Course entry
Information about course entry requirements and admission pathways to university for domestic and international students considering study at ECU.
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Undergraduate course entry options
There's more than one way to enter an undergraduate course at ECU.
Depending on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience, you have options – we call them admission pathways.
Find yourself below and discover your possible pathway. University, here you come!
Recent secondary education
- have completed secondary education* within the previous two years at a school, TAFE or other VET or higher education provider
- will complete secondary education* this year at a school, TAFE or other VET or higher education provider
- have other qualifications, such as a Year 10 or Year 12 secondary school certificate
- have started or completed some VET or higher education study while still at school
* Also applies to equivalent secondary education interstate or overseas.
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- If you have an ATAR, or you're aiming to have one at the end of the year, you may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may also be required to have WACE and to satisfy English competency.
- If your ATAR doesn't meet entry requirements for the course you've chosen, you have some options:
- If you've attended a school on our ECU Access eligible schools list, your selection rank may be adjusted upwards and you may meet entry requirements for an undergraduate course.
- Alternatively, you may try our Experience Based Entry Scheme.
- Or, you can search for another course with a lower ATAR requirement.
- If you've completed a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma, you may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may also be eligible for recognition of prior learning. You may also be eligible for credit and recognition of prior learning.
- If you've completed a Certificate IV, you may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may need to satisfy English competency requirements.
- If you've completed a Certificate III, you may be eligible for one of our University Preparation courses. We may also ask you to satisfy English competency.
- If you have no ATAR or VET qualifications, but you've achieved WACE, you may be eligible to apply for an undergraduate course through our Experience Based Entry Scheme. For creative humanities courses, you should consider our Creative Humanities Portfolio Entry.
Work and life experience
- left secondary education more than two years previously
- haven't undertaken VET or higher education study since then
- have professional or work experience that can demonstrate your readiness for higher education
- have completed non-formal programs that helped you prepare for tertiary education, or programs relevant to a higher education field of study you're interested in
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Work experience
- If you have work or professional experience, but no formal qualifications, you may be eligible for our University Preparation courses, or for an undergraduate course through our Experience Based Entry Scheme. You could also consider a Graduate Certificate course.
- You may also be required to satisfy English competency.
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STAT test
- If you've completed both components of the STAT or intend to do so, and you meet the minimum score, you may be eligible for one of our undergraduate courses.
- If you've not met the required score, you may be able to progress to an undergraduate course through a University Preparation course.
Vocational education and training (VET)
- enrolled in a VET course at a public TAFE (or other VET provider) since leaving secondary education
- completed your VET qualification or weren't able to do so
- have other qualifications, such as a Year 10 or Year 12 secondary school certificate
- completed a Certificate IV during high school
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- If you've completed a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma, you may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may also be eligible for recognition of prior learning. We call this credit and recognition of prior learning.
- If you weren't able to complete your Diploma or Advanced Diploma, the above could still apply to you. You may need to satisfy our English competency requirements.
- If you've completed a Certificate IV, you may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may need to satisfy our English competency requirements.
- If you've completed a Certificate III, you may be eligible for one of our University Preparation courses. You may need to satisfy English competency requirements.
- If you weren't able to complete your Certificate III or IV, you may be eligible for a University Preparation course. You may need to satisfy our English competency requirements.
Higher education student
- studied a higher education course since leaving secondary education – recently or some time ago
- studied at a university or through a non-university higher education provider
- completed a bridging or enabling course delivered by or on behalf of a higher education provider
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- You may meet our entry requirements for an undergraduate course.
Other types of applications
The application process is different for some of our creative courses, or if you're intending to study specific units, rather than a full course.
Credit for studies or work experience
Where you've finished related study, you may be awarded credit points towards an ECU course, or substitute some units for others. This is called credit and recognition of prior learning.
If you have at least 5 years relevant professional experience, you may be eligible for entry into a graduate certificate program.
Many courses progress from graduate certificate to master's level in natural stages. We call this 'articulation'.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
We provide support and specialised entry pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Interviews, folios and auditions
For some of our Education, Arts & Humanities or WAAPA courses, you'll be asked to submit a folio of work, or attend an interview and/or audition as part of the admission process.
Inherent requirements for entry to some courses
In some ECU courses, especially those offered by the Schools of Nursing & Midwifery and Education, you must meet our Inherent Requirements. These are the essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate your abilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of those courses or units.
The Important Things
Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.
Fees & Scholarships
Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.
Applying
Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.
ECU Experience
Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.