Admissions transparency - RMIT University

RMIT is committed to admissions transparency.

Student and program ATAR profiles (PDF 160KB)

1. About Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)

2. Admission criteria

2.1 Principles of selection

2.1.1 Eligibility

All applicants to RMIT Higher Education (HE) undergraduate (UG) programs are assessed according to the following requirements by using published selection and ranking methodology. Please follow the links for more information:

2.1.2 Pathways

Pathways provide opportunities for the applicant to progress from one program to another, the applicant may be eligible for advanced standing or credit for agreed pathways. Various pathway options are available to eligible applicants, including:

More information about pathways

2.1.3 Credit

Applicants with previous study and or work/life experience can apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) or credit following enrolment.

More information about applying for credit

2.1.4 Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

ATAR is a rank. It shows a student's achievement in relation to other students and is used to compare the overall achievement of students who have completed different combinations of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) studies for the purpose of making selection decisions and offers to programs.

RMIT uses an agreed equivalent ATAR rank for applicants whose most recent qualification is International Baccalaureate (IB) and also for non-year 12 applicants with higher education or vocational educational studies.

2.1.5 Selection Tasks

Selection tasks help RMIT consider the applicants capacity to succeed in programs (eg. art, design, architecture) where an ATAR or grade point average (GPA) does not fully reflect the applicants creativity, skills and passions. Applicants may be required to complete a selection task in order to be considered for a program.

For details of which programs have selection tasks browse Study with us.

Selection task results may be used on their own or in conjunction with ATAR and equity considerations during selection.

2.1.6 Equity

Equity access schemes take into account educational disadvantages and circumstances that may have impacted on an applicant’s most recent academic performance. More information on RMIT’s equity schemes.

2.1.7 Prerequisites

A prerequisite unit refers to a unit of study an applicant must have completed at secondary school or equivalent to be eligible for entry into a particular university program.

For example; an applicant wanting to apply for Mechanical Engineering may need to complete Units 3 and 4 in English and Mathematical Methods with a study score of 25 in VCE or equivalent to be considered for an offer.

A full list of the current prerequisite units can be found online. These are specific to each program and can be found under the heading Entry requirements in each program page in Study with us, or on the VTAC website.

2.1.8 Selection and ranking methodology principles

Applicants who meet minimum and program entry requirements for undergraduate (UG) programs will be ranked on ATAR, or equivalent ATAR and/or a range of criteria including selection tasks where applicable.
Selection task outcomes will be applied during selection.
Applicable equity consideration will be applied during selection.
Applicants applying as existing RMIT students or with previous RMIT qualifications may be given preference during selection.
An applicant’s most recent (higher Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualification) may be given more weight than the applicant’s secondary school results during selection.

2.1.9 A Year 12 applicant versus a non-year 12 applicant

An applicant is considered a Year 12 applicant if:

the applicant is currently enrolled in an Australian or overseas Year 12 program (including the IB) with no post-secondary studies, or
the applicant has previously attempted or completed an Australian/overseas Year 12 (including the IB) with no post-secondary studies, or
the applicant has previously attempted or completed an Australian/overseas Year 12 (including the IB) with post-secondary studies of Certificate I, Certificate II or Certificate III (but NOT Certificate IV or above).

An applicant is considered a non-Year 12 applicant if:

the applicant has previously attempted or completed post-secondary study at Certificate IV or above, or
the applicant is currently enrolled in an Australian/overseas Year 12 study or program (including the IB) and have post-secondary studies at Certificate IV or above, or
the applicant has no Australian or overseas secondary studies and no post-secondary studies at Certificate IV or above.

2.A. Applicants with higher education (HE) study

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

Applicants must have satisfactorily completed at least six months consecutive study or equivalent, taken at any Australian University (including Open Universities Australia), either on an award or non-award basis; or,

The applicant must have satisfactorily completed at least two Open Universities Australia units. Scored or graded results are required.

VCE English prerequisites are deemed to have been met when minimum HE study has been completed.

An equivalent ATAR using GPA will be determined by VTAC and applied during selection.

2.A.1 Completed bridging or enabling program

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

VCE English prerequisites are deemed to have been met when minimum HE study has been completed.

Applicants with Cert IV in Tertiary Preparation will be given an equivalent ATAR to be used during selection.

2.B. Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

The applicant must have p satisfactorily completed at least one year of an AQF accredited award at Certificate IV or above.

VCE English prerequisites are deemed to have been met when minimum VE study has been completed.

An equivalent ATAR using GPA will be determined by VTAC and applied during selection.

2.C. Applicants with recent secondary education (within the past two years)

Applicants with completed Australian (or overseas equivalent), or IB secondary studies with no other HE or VE studies above Certificate III will be considered as year 12 applicants for the purposes of selection.

Applicants without an ATAR or other AQF study at Certificate IV or above should refer to RMIT pathways under section 2.12

2.C.1 Australian Year 12 students

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

RMIT undergraduate programs have different selection methods for assessing entry to a program. Which method a program uses is outlined in the program guide:

ATAR only
An ATAR, equivalent ATAR or approved notational ATAR for applicants with an IB qualification are used to rank eligible applicants in order of merit for programs who select on the basis of ATAR. For more information on notational ATAR in IB visit the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) website.
Selection task programs
Mostly rank using selection task outcome but some programs may use a range of criteria.

See individual RMIT program pages for more information.

Equity consideration

Equity adjustments are applied as per approved equity schemes either as:

aggregate points added to the ATAR
consideration applied to the selection task, or
may result in an early offer as appropriate.

More information about equity access

2.C.2. ATAR-related adjustments

RMIT allocates bonus points to eligible applicants of underrepresented equity groups. Applicants can apply via the relevant equity access scheme.

More information about applying for RMIT equity schemes

2.C.3. Criteria that may apply in addition to ATAR

If stated in the program entry requirements, selection tasks may be used for selection. Selection tasks may include a personal statement, work experience portfolio or interview.

See individual RMIT program pages for more information.

2.C.4. Other admission options

Minimum university entry requirements and program entry requirements may be waived in exceptional circumstances when an applicant may not meet the published requirements but is able to demonstrate through other means that they are capable of success in the program.

2.C.5. Interstate Year 12

With the exception of Queensland year 12 qualifications, applicants with Interstate year 12 qualifications are assessed in the same as way as Victorian year 12 applicants by using an equivalent ATAR rank provided by VTAC. Queensland uses an Overall Position (OP) ranking system. Comparison tables for Queensland OP ranks can be found on the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) website. These will be used in place of ATAR for selection.

For more information on equivalent studies and study scores for Interstate, IB (International Baccalaureate) and New Zealand applicants please visit the VTAC website.

2.D. Applicants with work and life experience

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

Applicants may satisfy minimum entry requirements if they can demonstrate sufficient work experience to enable success in their chosen program.

Applicants may be eligible for entry via an approved pathway as per section 2.1.2.

2.D.1 Finished secondary education more than two years ago

Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant

Applicants who completed secondary education more than two years ago and have no other higher AQF study will be selected on ATAR.

Applicants without an ATAR may be eligible to sit the STAT as per section 2.1.2.

2.D.2 Bridging and enabling program entry

Applicants may be eligible for entry via options as outlined in section 2.1.2

3. Additional information

3.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access program is an early offer model that allows applicants to be selected for programs independent of their final results. Capacity and capability for success are determined by selection staff through an interview process managed by the Ngarara Willim Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

3.2 Domestic applicants with overseas qualifications

International qualifications are assessed for equivalence to the AQF. Applicants must meet all of the requirements under section 2.1 that are relevant to a program or applicant.

More information regarding equivalency by country

3.3 Inherent requirements

In order to complete certain RMIT programs, students are required to meet the inherent requirements and applicants should use the information provided on the inherent information webpage to:

understand more about each program
determine if you may need support during your program
make an informed decision about the suitability of various programs

More information about inherent requirements

3.4 English language proficiency

English language requirements for applicants

4. How to apply

4.1 Domestic applicants

Information regarding the application process for applicants, including general guidance on the overall admissions process, how long the process is expected to take, and how applicants will be notified of decisions can be found on the How to apply page.

Applicants can apply via the following methods: