
Tasmania is the exception: the University of Tasmania takes applications directly.
Two things about preferences catch people out. First, you are considered for your highest preference you qualify for, so there is no penalty for putting an ambitious course first. Second, you can normally change your preferences after your ATAR is released in December, which is the point at which most students actually decide.
Guaranteed ATARs and adjustment factors
Universities publish a guaranteed or indicative ATAR for each course. A guaranteed ATAR means exactly that: reach it and you have a place. An indicative one is last year's cut-off and can move with demand, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise.
Your selection rank can also be higher than your raw ATAR. Adjustment factors are added for things like subject choice, regional or low-socioeconomic background, elite sport, or a school's participation scheme. They are published by each university and are worth checking before you rule a course out.
If you are an international student: apply directly
There is no central clearing house for international admission. You apply to each university's own international application portal, or through a registered education agent. That means:
- No single national deadline. Each university sets its own dates, and competitive courses close early.
- You can apply to several universities at once, and hold more than one offer.
- Your qualification is assessed on its recognised Australian equivalent, not converted to an ATAR.
Before you apply to anything, confirm the course exists on the CRICOS register. A provider may not lawfully enrol an international student in a course that is not registered, and a course code that does not appear on the register is a serious warning sign.
If you do not meet direct entry
Two standard routes in:
- A foundation year — a pre-university pathway of roughly 8 to 12 months leading into first year. It sits outside the AQF.
- A diploma pathway — an AQF level 5 or 6 qualification that usually carries credit into the second year of a related degree. This is normally the better value of the two, because you are not adding a year.
Get any credit arrangement in writing before you enrol, not after.
English requirements
Two different thresholds apply and students routinely confuse them.
The university's requirement is typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for undergraduate and coursework postgraduate study, rising to 7.0–7.5 for teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work. Most courses also set a minimum in each band, so you can hit the overall score and still fall short. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced are accepted equivalents; many providers also accept their own internal test or prior study taught in English.
The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate, usually lower, threshold for the visa itself, which can be met in combination with a packaged English course. Meeting one does not mean you have met the other.
The intakes
- Semester 1 — teaching starts in late February or March. The main intake, with the widest choice of courses.
- Semester 2 — teaching starts in July. Most courses admit, but sequenced programmes in engineering and health often only start in Semester 1.
- Some providers — UNSW, Bond, Torrens and many private colleges — run a third trimester.
Documents to have ready
- Academic transcripts and completion certificates for every qualification you are claiming
- Certified translations where documents are not in English
- Passport biographical page
- English test report
- A CV and statement of purpose for most postgraduate courses
- References, a portfolio, an audition or an interview for design, music, teaching and MBA courses
From offer to enrolment
- Letter of Offer. Usually conditional at first — most often on your final transcript or an English score.
- Accept and pay the first fee instalment. Nothing downstream can start until you do.
- Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). The document your visa application is built around.
- Buy OSHC for the full visa period.
- Lodge the subclass 500 visa, answering the Genuine Student questions in your own words and evidencing your financial capacity.
Research degrees are different again
For a PhD or research master's, the admission application is the last step, not the first. You need an identified supervisor and an accepted research proposal before applying is worth anything. Funded places mostly come through the Research Training Program, awarded by the university itself, with rounds that commonly close between August and October for the following year.
When you are ready to shortlist, our university directory and course directory show entry requirements, intakes and the provider's own published fee side by side.
This guide is general information, not immigration or financial advice. Admission requirements and closing dates are set by each university and change every cycle. In Australia only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner may give immigration assistance. Always confirm current fees, intakes and visa settings with the provider and at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you act.