Admissions transparency

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Admissions transparency

RMIT admits students from a range of educational backgrounds, including completion of Year 12 results, previous higher education or vocational education study, work and life experience, and for some programs - interviews, auditions or portfolios.

RMIT are committed to providing transparency to the admissions process. In line with this commitment, we have provided you with the information below to help you understand and make informed choices about applying for your chosen program.

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History & Heritage

RMIT was established in 1887 as the Working Men’s College with the aim of bringing education to the working people of Melbourne.

Campuses & Centres

Our campuses in Melbourne and Vietnam feature award-winning buildings and some of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world.

Education at RMIT

RMIT makes a difference to the lives of our students, our staff and our community through our educational programs.

Governance & Management

Sound governance and management is essential to ensure the success and sustainability of the University.

Transportation to RMIT

Melbourne is serviced by a well-developed network of trams, buses, trains and airports, which makes getting to RMIT easy.

Contact RMIT

If you need assistance, there are many ways to get in touch with RMIT. We’re here to help.

Principles of selection

To meet program eligibility all applicants to RMIT are assessed based on the minimum academic entry requirements set out in the RMIT program page and the VTAC CourseSearch.

All applicants must meet the minimum academic entry requirements for the program. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee you entry into the program due to the competitive nature of the program. Overseas qualifications will be assessed for Australian equivalence.

Programs which require the completion of a selection task are outlined in the program page and VTAC CourseSearch. For more information and tips about completing your selection task visit RMIT’s selection task page. 

Applicants who have faced educational, financial and other disadvantages which may have impacted on their most recent academic performance can apply for consideration though RMIT’s equity schemes.

RMIT admits students from a range of educational backgrounds, including completed Year 12 results, previous higher education or vocational education study or work and life experience. For some programs, students are admitted based on interviews, auditions or portfolios.

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

Eligible applicants must meet the minimum admissions criteria specified for the program which they are applying to.

Those who are currently completing an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent), or International Baccalaureate (IB) or who have completed an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent) in the last two years are required to meet any program prerequisites.

Some programs also consider ATAR as the basis of selection, applicants can view previous year’s ATAR profile as a guide.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Eligible applicants must meet the minimum admissions criteria specified for the program which they are applying to.

Applicants must have satisfactorily completed an accredited award at certificate IV or above.

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

A selection rank will be determined based on the AQF level of the highest VET qualification an applicant has completed.

Where a program considers the entire academic record as part of its selection considerations applicants must sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Multiple Choice if:

  • you have no prior Year 12, VET qualifications, HE results or relevant work experience that meet the minimum entry requirements for the program
  • you are 19 years of age or over (as of 1 January) and have not enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years

The STAT Multiple Choice may satisfy Year 12 English and Year 11 Mathematics prerequisites. Applicants must meet all other prerequisites or equivalents. Learn more about RMIT STAT results.

Applicants with higher education(HE) study

Eligible applicants must meet the minimum admissions criteria specified for the program which they are applying to.

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

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

Applicants with a completed bridging or enabling program must meet the minimum admissions criteria specified for the program which you are applying to.

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

Applicants will be assigned an equivalent selection rank (comparable to an ATAR) based on their GPA.

Where a program considers the entire academic record as part of its selection considerations applicants must sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Multiple Choice if:

  • you have no prior Year 12, VET qualifications, HE results or relevant work experience that meet the minimum entry requirements for the program
  • you are 19 years of age or over (as of 1 January) and have not enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years

The STAT Multiple Choice may satisfy Year 12 English and Year 11 Mathematics prerequisites. Applicants must meet all other prerequisites or equivalents. Learn more about RMIT STAT results.

Applicants with work and life experience

Eligible applicants must meet the minimum admissions criteria specified for the program which they are applying to.

Applicants will be assessed based on their prior studies (VCE completed more than two years ago) and or any work and life experience. Some programs may not admit applicants on the basis of work or life experience. Applicants wishing to be considered on the basis of work or life experience should check RMITs program pages or VTAC CourseSearch for admission criteria requirements.

Where a program considers the entire academic record as part of its selection considerations applicants must sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Multiple Choice if:

  • you have no prior Year 12, VET qualifications, HE results or relevant work experience that meet the minimum entry requirements for the program
  • you are 19 years of age or over (as of 1 January) and have not enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years

The STAT Multiple Choice may satisfy Year 12 English and Year 11 Mathematics prerequisites. Applicants must meet all other prerequisites or equivalents. Learn more about RMIT STAT results.

Under 17 applicants - Transition from School

Direct applicants who apply for a program and who are under 17 years of age, have not completed Year 12 and who have met the entry requirements of the program to which they are applying to will be made a conditional offer. The conditional offer will request that the applicant provide correspondence from the School Principal or Regional Director which confirms an exemption from attending secondary school.

An offer will be made once the applicant has uploaded the required documentation to their online application and the RMIT Selection Officer has confirmed that the applicant has met the conditions of the offer.

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.

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 Selection criteria on each program page or the VTAC website.

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.

Pathway

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:

Credit

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

Applicants may be eligible to receive adjustment factors which will be applied to their selection rank, a maximum of 28 aggregate adjustments can be applied across any of the following adjustment factors considered by RMIT.

Equity access schemes

RMIT’s access schemes ensure that people from the widest range of backgrounds have the opportunity to access RMIT programs. Eligible applications can receive an adjustment to their selection rank, which can increase the chances of receiving an offer. 

Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) and RMIT Access

A SEAS or RMIT Access application allows RMIT to apply equity-related adjustments to your selection rank, by taking into consideration circumstances that have affected your performance in your studies.  

The maximum equity adjustment you can receive when applying for SEAS or RMIT Access is 20 aggregate points.

For programs that select on a range of criteria, where selection is based on your performance in selection tasks such as interviews and folio presentations, you will receive an equivalent level of consideration in these selection tasks.

Regional Adjustment Scheme

The Regional Adjustment Scheme applies adjustments to the selection ranks of applicants whose highest qualification is Year 12 and are from low socio-economic status areas and are applying VTAC or RMIT Direct for programs that select primarily on ATAR.

This adjustment is automatically applied, and applicants do not need to do anything.

Applicants are identified as being from a low socio-economic status area by matching their permanent residential address to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Education and Occupation. This index provides a population weighted rank value for geographical areas and those areas in the bottom 25% of the population aged 15-64 are classified as low SES.

Schools Network Access Program (SNAP)

The SNAP access scheme provides priority entry to RMIT programs for students from designated Victorian secondary schools.

Eligible SNAP students that have an ATAR within 20 points of the lowest selection rank (including adjustments) for their preferred program or programs can receive an equity adjustment. Depending on their initial ATAR and the competitiveness of the program/s, this may deem some applicants eligible for an offer.

For programs that select on a range of criteria such as folio or interview, SNAP applicants receive equivalent consideration on their performance in these tasks.

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.

Adjustments received for eligible applicants will not contribute to the overall maximum adjustments factors an applicant may receive.

Other admissions schemes

 

Year 12 Subject Adjustments

Subject adjustments are applied to applicants whose highest qualification is year 12 studying one or more subjects that are relevant to their chosen undergraduate program. Adjustments will be automatically applied to their ATAR when they apply for eligible RMIT programs through VTAC or direct application to the university. Where a program considers subject adjustments a list of relevant subjects is available on individual program pages or the VTAC course search program page. 

Adjustments are cumulative up to a maximum of 8 aggregate points.

Elite Athlete Adjustment

The RMIT Elite Athlete Program (REAP) supports eligible elite and emerging athletes to achieve sporting and academic excellence, allowing students to balance the demands of both their studies and their athletic responsibilities.

Eligible elite or emerging athletes who are seeking admission into a vocational education or degree course will receive 10 aggregate adjustment factors applied to their ATAR.

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

English language proficiency

If you are applying for an undergraduate program at RMIT and your most recent qualification is the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) you are required to have meet the minimum English language requirements.

If your most recent relevant qualification is interstate year 12, New Zealand year 13, the International Baccalaureate or international year 12, you will need to demonstrate achievement equivalent to the relevant minimum VCE English study score.

Some RMIT programs require a higher English language requirement, it’s recommended that you check the program page for these requirements.

Personal Statement – Programs offered by the STEM College only

Applicants who have been excluded from a program due to academic progress are encouraged to submit a personal statement outlining the strategies you will adopt to ensure academic success.

Applicants applying to RMIT through VTAC can complete and submit the VTAC personal statement via their online VTAC account.

Applicants applying Direct to RMIT can upload their completed personal statement via their online Direct application.

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,
  • the applicant has previously attempted or completed an Australian/overseas Year 12 (including the IB) with no post-secondary studies, 
  • 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 has 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.

Depending on your current status and the program level to which you are applying to there are several options for how you can apply to study with us at RMIT.

Applicants who are currently undertaking an Australian year 12 (or equivalent) in Australia or overseas should apply through VTAC. For programs not offered through VTAC applicants can apply direct to RMIT.

Non-year 12 applicant, those who are not currently studying an Australian year 12 (or equivalent) can apply direct to RMIT, provided that you have not commenced an application through VTAC and are applying for one program at RMIT, then applicants should apply through VTAC.

Some programs accept applications direct to the relevant RMIT school. Find out more information about RMIT school-based applications.

International applicants should follow the how to apply guide for international applicants.

Once you have received your offer it’s time to accept and enrol into your program.

Direct applicants, should log in to accept their offer via their RMIT ‘My dashboard’. Once accepted an email with enrolment instructions will be sent to your nominated email.

VTAC applicants, will receive an email from VTAC notifying applicants of their offer. RMIT will then send an email to your VTAC nominated email confirming the offer with enrolment instructions.

View RMITs Higher Education enrolment guide or the Vocational Education enrolment guide for more information.

International students, you should follow the steps outlined in the International student enrolment guides to secure your place at RMIT.

At RMIT you can apply for credit, so your previous learning or experience counts towards your program. Find out more about how to apply for credit.

Students who are not ready to commence their studies can choose to defer their studies click here to find out how.

Fees & Financial Assistance

Discover fees information for programs and courses at RMIT University.

To assist eligible students to pay their tuition fees the Government offers several Higher Education Loan Programs (HELP). Depending on the type of program you are enrolling to and meeting eligibility students may obtain access to one of these schemes. For more information on available loans and eligibility requirements please visit RMIT’s HELP Loans and VET Student Loans webpage.

New Zealand citizens who hold a Special Category Visa may also be eligible to access a government HELP loan, click here for form information and to check your eligibility.

RMIT offers students a range of support services and networks to help them through their journey every step of the way. RMIT offers a range of student support and support services to ensure students have a positive, healthy and happy university experience.

As an RMIT student you can take advantage of RMIT’s student exchange program. With over 200 international exchange partners to choose from you’ll have an experience of a lifetime without putting your studies on hold.

Student Profile

View the student profile to gain an insight of the students previously admitted into all RMIT programs.

ATAR Profile

View the ATAR profile and selection rank from students offered a place into an RMIT program wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR.

An applicant who is dissatisfied with the outcome of their application for admission may seek a formal review of a selection decision in accordance with RMIT’s Selection Procedure.

Find out more information about RMIT’s approach to education and our Admissions and credit policy where you can find out about the process for selection, applying for credit and appealing a decision.

Information about our third industry partners and providers include:

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Acknowledgement of country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business. - Artwork created by Louisa Bloomer

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