Entry requirements for international students
Regardless of whether you’re going to be studying in Melbourne or from your home country, you need to meet the minimum English language and academic requirements for the course you want to study.
To accommodate the current situation, you can now take your entry test online. Swinburne currently accepts online versions of these tests: TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition, DuoLingo English and LinguaSkill.
Please see the English Requirements table.
Academic requirements
Foundation Year, UniLink diplomas, vocational education and bachelor degrees
Enter your details to find entry requirements for your chosen course.
Master and research degrees
Use Course Search to find the entry requirements for your chosen course.
English language requirements
Each Swinburne online course has a minimum English language entry requirement. Use our Course Search function to find the English language requirements for your chosen course or use the table, below.
Your course may have an additional prerequisite English test called the PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic). When you’re allowed to travel to Australia, you’ll be able to take this test at our Hawthorn campus. Visit PTE Academic for more information.
Approved English Language Tests and Minimum Required Entry Scores for non-award and VE programs, study abroad and exchange and higher education (HE) diplomas
Provider / Program |
Level of Entry |
||||
Foundation Year |
Foundation Year |
HE Diploma - one year program |
Study Abroad & Exchange |
PQP |
|
IELTS (Academic Module) |
Overall 5.0 |
Overall 5.5 No individual band below 5.0 |
Overall 5.5 No individual band below 5.0 |
Overall 6.0 No individual band below 5.5 |
Overall 6.0 No individual band below 5.5 |
PTE Academic |
36 |
42 (no communicative skill less than 36) |
42 (no communicative skill less than 36) |
50 (no communicative skill less than 45) |
50 (no communicative skill less than 45) |
TOEFL iBT |
- |
50 (no less than 5 in reading, 5 in listening, 14 in speaking, 15 in writing) |
50 |
60 |
60 |
TOEFL iBT Home Edition Test^ |
- |
50 |
50 |
60 |
60 |
C1 Advanced* |
154, no band less than 154 |
162, no band less than 154 | 162, no band less than 154 | 169, no band less than 162 | 169, no band less than 162 |
Common European Framework |
B1 |
B1 | B1 | B2 | B2 |
Linguaskill – General^ |
- |
Overall score of 140-159 with no band less than 120 | Overall score of 140-159 with no band less than 120 | - | Overall score of 160-179 with no band less than 140 |
Duolingo English Test^ |
- |
Overall score of 85-90 | Overall score of 85-90 | Overall score of 95-100 | Overall score of 95-100 |
* formerly Cambridge English: Advanced [CAE]
^ Valid for students commencing Swinburne programs in 2022-2023 teaching periods only.
Approved English Language Tests and Minimum Required Entry Scores for undergraduate and postgraduate courses
Provider / Program |
Level of Entry |
|||||
Undergraduate (excluding courses listed in note (1) below) |
Undergraduate education law professional degrees psychology honours psychological science |
Undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing |
Postgraduate coursework |
Psychological science honours Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science Master of Dietetics Master of Occupational Therapy Master of Physiotherapy |
Masters of Teaching (Primary) & (Secondary | |
IELTS (Academic Module) |
Overall 6.0 |
Overall 6.5 No individual band below 6.0 |
Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0^^ |
Overall 6.5 No individual band below 6.0 |
Overall 7.0 No individual band below 7.0 |
Overall 7.0, No individual band below 7.5 in speaking and Listening |
PTE Academic |
50 |
58 (no communicative skill less than 50) |
65 (no communicative skill less than 65)^^ |
58 (no communicative skill less than 50) |
66 (no communicative skill less than 58) |
66 (no communicative skill less than 58) |
TOEFL iBT |
64 |
79 |
94 |
79 |
94 |
94 |
TOEFL iBT Home Edition Test^ |
64 |
- | - |
79 |
- | - |
C1 Advanced* |
169, no band less than 169 |
176, no band less than 169 | - | 176, no band less than 169 | 185, no band less than 185 | 185 (No band less than 185) |
Common European Framework |
B2 |
B2 | - | B2 | C1 | C1 |
Linguaskill – General^ |
Overall score of 160-179 with no band less than 160 |
- | - | - | - | - |
Duolingo English Test^ |
Overall score of 95-100 |
- | - | Overall score of 105-110 | - | - |
Occupational English Test (OET) |
- |
- |
Minimum of B (>350 marks) in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking^^ |
- | - | - |
(1) Education, exercise and sport science, law, nursing, psychological science and honours in psychology & psychological science and professional degree courses.
* formerly Cambridge English: Advanced [CAE].
^ Valid for students commencing Swinburne programs in 2022-2023 teaching periods only.
^^ NMBA Registration Standard: English Language Skills includes requirements around the number of test sittings from which results will be accepted.
Swinburne English Language Centre
Swinburne offers English language courses that can help you meet the minimum English language requirement for study. On successful completion of English for Academic Purposes at Swinburne, you may be granted direct entry to your chosen degree, diploma or certificate provided you also meet other (academic) entry requirements.
Alternative English language entry
There are also a number of alternative ways to meet the English language requirements for courses, depending on where you completed your secondary education.