English language requirements

You can demonstrate the above requirement through a record of satisfactory achievement in:

• a completed and recognised secondary education (high school) qualification, or
• a completed and recognised foundation/preparation program with the required grades in relevant English subjects or,
• a completed AQF diploma/advanced diploma (or equivalent) of a minimum one-year duration from a recognised institution, or
• at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) in a recognised bachelor’s degree or other approved higher education qualifications.

The above studies must be undertaken in English within five years of the date on which you will commence your course, in an English-speaking country as listed below:

• American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada (excluding Quebec), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe

If your studies were not undertaken in one of the English-speaking countries listed above, you can demonstrate proficiency through a record of satisfactory achievement in:

• a completed and recognised secondary education (high school) qualification undertaken in English, such as the Cambridge GCE Advanced Levels and International Baccalaureate diploma, or
• a completed and recognised foundation/preparation program with the required grades in relevant English subjects or
• at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) in a recognised bachelor’s degree or other approved higher education qualifications, where the instruction for your studies (teaching, assessment and examination) was entirely in English in approved countries and/or institutions, assessed on a case-by-case basis by the University.

The above studies must be undertaken in English within five years of the date on which you will commence your course.

If your qualification was not conducted entirely in English, you may still be eligible if you have completed a particular subject (usually English or a humanities subject) in a recognised qualification such as those listed below, within two years of the date on which you will commence your course.

• Denmark Studentereksamen
• Finland Upper Secondary School Certificate
• Germany Abitur
• Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (not undertaken in English)
• Netherlands VWO
• Norway Vitnemal
• Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia
• Sweden Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg.

There is a two-year time limit for the qualification to the date you commence your course. Please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 139KB) to see the subject and grade required for your course.

The University's standard English language proficiency requirement is set at an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, however, some faculties and courses have different requirements. Find out the requirements specific to your course.

For other English tests accepted by the University, please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 139KB) to convert the IELTS requirements to TOEFL iBT, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency scores.

All IELTS and PTE requirements refer to the academic test. Non-academic tests are not accepted. All English tests need to be no more than two years old at the date of course commencement.

International students applying for a student visa are advised to check with the Department of Home Affairs on separate English requirements that may apply to your student visa application.

You can demonstrate the above requirement through a record of satisfactory achievement in:

• at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) tertiary study in a recognised bachelor’s degree or other approved tertiary qualifications, within five years of the date on which you will commence your course, in one of the following English-speaking countries:
  • American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada (excluding Quebec), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
    
• If you completed studies in a different country, you can prove your proficiency through satisfactory achievement in:
  • a three-year undergraduate degree, or
  • one-year of full-time study in a postgraduate degree conducted entirely in English, including all teaching, assessments and examinations.
• Your studies must be undertaken in English within five years of the date you will commence your course.

Some study areas have additional requirements as detailed below.

The University's standard English language proficiency requirement is set at an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, however, some faculties and courses have different requirements. Check the course pages for details.

For other English tests accepted by the University, please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 139KB) to convert the IELTS requirement to TOEFL iBT, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency scores.

All IELTS and PTE requirements refer to the academic test. Non-academic tests are not accepted. All English tests need to be no more than two years old at the date of course commencement.

International students applying for a student visa are advised to check with the Department of Home Affairs separate English requirements that may apply to your student visa application.

If English is not your first language and you have lived and worked in an English-speaking country (as listed above) continuously for at least five years prior to the date on which you will commence your course, we may be able to assess your English proficiency based on the relevance of your work experience. You will need to provide a work reference letter on a company letterhead with clear information on the nature of work, dates of employment and contact details of a supervisor.

You can demonstrate the above requirement through a record of satisfactory achievement in:

• a completed and recognised secondary education (high school) qualification, or
• a completed AQF diploma/advanced diploma (or equivalent) of a minimum one-year duration from a recognised institution, or
• at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) in a recognised bachelor’s degree or other approved higher education qualifications.
  

Your secondary or higher education studies must be undertaken in English within 10 years of the date you will commence your course, in either:

• a recognised institution where the instruction for your studies (teaching, assessment and examination) was entirely in English, or
• one of the following English-speaking countries: American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada (excluding Quebec), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

If your qualification was not conducted entirely in English, you may be eligible if you have completed a specific subject (usually English or humanities) in a recognised qualification, such as:

• Denmark Studentereksamen
• Finland Upper Secondary School Certificate
• Germany Abitur
• Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
• Hong Kong A Levels
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (not undertaken in English)
• Netherlands VWO
• Norway Vitnemal
• Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia
• Sweden Avgangsbetyg/Slutbetyg

There is a 10-year time limit for the qualification to the date you commence a study abroad or exchange program. Please refer to the concordance table (pdf, 139KB) to see the subject and grade required for your course.

The University's standard English language proficiency requirement is set at an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, some faculties and courses have different requirements, check the requirements specific to your course.

For other English tests accepted by the University, refer to the concordance table (pdf, 139KB) to convert the IELTS requirements to TOEFL iBT, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency scores.

All IELTS and PTE requirements refer to the academic test non-academic tests won't be accepted.

All English tests need to be completed in less than two years at the date of course commencement.

International students applying for a student visa are advised to check with the Department of Home Affairs on separate English requirements that may apply to your student visa application.

Nursing Course

English tests: Some pre-registration nursing degrees have external registration/accreditation requirements which have additional English requirements. Check the course pages for details.

Some study areas have additional requirements as detailed below.

Architecture, design and planning course

Higher education (tertiary) studies: You need to have successfully completed one of the following within five years of course commencement:

• a minimum of two years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) in a bachelor’s degree in an English-speaking country (as listed) or
• a completed minimum three-year undergraduate degree in a non-English speaking country, conducted entirely in English and in which the language of instruction (teaching, assessment and examination) and the institution was English or
• a completed minimum two-year postgraduate degree in a non-English speaking country conducted entirely in English and in which the language of instruction (teaching, assessment and examination) and the institution was English.

Nursing course

Higher education (tertiary) studies: For post-registration nursing degrees, you need to have a record of satisfactory achievement in:

• a three-year undergraduate degree, completed within five years of course commencement in which the language of instruction (teaching, assessment and examination) and the institution was English or
• a two-year postgraduate degree completed within three years of course commencement in which the language of instruction (teaching, assessment and examination) and the institution was English.

Some pre-registration nursing degrees have external registration/accreditation requirements which have additional English requirements. Check the course pages for details.

Work experience: For post-registration nursing degrees, an applicant  may provide a record of current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a (Division 1) Registered Nurse and proof of current employment in this capacity at an appropriate health facility.

IELTS One Skill Retake is assessed alongside a standard IELTS test. The 2 year validity applies to the original test, not the date of the IELTS One Skill Retake test.

* For some degrees, this English proficiency test may not be accepted due to specific external registration / accreditation requirements. Check the course page for details.

Note: C1 Advanced was formerly CAE. C2 Proficiency was formerly CPE.