Start the journey to a rewarding career with an undergraduate degree from VU.

Once you’ve decided on your preferred area of interest, you can apply for an undergraduate course under one of four admission categories, listed below.

You must meet the minimum admission criteria specified in that category, as well as the course-specific admission criteria for your chosen course. Course admission criteria can be found in VU’s course search and the VTAC CourseSearch.

While we consider an ATAR for some courses, your ATAR is not considered for the majority of courses in our admissions process.

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Admission categories

This category applies if you completed your Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), an Australian or overseas equivalent, or an International Baccalaureate (IB) in the last two years, including any stated prerequisite studies.

Some VU courses may use an ATAR as the basis for selection; you can find the previous year's data for these courses in the ATAR profile published on the course pages.

Some undergraduate courses at VU may also require a minimum ATAR and other admission criteria to be met. View the ATAR profile to get an idea of the ATAR from the previous intake. For the majority of our courses, however, your ATAR is not considered.

Within this category, if you are not applying with a completed qualification, you must have completed some higher education study. Some courses require at least two completed units, but most require at least six months of continuous study, or four units of completed study in an undergraduate degree or higher qualification. Check individual course pages for detailed admission criteria.

You must also meet the course-specific admission criteria of the relevant course you are applying to.

To be considered, you must have satisfactorily completed an accredited award at Diploma level or above at an Australian Registered Training Organisation. Some VU courses may accept a completed Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation or in a related discipline.

You must also meet the course-specific admission of the relevant course you are applying to.

If you do not have any formal academic history, you may be considered on the basis of other work or life experiences. Check your course page for specific work and life experience admission criteria.

Preparing your application

Before you start your application, make a checklist of the tasks you’ll need to do. Tick off each item as you go.

We’ve made a list of some of the documents you might need when you apply for an undergraduate course.

If you've studied in Australia you may need to provide copies of your Academic Transcripts and certificate of completion.

If you've studied overseas, you'll need certified copies of your academic documents. Staff at VUHQ (Student Service Centre) can sight your original documents and certify copies for you.

Proof of work and/or life experience could be a copy of your current CV (resume) or Position Description (PD). You may also need a supporting letter from your employer outlining your duties, responsibilities and duration of your employment/volunteer work.

If you decide to provide a statement, it should describe why you would like to enrol in the course, what you hope to achieve through study, the type of career path you would like to follow and how your previous study/work/life experiences support your application.

You can also use this statement to explain any past academic history concerns or demonstrate enhanced likelihood of success if applying to return to study after a period of exclusion.

The statement can be up to 500 words.

Some courses may have additional selection tasks that need to be completed or submitted as part of the application. It is your responsibility to check this on the course page and complete all required tasks by the application closing dates, otherwise your application may not be considered. Check the course page on our website for each course you are interested in, as application dates may vary, with some courses closing earlier than others.

Additional information may include:

  • a supplementary information form
  • referee reports
  • an interview, audition, information session and/or workshop
  • a folio
  • a test e.g. CASPer (non-academic attributes test) or LANTITE.

You will receive an email requesting further information if you have applied directly to VU and not submitted the required supporting documentation.

Maximising Your Preferences - Transcript

Submitting your application

Remember not to include original documents with your application as they won’t be returned to you.

Once you've prepared and collated all the information and documentation you need to apply for your course, note there are two ways to apply to study at VU.

Most applicants can apply direct to VU. If you have applied online directly to VU (via our Admissions Centre), we will acknowledge receipt of your application via email and let you know if you need to provide any additional documents.

When providing additional information to VUHQ (Student Service Centre), please clearly identify the course you have applied for, your name and date of birth.

Exceptions to applying direct

There are a couple of exceptions to applying direct when the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is open. 

Applicants who fit the either of the following descriptions should apply or make amendments to preferences via VTAC:

  1. You are a current 12 student, and your chosen course is listed with VTAC.
  2. You have already submitted an application to VTAC for the current intake.

Current year 12 students must apply for a course through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) if their chosen course is offered. Non-year 12 applicants can also choose to apply through VTAC. Read more about the VTAC application process and the cutoff dates for submitting course preferences.

If you’ve applied through VTAC, you’ll need to submit your documents directly to them. Find out how to supply documentation to VTAC.

What’s a non-year 12 applicant?

You are considered a non-year 12 applicant if you:

  • have previously attempted or completed post-secondary study at Certificate IV or above
  • are currently enrolled in an Australian/overseas Year 12 study or program (including the IB) and have post-secondary studies at Certificate IV or above
  • have not completed Australian or overseas secondary studies and have no post-secondary studies at Certificate IV or above.