Finding higher education courses

Find a course

You can find the course that’s right for you on the Course Seeker website. Search and compare courses by location and filter by entry requirements like ATAR.

You can compare student experiences, job prospects and starting salary on the ComparED website.

Apply for your course

If you’ve just finished year 12

You can apply through the Tertiary Admissions Centre (TAC) in your state or territory. Some students use their ATAR to gain entry but this is not the only way.

Find out more about how to get into higher education on the Study Assist website.

All other applicants

You can apply for courses directly with the higher education provider. Contact the provider for more information on eligibility and how to apply.

Get a Unique Student Identifier (USI)

To apply to an Australian higher education provider, you need a USI. A USI is a unique, life-long student reference number.

Having a USI also allows you to:

• get your statement of attainment, qualification or award when you finish your studies
• apply for higher education support.

Find out how to get a USI on the USI website.

Respond to offers

If you get an offer, you can choose to respond to it in any of these ways:

• Accept, to start the course on the date you applied for.
• Defer, to skip the next study period and start the course at a later time, where possible.
• Reject, to turn down the offer.

Enrol in a course

When you accept an offer, your provider will tell you how to enrol in your course. There will be fees for your course. To cover the cost of the fees, eligible students may be able to get government fee assistance. It’s important to complete your enrolment and apply for government fee assistance before the census date. Find out about census dates on the Study Assist website.

Contact your provider for specific information about your enrolment, fees and the census date.

Scholarships

If you’re doing undergraduate or postgraduate study, there are many scholarships and grants for both Australian and international students, which can help with the costs of studying.

Many higher education providers offer scholarships to students. Contact your provider for more information.

You can also learn about Australian Government scholarships on the Study Assist website.