Academic Preparation Program
Improve your English skills at Swinburne.
The Academic Preparation Program (APP) is designed to develop English Language proficiency for students to succeed in their tertiary education course.
Your APP course duration depends on our assessment of your English language level. Course duration is between 10 to 30 weeks. Students may progress from one APP level to another and upon the successful completion of APP3, students may enroll in their chosen Bachelor or Master courses at Swinburne University of Technology, Sydney.
To check if you are eligible to enrol in APP, you will need to take Pearson’s Versant English Placement Test.
Duration
10 to 30 weeks
Intakes
10 June 2019, 21 October 2019
Study modes
Full-time, part-time, onlineStudy fees
AU$380 (per week for 2019)**The indicative course fees shown apply to international students for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student’s study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.
Course information
- Course details and structure
Academic Preparation Program (APP) | Intermediate to Advanced
APP is designed to prepare you for direct entry to your chosen course at Swinburne University of Technology, Sydney. The program focuses on developing academic language skill across the four macro skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. Texts and learning materials are developed for a non-specialised audience to enhance critical thinking and expand general knowledge in multiple areas including your future field of study.
Learning support workshops
In addition to your regular class hours, you can join free learning support workshops. These workshops are tailored to focus on your academic needs. Our entrenchment model of support guarantees continual academic help within the first six weeks of your course at Swinburne.
Entry to a Swinburne course
Students studying APP may be eligible to transfer to their chosen Swinburne course, provided they meet the minimum English language entry requirements.
Pathways into master programs
| IELTS entry score | Course duration | APP courses | Overall grade required |
| 4.5 | 30 weeks | APP1 | A |
| APP2 | |||
| APP3 | |||
| 5.5 | 20 weeks | APP2 | A |
| APP3 | |||
| 6.0 | 10 weeks | APP3 | A |
Course structure
At the successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate and analyse a variety of complex academic texts
- Understand the complexity of and produce written and spoken analysis of graphical and tabular data
- Understand and apply academic referencing conventions
- Understand and develop vocabulary through reading and research
- Understand and extract spoken discourse from a range of listening activities as required for tertiary entry level
- Produce academic written discourse in the form of essays and reports
- Prepare and deliver oral presentations as required at a tertiary level
Course fees and requirements
- Fees, entry requirements and English language test
Course fees
AU$380 (per week for 2019)*
*Students holding an international student visa are required to study full-time and on site. Due to government regulations, industry-based learning (IBL) and some courses provide internship opportunities. Programs that are taught solely online are not available to onshore international students who hold an international student visa.
Entry requirements
IELTS or equivalent
Students having successfully completed APP3 with a minimum B grade will meet Swinburne’s English language requirements for entry into Swinburne courses requiring an IELTS 6.0. This would include undergraduate degrees, including honours (all except education, law, nursing, honours in psychological sciences and professional degrees).
Students having successfully completed APP3 with minimum A grade will meet Swinburne’s English language requirements for entry into Swinburne courses requiring an IELTS 6.5. This would include undergraduate degrees, including honours (all except education, nursing and professional degrees), and postgraduate courses (all except for occupational therapy and psychology).
English language requirements
If you do not have a valid IELTS score or other approved international English language test score you will need to complete an English placement test as part of your application to study at Swinburne.
The test measures all skills and will take approximately one hour to complete. Based on your results, we will recommend the number of weeks you will need to complete to enter into your chosen course.
Swinburne reserves the right to conduct a placement test on arrival (or in the first week of your study) to assess all students’ level of English. This may affect the duration of your English course if the result shows you need more or fewer weeks than originally offered. This may, in turn, affect timely entry into future courses.