What courses can I apply for?

2. Minimum tertiary entrance requirements

Minimum tertiary entrance requirements are the minimum level of education you need to have completed in order to be considered for selection into tertiary studies, when applying through VTAC.

VTAC is responsible for assessing your minimum tertiary entrance requirement status.

Applying for certificate, diploma or advanced diploma courses

Post-secondary vocational education and training (VET) courses:

• Certificate I-III: generally have no minimum tertiary entrance requirements.
• Certificate IV or higher-level VET courses (diploma or advanced diploma) applied for through VTAC: these require applicants to have either successfully completed VCE, (or equivalent) or to have met specific special entry requirements. 

Applying for bachelor or associate degree courses

The minimum tertiary entrance requirement for undergraduate higher education courses is satisfactory completion of an Australian or overseas Year 12 program (for example VCE, IB, HSC, or equivalents from interstate or overseas). This includes the satisfactory completion of the VCE and Units 3 and 4 of one of the following English studies: English, English as an Additional Language, Literature or English Language. Completion must be in sequence and in the same calendar year unless interrupted study status is granted. Some higher education providers will consider senior secondary qualifications like VCE VM or a VCE completion without an ATAR.

Completion of any part of a tertiary qualification at Certificate IV level or higher will also fulfil minimum tertiary entrance requirements. For example, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree and Degree studies, or overseas equivalents.

Applicants with overseas qualifications

If your overseas qualifications are assessed by VTAC as comparable to the required Victorian qualifications, you will meet minimum tertiary entrance requirements in Victoria. For more information and a list of overseas secondary qualifications that meet minimum tertiary requirements in Victoria, see Overseas qualifications.

3. Institutional requirements

Some institutions have specific requirements. This may include a minimum ATAR, minimum age requirements or English language proficiency. For information about institutional requirements, look at each university, TAFE or college you wish to apply to. This is often listed on the institution's page under Admission criteria.

If you don't meet the minimum tertiary entrance requirements or institutional requirements, you may wish to consider pathways or bridging courses. You can find information about pathways on the institutional pages or pathways page. You may also be eligible as a mature-age applicant through the equity schemes and scholarship application.

4. Course requirements including prerequisite studies

Course requirements are requirements and admission criteria you may need to meet to be considered for selection into a course. These could include prerequisite studies, the completion of additional assessment tasks (such as tests, interviews or folios), and non-compulsory requirements that may strengthen your application.

You must meet prerequisites and complete all compulsory course requirements by the dates specified to ensure your application for the course will be considered. The following outlines core course requirements that you should be aware of before you apply for a course. For additional tasks, see additional course requirements or refer to the course description on CourseSearch.

Higher education courses

ATAR and selection ranks

Most tertiary courses use academic qualifications and results to determine selection for a course. For year 12 students this is based on the selection rank, which is your ATAR plus any adjustment factors such as equity schemes, attribute assessments or other subject adjustments.

Who gets an ATAR?

VCE students: VTAC calculates an ATAR for all VCE students who have successfully completed the VCE and satisfied minimum tertiary entrance requirements. Only applicants who have at least four VCE study scores including one English study in an acceptable combination will have an ATAR calculated.

Interstate Year 12 students: If you are studying an interstate Year 12, VTAC receives your results and ranks from your state admissions centre/authority. Interstate Year 12 authorities provide you with an ATAR.

International Baccalaureate students: A notional ATAR is calculated to indicate that you meet minimum tertiary entrance requirements.

Selection rank

Equity schemes allow institutions to apply selection rank adjustments to offset the impact of educational barriers and personal hardships, while also advancing representation for historically under-represented social groups.

Subject adjustment points may be awarded to eligible Year 12 applicants as part of the selection process. Subject adjustment points are applied to the aggregate, not the ATAR. Use the subject adjustment tool to estimate your course selection rank.

Entire academic record

Post-school applicants: many higher education courses use the entire academic record of a post-school applicant. This means institutions look at any year 12 qualification or any studies completed at a tertiary institution to determine if you meet tertiary entrance requirements. If you don't meet the requirements, consider pathways or check the course requirements in CourseSearch under 'Work and life experience applicants' as they may offer alternatives such as sitting the Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT).

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are studies that must be successfully completed to be considered for a course. For undergraduate courses, prerequisites are mostly listed as VCE studies required for entry into degree courses, however there are a few courses that require a Certificate IV or higher qualification.

Current or recent year 12 students need be studying the prerequisite subjects or have recently completed these subjects to be eligible for the courses they are applying for.

Previous or current tertiary students, or mature-age applicants often need to have completed an equivalent subject to be eligible. This could be a similar subject completed at year 12, a bridging course or at a tertiary institution.

See Prerequisites for more information.

Graduate courses require the completion of an appropriate undergraduate qualification such as a Bachelor degree. If you are in doubt about the suitability of your background you should contact the institution directly, not VTAC.

Courses without an ATAR

There are some courses that do not require an ATAR for selection. VTAC’s CourseSearch can help you find these courses by filtering by “No ATAR” in your search.

Many of these courses will list "Satisfactory completion of a Year 12" as a minimum requirement and many still require you to meet the prerequisites.

Pathways to higher education

If you don't meet the requirements for your dream course, look into pathways. These typically start with a certificate, diploma or foundation course that allow you to start a degree later down the track. There are also nested programs that allow you to progress through different qualification levels.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum selection rank or are missing a specific subject prerequisite may gain entry into their desired degree by completing an approved foundation, enabling, or bridging program. You can find some foundation studies on CourseSearch (filter by Qualification > Foundation Study) or visit university websites.

Vocational education courses

The minimum requirements for vocational courses vary based on the qualification level.

Satisfactory completion of Year 12

VCE students: Many Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas require Satisfactory completion of Year 12, as do some Certificate IV courses. Some may also have prerequisites. Satisfactory completion of Year 12 includes completing a standard or unscored VCE, VCE-VM and interstate year 12 qualifications.

Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LLN) assessment and Pre-training reviews (PTR)

If you wish to enrol in a government-subsidised place in a vocational program, these are mandatory steps and you will need to complete these prior to getting an offer or enrolling in a course.

The Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LLN) assessment evaluates your reading, writing, communication and maths skills to ensure that you are ready for the course. It is not a test. Instead it allows institutions to assess whether you require additional support or should complete a bridging course prior to commencing your chosen course.

The Pre-training review often involves a questionnaire and interview. It allows institutions to take into account your career aspirations, current skills and learning preferences when considering you for a course.

How to find course requirements

The course requirements tab in CourseSearch summarises the requirements and admission criteria for the applicant group you have chosen and tells you which ones are compulsory.

Essential requirements, compulsory requirements and admission criteria are listed within each course entry on CourseSearch and may vary for different applicant groups. It is important to complete the course requirements for the applicant group that is relevant to you. These are:

• a current Year 12 student
• a recent secondary graduate (finished year 12 in the past two years)
• an applicant with higher education study
• an applicant with VET study, or
• an applicant with work and life experience.

If you are unsure of which group applies to you, complete this questionnaire.