Accepted qualifications​

Admission to UNSW will be based on your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) that you receive after completing your Australian Senior Secondary Certificate (such as the HSC). 

Here’s a list of qualifications that UNSW considers for entry:

• NSW HSC and Interstate Year 12 Qualifications 
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)
• GCE A-Levels
• New Zealand NCEA Level 3
• Overseas secondary qualifications considered equivalent to Australian studies 

If you have two secondary qualifications, your most recent one will be considered. Qualifications older than 5 years will not be considered.

If the qualification you've completed isn't listed above, please select the International Qualifications section below.

UNSW recognises qualifications from across the globe. Select your country from the list below to see what qualifications we accept.

If you hold an overseas secondary qualification from a country where English is not the standard language used in education, please check our English language requirements.

There's more than one way to obtain a Selection Rank and gain entry to UNSW, including high school qualifications, university preparatory programs, VET courses or other university study.

Also, if you're a veteran, we want you to bring your difference and for our veterans there's alternative entry options to secure your enrolment at UNSW outside of just an ATAR. You should submit evidence of all the qualifications that you have. These will be assessed individually and your highest ranked qualification that is accepted by UNSW will be used for the purposes of entry.

Certificate IV

Prospective students who have completed a Certificate IV may apply for entry to UNSW.

Generally, AQF accredited Certificate IV qualifications will require a Credit average to be competitive for admission to programs with the lowest selection rank of 80. Competency-based AQF accredited Certificate IV may be considered for admission via Portfolio Entry.

Diplomas

Prospective students who have completed a Diploma from a recognised institution may apply for entry to UNSW.

Generally, AQF accredited Diploma qualifications will require a Distinction average to be competitive for admission to programs with a lowest selection rank above 90. Competency-based qualifications may be considered for admission to programs with the lowest selection rank of 80.

Advanced Diplomas

Prospective students who have completed an Advanced Diploma from a recognised institution may apply for entry to UNSW.

Generally, AQF accredited Advanced Diploma qualifications will require a Distinction average to be competitive for admission to programs with a lowest selection rank above 90. Competency based qualifications may be considered for admission to programs with a lowest selection rank of 80.

TAFE Pathways Program

This pathway is open to students who have completed an AQF accredited TAFE Diploma or Advanced Diploma for which you may be eligible for credit through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) thereby reducing the amount of time required to complete your degree at UNSW.

Learn more about the TAFE Pathways Program, including the list of TAFE Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas that enable articulation into an undergraduate degree at UNSW with specified credit transfer:

I want to apply for UNSW Law or B Vision Science/M Clinical Optometry

If you have completed an AQF accredited Diploma, you will be assessed based on 50% of your ATAR (or equivalent) and 50% of your completed Diploma. 

All Law applicants are also required to sit the Law Admissions Test (LAT).

You may be eligible for admission based on the completion of at least one year of full-time study (or the part-time equivalent) in a bachelor's degree or equivalent or higher, at a recognised university or non-university higher education provider.

To have your university studies considered for admission, you must complete at least one year of full-time study (minimum 0.75 full-time equivalent load) within one degree.

How will I be assessed?

If you have completed an equivalent of 0.75 FTE (full-time equivalent) or more of tertiary study in a single degree, you will be assessed for admission to UNSW on either your tertiary study results OR your ATAR (or equivalent) - whichever is better. If your ATAR is more than 5 years old, you will be assessed only on your tertiary study.

How will I be assessed for Medicine?

How will I be assessed for UNSW Law or B Vision Science/M Clinical Optometry

UNSW only accepts Group of Eight (Go8) Foundation programs, including: 

• UNSW Sydney (UNSW College)
• Monash University
• The Australian National University
• The University of Adelaide
• The University of Melbourne
• The University of Queensland
• The University of Sydney
• The University of Western Australia

Foundation programs are valid for 5 years.

You will need to have completed a relevant UNSW College Diploma program and meet the minimum GPA and entry requirements for your degree.  For more information about entry pathways with a UNSW College Diploma, visit the degree finder or contact UNSW College.

You may be eligible for admission based on the aggregate of 3 subject modules completed in the NCUK International Foundation Year (IFY) as part of the entry requirements.

Please note that English for Academic Purposes (EAP), EAP for Proficient Users (EAPPU) and RCS (Research & Communication Skills) are excluded from the calculation; however these subjects can be considered for English proficiency assessment.

Admission to UNSW is based on academic merit. As such, we need something to assess you on. There are a number of qualifications or preparation programs you could pursue to gain a qualification that we can assess for admission here at UNSW. This would include the UNSW University Preparation Program (UPP), UNSW Prep program, University of Sydney's University Preparation Course (UPC) or University of Newcastle's Open Foundation Program, a TAFE qualification (minimum of a graded Certificate IV or above. A completed graded qualification will make you competitive for many some degrees at UNSW) or study at another university for a minimum of 0.75 full-time equivalent study load.

Once you have completed any of the above, we can then use the results you receive to assess you for entry into our degrees.

An alternative for someone without an assessable qualification noted above is to complete UAC’s Special Tertiary Admissions Test or STAT. Applicable to the following programs:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Design
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Design/Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
• Bachelor of International Public Health
• Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Bachelor of Life Sciences
• Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Aviation (Management)
• Bachelor of Environmental Management
• Bachelor of Environmental Management/Bachelor of Arts

To be eligible for admission with STAT results, you must be 21 years old or older by 1 March in the year you start your undergraduate study at UNSW and achieve a minimum score of 157 in the STAT Multiple Choice and 150 in the STAT Written English. STAT test results are valid for 3 years.

As everyone's situation is unique, it's probably best that we have a chat to discuss your specific circumstances and what may be the best option for you. Please ring the Future Students Office on (02) 9385 1844 or submit a question.