How course applications are assessed

Find a course

You will find course application information on every course page.

Applications are assessed against the published admission criteria for each course.

We consider your educational background and attainment, English-language level, work experience, life skills, selection tasks and any eligible adjustments or special entry schemes.

Admission criteria are published on each course page on our website, and on the VTAC Course Search page.

ATAR undergraduate course applications

Applicants who apply for ATAR courses must meet the minimum admission criteria and prerequisites, and successfully complete any selection tasks required.

Offers are made depending on the number of places available for that course, and any adjustments applicants may be eligible for (see below for adjustments). This means that the lowest ATAR or adjusted ATAR (called a selection rank) required to receive an offer varies from year to year.

To give you an idea about what ATAR and adjusted ATAR may be required to help you get into your chosen course, we publish the results from the previous year as a guide. See ATAR profile and relevant course pages for further information.

If upward-adjustment points are added to your ATAR, your higher ranking improves your chance to receive an offer. 

You may be eligible for adjustment points depending on the admission criteria and subject adjustments allowed for your course. The maximum adjustment points you can receive towards any one course at VU is 20 adjustment points, which can be made up of any combination of the following.

Non-ATAR undergraduate course applications

Many VU courses do not use ATAR as the basis for selection.

For applicants with recent secondary study, assessment is based on successful completion of VCE or equivalent and the study scores for each prerequisite subject listed as a criteria for that course, as well as any selection tasks (where listed).

For example, a course that lists ‘Completion of an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate (VCE or equivalent) including Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English’ means that any applicant who meets the minimum criteria will receive an offer for this course, providing there are places available.

Course places are also assessed for eligibility against other admission entry schemes.

Postgraduate course applications

Most postgraduate courses require applicants to have completed some higher education study, equivalent to Australian standards. Admission criteria vary – some courses require the previous study to have been in a related discipline, while other courses accept previous study in any discipline.

Certain courses will consider relevant work experience in place of a higher education qualification. For these courses, a detailed resume'/ CV must be submitted and you may be asked for professional references.

For course-specific admission criteria and information about any additional selection tasks, please visit the relevant course page.

Other requirements

English language requirements

There are minimum English-language requirements or equivalent for each course, outlined on each course page.

Competitive course assessments

Competitive courses have a high volume of applications for limited places. 

All applicants for competitive courses are ranked according to the published admission requirements – either by adjusted ATAR or equivalent ATAR, average grades in higher education studies, and/or by performance in selection tasks.

Applicants may meet the minimum admission requirements, but still not receive an offer if they haven't ranked highly enough among the applicants for that admissions period.

Selection tasks

Some courses have additional tasks listed in the published admission criteria. Applicants are required to complete these tasks to be considered for the course.

In some cases, good performance in the selection tasks is required for admission. This is detailed in the course-specific admission criteria.

Selection tasks are course-specific, and are listed on individual course pages. They may include:

  • folio
  • audition
  • interview
  • supplementary form
  • Non-Academic Attributes Test for Education or Nursing (e.g. CASPer or equivalent)
  • LANTITE – literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education
  • referee reports.

Additional information 

Each course page also has a section listing additional information for applicants to consider when choosing a course. This additional information is not part of the admission criteria.

Additional information might outline, for example, if a Working with Children Check is required for course placements. In this case, if the applicant can't complete this check, they should consider a different course.

Examples include:

  • Police record check – Applicants will be required to hold a valid National Police Record Check or professional placements as part of the course.
  • Working with Children Check – Applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children Check for the relevant State to undertake professional placements as part of this course.
  • Health status – Students must be prepared to declare their health and immunisation status prior to undertaking clinical practice and placements.
  • Driver licence