Academic requirements
Most courses have minimum academic requirements, which will be assesssed with your application. For example, to apply for a bachelor degree, you normally need to have a secondary school qualification equivalent to Year 12 in Australia.
To apply for a master degree, you normally need to have an undergraduate qualification equivalent to a bachelor degree in Australia. Higher degrees by research (including master by research and doctorate degrees) have additional entry requirements.
Several study areas require higher minimum scores. For these specific requirements, please refer to the relevant course pages. Alternatively, please speak to your education agent or get in touch with our team at Swinburne.
English language requirements
Each course offered by Swinburne has a minimum English language requirement for entry. Please be sure to also check your course page for information specific to the course.
| English language tests | Minimum scores |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
| PTE Academic | 50 (no communicative skill less than 42) |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 64 (no less than 8 in reading, 7 in listening, 16 in speaking, 18 in writing) |
| C1 Advanced3 | 169 (no band less than 162) |
| Michigan English Test (MET)4 | 53 (no less than 51 in reading, 53 in listening, 43 in speaking, 51 in writing) |
| LanguageCert Academic5 | 61 (no less than 54 in reading, 49 in listening, 62 in speaking, 56 in writing) |
| English language tests | Swinburne Foundation Program | UniLink diplomas | UniLink Bridging Program | Postgraduate Qualifying Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 5.5 (no individual band below 5.0) |
Overall 5.5 (no individual band below 5.0) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 5.5 (no individual band below 5.0) |
Overall 5.5 (no individual band below 5.0) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 5.5) |
| PTE Academic | 42 (no communicate skill less than 36) |
42 (no communicative skill less than 36) |
50 (no communicative skill less than 42) |
50 (no communicative skill less than 42) |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 46 (no less than 4 in reading, 4 in listening, 14 in speaking, 14 in writing) |
46 (no less than 4 in reading, 4 in listening, 14 in speaking, 14 in writing) |
64 (no less than 8 in reading, 7 in listening, 16 in speaking, 18 in writing) |
64 (no less than 8 in reading, 7 in listening, 16 in speaking, 18 in writing) |
| C1 Advanced3 | 162 (no band less than 154) |
162 (no band less than 154) |
169 (no band less than 162) |
169 (no band less than 162) |
| Michigan English Test (MET)4 | 49 (no less than 47 in reading, 49 in listening, 38 in speaking, 45 in writing) |
49 (no less than 47 in reading, 49 in listening, 38 in speaking, 45 in writing) |
53 (no less than 51 in reading, 53 in listening, 43 in speaking, 51 in writing) |
53 (no less than 51 in reading, 53 in listening, 43 in speaking, 51 in writing) |
| LanguageCert Academic5 | 54 (no less than 44 in reading, 41 in listening, 54 in speaking, 45 in writing) |
54 (no less than 44 in reading, 41 in listening, 54 in speaking, 45 in writing) |
61 (no less than 54 in reading, 49 in listening, 62 in speaking, 56 in writing) |
61 (no less than 54 in reading, 49 in listening, 62 in speaking, 56 in writing) |
Please note that the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Honours) have different requirements.
| English language tests | Undergraduate degrees in:
|
Other undergraduate degrees |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 560) |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
Overall 6.0 (no individual band below 6.0) |
| PTE Academic | 58 (no communicate skill less than 50) |
50 (no communicative skill less than 50) |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 79 (no less than 13 in reading, 12 in listening, 18 in speaking, 21 in writing) |
64 (no less than 13 in reading, 12 in listening, 18 in speaking, 21 in writing) |
| Cambridge (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)3 | 176 (no band less than 169) |
169 (no band less than 169) |
| Michigan English Test (MET)4 | 59 (no less than 55 in reading, 56 in listening, 48 in speaking, 57 in writing) |
53 (no less than 55 in reading, 56 in listening, 48 in speaking, 57 in writing) |
| LanguageCert Academic5 | 67 (no less than 60 in reading, 57 in listening, 70 in speaking, 64 in writing) |
61 (no less than 60 in reading, 57 in listening, 70 in speaking, 64 in writing) |
| English language tests | Bachelor of Nursing (for tests taken on or after 23 April 2026) | Bachelor of Nursing (for tests taken on or after 23 April 2026) | Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Honours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 7.0* Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing | Overall 7.0* Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing | Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0 |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 7.0* Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing | Overall 7.0* Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing | Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0 |
| PTE Academic | 66* Minimum score of 66 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 56 in writing | 63* Minimum score of 58 in listening, 59 in reading, 60 in writing and 76 in speaking | 66 No communicative skill less than 66 |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 94* (no less than 24 in listening, reading and writing, 23 in speaking) | 91* (no less than 22 in listening and reading, 23 in writing, 24 in speaking) | 94 (no less than 24 in reading, 24 in listening, 23 in speaking, 27 in writing) |
| Cambridge (C1 Advanced)3 | 185 (no less than 185 in listening, reading and speaking, 176 in writing) | 178 (no less than 175 in listening, 179 in reading, 180 in writing, 194 in speaking) | 185 (no band less than 185) |
| Cambridge (C2 Proficiency)3 | 185 (no less than 185 in listening, reading and speaking, 176 in writing) | 185 (no less than 185 in listening, reading and speaking, 176 in writing) | 185 (no band less than 185) |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | Minimum of B in listening, reading and speaking Minimum of C+ in writing* | No less than 350 in listening and writing, 360 in reading and speaking | Not applicable |
Please note that the Master of Dietetics, Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Physiotherapy and Master of Teaching (Secondary) have different requirements.
| English language tests | Postgraduate courses by coursework | Postgraduate courses by research |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
Overall 6.5 (no individual band below 6.0) |
| PTE Academic | 58 (no communicate skill less than 50) |
58 (no communicate skill less than 50) |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 79 (no less than 13 in reading, 12 in listening, 18 in speaking, 21 in writing) |
79 (no less than 13 in reading, 12 in listening, 18 in speaking, 21 in writing) |
| Cambridge (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)3 | 176 (no band less than 169) |
176 (no band less than 169) |
| Michigan English Test (MET)4 | 59 (no less than 55 in reading, 56 in listening, 48 in speaking, 57 in writing) |
Not applicable |
| LanguageCert Academic5 | 67 (no less than 60 in reading, 57 in listening, 70 in speaking, 64 in writing) |
Not applicable |
| English language tests | Master of Dietetics Master of Occupational Therapy |
Master of Physiotherapy |
Master of Teaching (Secondary) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic Module) | Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0 |
Overall 7.0 Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing |
Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.5 in speaking and listening |
| IELTS One Skill Retake1 | Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0 |
Overall 7.0 Minimum score of 7.0 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 6.5 in writing |
Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.5 in speaking and listening |
| PTE Academic | 66 No communicative skill less than 66 |
66 Minimum score of 66 in listening, reading and speaking Minimum score of 56 in writing |
66 No communicative skill less than 66 (76 in speaking and listening) |
| TOEFL iBT Australia2 | 94 (no less than 24 in listening and reading, 23 in speaking, 27 in writing) |
94 (no less than 24 in listening, reading and writing, 23 in speaking) |
94 (no less than 25 in reading, 27 in listening, 25 in speaking, 27 in writing) |
| Cambridge (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)3 | 185 (no band less than 185) |
185 (no less than 185 in listening, reading and speaking, 176 in writing) |
185 (no less than 185 in reading, 191 in listening, 191 in speaking, 185 in writing) |
1The One Skill Retake test must be taken within 60 days after the release of the initial test score.
2TOEFL iBT Australia tests completed between 26 July 2023 and 4 May 2024 will not be accepted for Australian visa purposes.
3The C1 Advanced exam is formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE). Only paper-based results will be accepted from 12 February 2024.
4This applies to results obtained at secure test centres (including Single Section Retake) and does not apply to results obtained through MET Digital.
5The LanguageCert Academic test must be conducted at a secure test centre.
^^NMBA Registration Standard: English Language Skills includes requirements around the number of test sittings from which results will be accepted.
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