4.1 Applicants for courses offered through a Tertiary Admissions Centre must adhere to the closing dates and payment schedules published by that Centre.

4.2 Applicants for courses offered by direct application to the University must adhere to the published closing dates, either generally or for specific courses. Applications will not normally be accepted for any course later than three weeks prior to the commencement of the relevant study period.

4.3 To gain entry to a course an applicant must -

1. make application through the relevant Tertiary Admissions Centre or directly to Australian Catholic University, in accordance with required timelines and the application procedures for that course;
2. satisfy the minimum eligibility score required for admission to study at Australian Catholic University;¹
3. satisfy any general entry requirements of the University together with specific prerequisite requirements for the course, as specified in the relevant Schedule to these Rules; these may include satisfying other criteria such as achievement in specified prerequisite subjects, interview, folio, audition and/or submission of any required supplementary information;
4. obtain an entry score or rank equal to or above the cut-off for the quota in that course in that offer round; and
5. be offered, and accept within the prescribed time, a place within the course.

4.4 Unless otherwise stated in the course rules, for undergraduate courses the prerequisite requirement is completion of the required studies at year 12 level, or equivalent including the following specific requirements for the respective states/territory²

1. Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales: Higher School Certificate or equivalent with a minimum Performance Band of three in Category A courses;
2. Queensland: Queensland Certificate of Education or equivalent with a year 12 exit rating of at least Sound Achievement (SA) after four semesters of study or after the Queensland External Senior examination in any prerequisite subject;
3. Victoria: A Victorian Certificate of Education or equivalent including required studies at years 11 and/or 12 with a minimum of Units 3 and 4 and a study score at the nominated minimum level in any prerequisite subject.

4.5 The University may refuse admission to a qualified applicant if -

1. the limit on available places is exceeded; or
2. there are not appropriate and sufficient personnel, resources or number of applicants to enable the course to be offered; or
3. there are other restrictions or limitations applying to the course.

¹At present the minimum eligibility score for a bachelor degree course is ATAR 58.8 or equivalent OP/Qld rank and ATAR 49.5 or equivalent OP/Qld rank for associate degree, advanced certificate, or certificate programs. The Faculty Dean can apply to the Academic Registrar to increase the minimum eligibility score for a particular program by 31 May for programs offered the following year.
²Applicants for special entry may also be considered on the basis of demonstrated equivalent knowledge, skills and/or competencies; an interview may be required (see Rule 10).