domestic

Domestic applicants can satisfy the English language proficiency requirements for most programs through any of the following pathways:

• Secondary Schooling in Majority-English-Speaking Countries: Completion of at least senior secondary schooling in a country where English is the primary language, such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.
• Prior Education and Qualifications: Successful completion of an Australian VET Certificate IV or higher, or at least two Higher Education units in Australia.
• STAT: Achieving a satisfactory result in the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT), where applicable.
• Standardised Testing: Achieving the required score in an approved English language test.

Please note: Certain disciplines have specific English language requirements mandated by accrediting bodies. Applicants may therefore be required to sit a recognised English language test, regardless of their prior educational background.

Previous Education

• Secondary Education

  Successful completion of senior secondary studies in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada or the United States of America meets the University’s English language proficiency requirements for most programs.

  International secondary studies completed at an institution where English was the only language of instruction and assessment may be accepted.

• Higher Education

  Applicants can satisfy the English language proficiency requirements through either of the following:

  • Successful completion of at least two units at an Australian university.
  • Successful completion of at least two units in an approved English-speaking country.

  Please refer to the table for details

  Country	Accepted qualifications	Minimum length
  New Zealand	Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework level study at a recognised University	Successful completion of at least two subjects/units
  Republic of Ireland	Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework level study at a recognised University	Successful completion of at least two subjects/units
  United Kingdom	Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework level study at a recognised University	Successful completion of at least two subjects/units
  Canada (excluding the province of Quebec)	Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework level study at a recognised University	Successful completion of at least two subjects/units
  United States of America	Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework level study at a recognised University	Successful completion of at least two subjects/units

• Vocational Education and Training (VET)

  Successful completion of a Certificate IV or higher from an Australian registered training organisation will be accepted.

• Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

  A Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) with a suitable score in Written English is accepted. The scores in Written English vary depending on the discipline for which entry is being sought.

  Please refer to the table for details.

  Required STAT Scores

English language tests

Accepted English language tests include IELTS and other approved assessments. Required scores and accepted tests vary by discipline and program. All test results must have been obtained within two years before the application commencement date.

• English language test scores

  Applicants may satisfy the English language test requirement through an approval English language test as outlined below. Accepted tests and the minimum test results required vary by discipline and program. English language test results are valid for two years from the date of completion

  Undergraduate

  IELTS (Academic)	CAE/CPE	PTE (Academic)	TOEFL (iBT)	LanguageCert Academic	CELPIP General	Michigan English Test
  6.0 overall, with no individual band score lower than 6.0	169 overall, with no individual band score lower than 169	50 overall, with no individual band score lower than 50	Before 1 January 2026: 73 overall and no other score lower than 18. January 2026 onwards: 4 total score, with no score lower than 4 in reading, listening and writing, no score lower than 3.5 in speaking.	61 overall, with no individual score lower than 61.	CLB 8 overall, with no individual band score lower than 8	53 Overall, with no individual band score lower than 53

  Postgraduate (Coursework)

  *Higher English requirements may apply to selected programs.

  IELTS (Academic)	CAE/CPE	PTE (Academic)	TOEFL (iBT)	LanguageCert Academic	CELPIP General	Michigan English Test
  6.5 overall, with no individual band score lower than 6.0	176 overall and no other band score lower than 169	58 overall no other band score lower than 50	Before 1 January 2026: 84 overall and no other score lower than 18 January 2026 onwards: 4.5 total score, with no score lower than 4 in reading, listening and writing, no score lower than 3.5 in speaking.	67 overall, with no individual score lower than 61.	CLB9 overall, with no individual band score lower than CLB8	58 Overall, with no individual band score lower than 53

  Research

  IELTS (Academic)	CAE/CPE	PTE (Academic)	TOEFL (iBT)	LanguageCert Academic	CELPIP General	Michigan English Test
  7.0 overall, with no score lower than 7.0 in writing and no other individual band score lower than 6.5	185 overall, with no score lower than 185 in writing and no other band score lower than 176	68 overall, with no score lower than 68 in writing and no other band score lower than 58	Before 1 January 2026: 94, with no score lower than 24 in reading and listening, no score lower than 23 in speaking and no score lower than 27 in writing. January 2026 onwards: 4.5, with no score lower than 5 in reading and listening, no score lower than 4.5 in speaking and no score lower than 5.5 in writing.	73 Overall, with no score lower than 78 in writing and no other individual band score lower than 67	CLB10 overall, with no score lower than CLB10 in writing and no other individual band score lower than CLB9	62 overall, with no score lower than 62 in writing and no other individual band score lower than 58

• Supporting links

  For information about English language test programs

  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (iBT)
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE)
  • Occupational English Test (OET)
  • Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
  • LanguageCert Academic
  • Michigan English Test
  • CELPIP

Exceptions

• School of Arts and Sciences

  Program:

  • Master of Counselling
  • Master of Social Work (Qualifying)

  English as a primary language

  All primary and secondary education was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;

  You have completed 2+ years or full time equivalent tertiary study in English only at an institution in Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;

  You achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests and meet the requirements for test results specified below:

  English language tests

  The following tests must be completed within two years prior to applying to the University:

  IELTS Academic	7.0 overall, with no individual band score lower than 7.0
  OET	B in all sections
  PTE Academic	65 overall, with no individual band score lower than 65
  TOEFL (iBT)	Before 1 January 2026: 94, with no score lower than 24 in reading and listening, no score lower than 23 in speaking and no score lower than 27 in writing. January 2026 onwards: 4.5, with no score lower than 5 in reading and listening, no score lower than 4.5 in speaking and no score lower than 5.5 in writing.
  LanguageCert	73 Overall, with no score lower than 73
  CELPIP General	CELB10 overall with no score lower than CLB10
  Michigan English Test	62 overall with no score lower than 62

• School of Education

  Programs and Program No.

  • Bachelor of Education (Conversion) - 3088
  • Bachelor of Education (Early Learning) - 3584
  • Bachelor of Primary Education - 3587
  • Bachelor of Secondary Education - 3588
  • including any double degrees and Masters of Teaching programs

  Students with English as an additional language seeking entry into Accredited teacher programs must meet the English language requirements specified by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to meet the requirements for registration as follows:

  IELTS Academic	Average band score of 7.5 across all four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing – with no score below 7.0 in any of the four skills areas and a score of no less than 8 in speaking and listening. Test scores must appear on a single IELTS Test Report Form and be the result of a test undertaken during the 24-month period prior to submitting an application.
  ISLPR Teacher focused test	A score of Level 4 or higher in all four skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
  Previous Education Exemption	An applicant has completed at least four years of study in higher education (university) in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America. This study must have resulted in the award of 1 qualification(s) comparable to the education level of an Australian bachelor’s degree or higher and must include a recognised initial teacher education qualification.
  Exceptional Circumstances	The University may consider an exemption from formal English language test requirement in exceptional circumstances where it is abundantly clear that an applicant’s English language proficiency is at such a high level that to require a demonstration of their English language proficiency through a formal test would be unreasonable or unnecessary. Such requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis with appropriate supporting evidence relevant to the applicant’s mastery of the English language.

  Programs and Program No.

  • Bachelor of Early Childhood Education - 3589

  IELTS Academic	Average overall band score of 6.5 (with no score below 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening)
  PTE Academic	Average overall band score 58 overall (with no band score lower than 50 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening)

  An applicant that has completed an award and has at least four full years of study in higher education (university) in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America. This study must have resulted in award of 1 qualification(s) comparable to the educational level of an Australian bachelor's degree or higher and must include a recognised initial teacher education qualification.

• School of Health Sciences

  Programs:

  • Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Physiotherapy
  • Master of Physiotherapy
  • Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology

  English language requirements

  Have achieved the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests:

  IELTS Academic	7.0 overall, with no individual band score lower than 7.0
  OET	B in all sections
  PTE Academic	65, with no individual band score lower than 65
  TOEFL (iBT)	Before 1 January 2026: 94, with no score lower than 24 in reading and listening, no score lower than 23 in speaking and no score lower than 27 in writing. January 2026 onwards: 4.5, with no score lower than 5 in reading and listening, no score lower than 4.5 in speaking and no score lower than 5.5 in writing.
  LanguageCert	73 Overall, with no score lower than 73
  CELPIP General	CELB10 overall with no score lower than CLB10
  Michigan English Test	62 overall with no score lower than 62

• School of Law

  Programs:

  • Bachelor of Laws (3510)
  • Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) (3530)
  • Including any double degrees

  CAE/CPE	191 overall, with no score lower than 191 in writing and no other band score lower than 185
  IELTS Academic	7.5 overall, with no score lower than 7.5 in writing and no other band score lower than 7.0
  PTE Academic	76 overall, with no score lower than 76 in writing and no other band score lower than 68
  TOEFL (iBT)	Before 1 January 2026: 105, with no score lower than 28 in writing and no other band score lower than 24 January 2026 onwards: 5, with no score lower than 5.5 in writing, reading and listening no lower than 5 and speaking no lower than 4.5.
  LanguageCert	81 Overall, with no score lower than 81 in writing and no other bands score lower than 73
  CELPIP General	CELB11 overall, with no score lower than CLB11 in writing and no other bands score lower than CLB10.
  Michigan English Test	67 overall, with no score lower than 67 in writing and no other bands score lower than 62

• School of Medicine

  Programs:

  • Doctor of Medicine

  English as a primary language

  All primary and secondary education was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;

  You have Completed 2+ years or full time equivalent tertiary study in English only at an institution in Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;

  You achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests and meet the requirements for test results specified below:

  English language tests

  The following tests must be completed within two years prior to applying to the University:

  IELTS Academic	7.0 overall, with no individual band score lower than 7.0
  OET	B in all sections
  PTE Academic	65 overall, with no individual band score lower than 65
  TOEFL (iBT)	Before 1 January 2026: 94, with no score lower than 24 in reading and listening, no score lower than 23 in speaking and no score lower than 27 in writing. January 2026 onwards: 4.5, with no score lower than 5 in reading and listening, no score lower than 4.5 in speaking and no score lower than 5.5 in writing.

• School of Nursing and Midwifery

  Programs:

  • Bachelor of Nursing
  • Graduate Diploma of Midwifery

  Domestic and international students seeking entry into Nursing and Midwifery programs must meet the English language requirements specified by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). You may also refer to the Nursing and Midwifery Board for information.

  English language requirements

  Applicants who have completed at least six (6) years of primary and secondary education taught and assessed solely in English in Australia or in a recognised country*; including at least two (2) years between years 7 and 12.

  Recognised countries

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Anguilla
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Canada
  • Cayman Islands
  • Dominica
  • Falkland Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Grenada
  • Guernsey
  • Guyana
  • Isle of Man
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Malta
  • New Zealand
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • US Virgin Islands

  Or

  Has achieved the minimum required scores in an English Language Test approved under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Registration Standard for English Language Skills.

  The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has published the transition arrangements policy to account for the changes to the minimum scores and requirements.

  AHPRA Transition Policy

Pathway programs

The English language proficiency requirements do not apply to our pathway programs, including Tertiary Pathway Program (TPP) and UniPath.

Please refer to our admission pathways webpage for their entry requirements.

Equivalency

Where an applicant does not meet the minimum English language proficiency requirements, other equivalent qualifications or experience may be considered.

For questions, please contact admissions@nd.edu.au. If you are an international student please contact international@nd.edu.au.

Note: The University reserves the right to request any applicant to sit an English language test or to undertake an Academic English Bridging program.