How to Apply to Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology: The Four-Year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Eight Majors, Industry Projects Every Semester and Optional 6 or 12-Month Placements, with Entry Routes for Australian Applicants, International Students (Including Chinese Applicants) and Transfer Students

Swinburne University of Technology is in Hawthorn, in Melbourne’s east. Its main engineering degree is the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on Swinburne’s official course pages, in four parts: Australian applicants, international students, students at high schools in China and transfer students. Software is one of the majors inside the engineering degree; the Bachelor of Computer Science is a separate course with its own guide on this site and is not covered here.

1. The degree and majors

• Duration and code: four years full-time at Hawthorn, with Semester 1 and Semester 2 starts; CRICOS 107337H.
• Eight majors: Architectural, Biomedical, Civil, Electrical and Electronic, Mechanical, Product Design, Robotics and Mechatronics, and Software. The course page has a major selector; it does not say whether you must choose a major when you apply, or whether there are grade thresholds or caps for entering or changing a major. This is not published, so ask Swinburne.
• Common first year: the engineering study-area page says the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) has a common first year, without further detail.
• Structure: 400 credit points at 12.5 credit points per unit, made up of 11 core units, 17 major units and 4 elective units. The sample core units include Engineering Materials, Preliminary Mathematics, Energy and Motion, Introduction to Programming, Engineering Mechanics, Linear Algebra and Applications, and Calculus and Applications. The final-year project depends on your major (Capstone for Architectural, Civil, Mechanical and Product Design; Engineering Technology Project for Biomedical, Electrical and Robotics; the ENG/CS project for Software).
• Accreditation: accredited by Engineers Australia, which Swinburne says gives international recognition and lets graduates practise as professional engineers.
• Double degrees: Engineering (Honours) can be combined with Computer Science, Business, Arts, Applied Innovation or Science, and there is a Laws/Engineering (Honours) double degree.
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Professional): a separate course, CRICOS 107338G, five years full-time with a 12-month paid work placement opportunity, 475 credit points and the same majors; its guaranteed-entry ATAR for Australian applicants is 82. This guide mainly covers the four-year degree and notes where the Professional course differs.
• The course page’s “Informed Choices” section lists safety and professional requirements of the course (such as sight, hearing, physical endurance and professional conduct in laboratories and placements), with limited flexibility for some safety-critical activities; it is worth reading before you apply.

2. Industry projects and placements

• Projects every semester: the course page says the degree includes eight industry-linked projects, with industry-based projects guaranteed every semester from first year, and Swinburne states that Work Integrated Learning is guaranteed in all its bachelor degrees.
• Compulsory unit: the core units include Professional Experience in Engineering (EAT20008); the page does not give its length in weeks or hours, so this is not published.
• Optional professional placement: a 12-month (major) or 6-month (minor) professional placement, taken in place of EAT20008; it may change the course duration and the number of electives. Students who do a 6- or 12-month placement pay higher total course fees; the amount is not published on the course page.
• In the five-year Professional course the 12-month placement is built in, described as a paid work placement opportunity.

3. Australian applicants

• How to apply: through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC); the VTAC code (CSP) is 3400210741. Swinburne also runs an Early Entry Program that needs its own code.
• Guaranteed entry: the guaranteed-entry ATAR is 75.0; you are guaranteed a place if you meet or exceed it and the prerequisites. The lowest ATAR to receive an offer in 2025, after adjustment factors, was 72.05. Below 75 you can still be offered a place through subject adjustments, equity schemes or other factors.
• Subject adjustments (added to the aggregate, up to 15 points): a study score of 25 in Biology, Chemistry, any Information Technology, any Mathematics or Physics earns 2 points per study, and 30 earns 3; 35 in Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics earns 5 points per study.
• Prerequisites: VCE Units 3 and 4, a study score of at least 23 in any English (27 in English as an Additional Language), and at least 20 in one of General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics, or equivalent. Applicants who do not meet the mathematics prerequisite are asked to complete Swinburne’s MathsLink bridging program (MathsLink Methods on the Professional page; the engineering page links to MathsLink General).
• No formal qualification: significant relevant work experience, or the STAT test plus MathsLink General or Methods or equivalent, may be considered.
• Fees: for 2027 the Commonwealth Supported Place fee is AUD 9,880 a year, AUD 39,520 in total; the Student Services and Amenities Fee is capped at AUD 386 for 2027, and the local-student section does not say whether it is paid separately (not published). Eligible Australian citizens and others can use a HECS-HELP loan.
• 2027 local deadlines: the course page lists only the direct-application dates (see the timeline below); VTAC deadlines for 2027 are not listed there and are not published on it, so check VTAC and Swinburne’s local applicant pages. Swinburne’s local scholarships were not read for this guide.

4. International students

• Entry: the course page says “successful completion of Australian Year 12 or equivalent overseas qualification”, assessed at the time of application, and points to Swinburne’s entry requirements for international students. The Professional course is stricter: non-Year 12 qualifications, Foundation Year and qualifications undertaken overseas are not accepted, and it asks for the VCE or an equivalent such as an interstate qualification or the International Baccalaureate.
• Prerequisites: the course page lists the VCE English (23, or 27 for EAL) and mathematics (20) scores “or equivalent”; how overseas qualifications map to them is not published on the course page.
• English: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band below 6.0, or Swinburne’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP 5 Advanced) with 65% overall and 65% in all skills, or the equivalents on Swinburne’s English language requirements page. The PTE Academic can be taken at the Hawthorn campus.
• 2027 tuition: AUD 48,300 a year, which generally includes the SSAF; it is assessed on the actual study load each semester and reviewed annually. A four-year total is not published on the page. Tuition must be paid up front by the due date.
• Scholarships: you are considered automatically when you apply, with no separate application, and any award appears in your offer letter. For 2027 entry these include the Swinburne International Scholarship (merit-based, 20% off tuition for the standard course duration), the George Swinburne International Excellence Scholarship (high academic performance, 30% off) and the Women in Engineering Leadership Scholarship (female international students, as per passport, in eligible courses including the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours); 30% off, with mentorship activities, and the general scholarship criteria also apply). The grade thresholds for each level and whether awards can be combined are not published.
• Documents and essays: a direct application needs certified copies of previous academic results, certified English test results and letters from your school or employer. The pages do not mention a supplementary essay or interview for engineering, and the application fee is not published.
• How to apply: through an approved Swinburne education agent or online directly; international students currently in Year 12 in Australia apply through VTAC, and you cannot apply directly while you have an active VTAC application.
• Timeline for 2027 entry: Semester 1 starts 1 March 2027 (last date to apply 24 February 2027) and Semester 2 starts 2 August 2027 (last date to apply 28 July 2027). These are the page’s last dates; allow time for assessment, accepting an offer and a student visa.
• Pathways: if you do not meet direct entry, the Diploma of Engineering (UniLink) is 8 months full-time, with up to 100 credit points towards the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). It requires Year 12 or equivalent and IELTS 5.5 with no band below 5.0, has three 2027 intakes (22 February, 21 June and 18 October, with last dates to apply 17 February, 16 June and 13 October), and the published international fee is the 2026 figure of AUD 38,440 a year. Swinburne also offers its Foundation Program (for those who have completed Year 11 or equivalent) and ELICOS English courses.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Gaokao and school results: the engineering course page only says “Australian Year 12 or equivalent overseas qualification, assessed at application” and points to Swinburne’s entry requirements for international students (by course and country). That page returned “page not found” when this guide was written, so Gaokao scores, Senior High results and any China-specific requirements are not published in the pages read; ask Swinburne or an approved agent, and check that page again before you apply.
• Prerequisites: mathematics and English are written as VCE scores; how Chinese high school courses map to them is not published.
• English: IELTS 6.0 with no band below 6.0, or EAP 5 Advanced at 65%.
• Back-up routes: the Diploma of Engineering (UniLink) (IELTS 5.5, no band below 5.0) or the Foundation Program; the Professional course does not accept qualifications undertaken overseas.
• Agents and verification: Swinburne says most international students apply through an approved agent, who can help verify documents. Interviews and credential-verification bodies are not mentioned; not published.

6. Transfer and credit

• Routes in: besides Year 12, the engineering course accepts completion or partial completion of an approved tertiary qualification (including completed Certificate IV, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Associate Degrees, Undergraduate Certificates and Degrees); prior studies may earn credit. Credit limits and how credit applies to required calculus, physics and chemistry sequences are not published.
• Credit: advanced standing is assessed case by case. Higher education students apply online, Swinburne says it responds within five business days, and applications are due by the end of the first week of the course; at least 25% of the course must be studied at Swinburne to receive a Swinburne award. The course page adds that credit may vary by major.
• Pathway courses: the Associate Degree of Engineering (two years full-time, up to 16 units of credit), the Diploma of Engineering (UniLink) (8 units) and the Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology - Electrical (two years, 10 to 12 units). The page says the advanced diploma pathways are open only to existing international students.
• Internal transfer into engineering: not published.

Checklist

Australian applicants:

• Guaranteed-entry ATAR 75 (lowest offer 72.05 in 2025); VCE English 23 and mathematics 20, with MathsLink as a bridge
• 2027 CSP fee AUD 9,880 a year; apply through VTAC

International students:

• Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification; IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 6.0
• 2027 tuition AUD 48,300 a year; automatically considered for a 20% or 30% scholarship
• Last date to apply: 24 February 2027 for March, 28 July 2027 for August; earlier is safer

Students at high schools in China:

• Gaokao and Senior High requirements are not published; ask Swinburne or an agent
• If you do not meet direct entry: Diploma of Engineering (UniLink) or the Foundation Program

Transfer students:

• State prior study in your application and submit a credit request; at least 25% of the course must be done at Swinburne

Sources: Swinburne University of Technology, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours); Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Professional); Diploma of Engineering (UniLink); Engineering study area; How to apply as an international student; Admission and English language requirements; Scholarships for international students; Credit for prior study or experience. Information is for 2027 entry; admission data are from 2025, and the Diploma of Engineering fee is the 2026 figure Swinburne publishes. Check Swinburne for the latest details.