How to Apply to Engineering at Western Sydney University: The Four-Year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Admits Directly with Eight Specialisations and Time to Explore Engineering First, Plus the Three-Year Bachelor of Engineering Science Pathway, with Entry and Prerequisite Requirements for Australian, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Western Sydney University (Western) teaches engineering in its School of Engineering, which its website describes as part of the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science. Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on Western’s official information, for Australian applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. School names follow Western’s pages; the engineering overview page and the course pages do not describe the campuses in quite the same way, as noted below.

1. Engineering degrees and majors

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours): four years full time, program code 3740, CRICOS code 089429B, starting 1 March or 19 July 2027. Campuses and UAC codes: Parramatta City (722555), Penrith (722501) and Sydney City (722498). The overview says the degree spans all major engineering domains with an emphasis on work integrated learning, and you complete industry-related employment before graduating.
• Campus wording differs: the engineering overview page says engineering degrees are based at Penrith, Sydney City and Parramatta South, while the course pages and fee schedule list Parramatta City. The course pages are used here; confirm with Western before applying.
• Majors: Advanced Manufacturing, Civil, Construction, Electrical, Materials, Mechanical, Robotics & Mechatronics and Sustainability. Availability differs by campus:
  • Electrical, Mechanical and Civil: Parramatta, Penrith and Sydney City;
  • Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Materials, Robotics & Mechatronics and Sustainability: Parramatta and Penrith, according to the website.
• Sydney City restrictions: the website says that at Sydney City the program is full-time only and only in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical; Sydney City semesters start in March, July and October. It also notes that not all subjects are available on all campuses and refers you to the handbook.
• Bachelor of Engineering Science: three years full time, program code 3691, CRICOS code 074195E, starting 1 March or 19 July 2027, on the same three campuses (UAC 722550, 722510, 722513). It covers all major engineering domains and you decide your specialisation at the end of first year. It can be a pathway into the four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), or a three-year exit award from it.
• Double degree: the 2027 international fee schedule lists a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Business, code 3800, CRICOS code 113851F, five years. Its entry requirements and structure are not given in the pages read for this guide, so ask Western.
• Diploma in Engineering Studies: one year full time, program code 7193, at Penrith. Completing it lets you move into second year of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). No ATAR is needed, but the page says it is open only to Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 17 or over who are not completing Year 12 in the year of admission, so international students cannot take it.
• Computing: the FAQ says Western has no software engineering major and points to the Bachelor of Computer Science with a Systems Programming major, which is outside the School of Engineering and not covered here.

2. How admission works: straight into a major, or a general first year?

• Western has no separate “first-year engineering” program: you apply directly to the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or the Bachelor of Engineering Science. The website says the Honours degree lets you explore different engineering disciplines before choosing a specialisation, and the FAQ says you do not need to know your discipline before you start.
• The pages read for this guide do not say when you choose a major, whether there is a GPA threshold, whether places are limited, or whether your choice is guaranteed; ask the School. The Engineering Science page does say you choose at the end of first year.
• Conditions for moving into engineering from another degree inside Western are not given in the pages read. The pathways the pages describe are: Diploma in Engineering Studies (Australian citizens and permanent residents only) into second year of the Honours degree, and Engineering Science into Engineering (Honours).
• Accreditation: the website says the Civil, Construction, Electrical, Mechanical and Robotics & Mechatronics majors are fully accredited by Engineers Australia at Penrith, Parramatta and Sydney City (Sydney City: Civil, Electrical and Mechanical only). Advanced Manufacturing, Materials and Sustainability are provisionally accredited at Penrith and Parramatta and are “expected to transition to fully accredited when the first cohort graduates”. Graduates can apply for full membership at the level of Professional Engineer and, after the required engineering practice period, for Chartered Professional Engineer registration. The Engineering Science page describes its majors as provisionally accredited.

3. Prerequisites

• Australian applicants (NSW HSC): the Honours course page lists “recommended studies: Physics and HSC Mathematics Extension 1 or Mathematics Extension 2” and “assumed knowledge: two subjects of Science, two subjects of English and Mathematics (not General Mathematics) at Band 5 or higher”, and refers to the handbook.
• International applicants: the international entry requirements page and qualifications table give general minimums by country and say that certain programs may have special or higher requirements, to be checked in the handbook. Whether the physics and mathematics requirements above apply to international applicants is not stated in the pages read, and the handbook site was not accessed for this guide. Ask Western’s international admissions.
• Mathematics placement tests and AP/IB credit towards engineering core subjects are not covered in the pages read for this guide.

4. Australian applicants

• Selection rank: the lowest selection ranks (LSR) listed are 68 for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) on all three campuses and 60 for the Bachelor of Engineering Science. The FAQ adds that if you do not reach the required ATAR you can study the Diploma in Engineering Studies (no ATAR needed) and apply with your diploma GPA, or complete a TAFE NSW diploma, which it says gives “guaranteed entry” and up to 80 credit points, about one year of full-time study.
• How to apply: Australian and New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and permanent humanitarian visa holders apply through Western’s application system, free of charge; Year 12 students can also apply through UAC. The “Closing Date” field on the course page is blank.
• Adjustment factors (formerly bonus points): applying through UAC, up to 10 adjustment factors may be added, including living in Western Sydney (5 added automatically), strong results in relevant HSC or IB subjects (up to 10; Band 5 or 6 for most programs), the elite athlete and performer scheme, the Educational Access Scheme, the ADF scheme and the Schools Recommendation Scheme; “some Western programs are not available for adjustment factors”. Which subject factors apply to engineering is on a separate page that was not read.
• Fees: the course page gives an indicative Commonwealth supported annual student contribution “from AUD 11,885”; HECS-HELP may be available; it excludes the Student Services and Amenities Fee and depends on the subjects you choose.
• Other support: the page lists Deloitte BrightStart for Year 12 school leavers interested in engineering, a permanent part-time role at Deloitte while studying full time, with the degree part-funded by Deloitte; eligibility and places are not detailed. High-achieving students can apply for the paid Engineering Summer Placement Program.

5. International applicants

• Results and qualification recognition: Western says admission is “highly competitive” and based on academic merit, international students must meet the same standards as Australian residents, and the table lists only minimum eligibility, not a guarantee. The course page says overseas qualifications must be assessed as equivalent to Australian qualifications by the Australian Education International – National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR).
• English: for most undergraduate and postgraduate programs (with listed exceptions that do not include engineering): IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL iBT 82 (Writing 21, Speaking 18, Reading 13, Listening 13); or PTE Academic 58 with no communication skill below 50. Tests must be no more than two years old at commencement; IELTS Online, PTE Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted. You may be considered as meeting the requirement if English is your first language or you can show English was the medium of instruction in secondary or tertiary study completed within two years of commencing; no list of countries is given.
• How to apply: apply through Western’s international application system, free of charge, or through an agent. International students completing an Australian Year 12 (in or outside Australia), the IB in Australia or NCEA Level 3 must apply through UAC International. If you meet all criteria you get a provisional offer; if not, a packaged pathway offer or a conditional offer, and applications that do not meet requirements are automatically assessed for a pathway at The College. Student visa holders must study full time, and the course page notes the part-time option is not available to them.
• Funds: you must be able to cover tuition, living expenses, Overseas Student Health Cover, the student services and amenities fee, school costs for accompanying school-age dependants and travel for you and family members; amounts are on the Department of Home Affairs website and are not given on Western’s page.

6. Applicants from China

• In Western’s international qualifications table (version v07, no year shown), the undergraduate minimum for China is one of:
  • completion of Gao San with an 80% average over three years;
  • a Gaokao score at the Science Stream second-tier university threshold for your province;
  • completion of the first year of a bachelor’s degree at a recognised university.
• So Western treats the Gaokao as one accepted basis and names the provincial second-tier line rather than a specific score. The table adds that these are minimums and some degrees may require more; whether engineering requires more is not stated in the pages read for this guide.
• Format and certification requirements for Chinese high school certificates, transcripts and exam records are not set out on the how-to-apply page, the entry requirements page or the qualifications table, and no China-specific page was found in the pages read. Contact international admissions at internationalstudy@westernsydney.edu.au or your agent.
• If you do not meet the minimum, Western automatically assesses you for a pathway at The College; the pages read do not give international entry conditions for an engineering pathway, and the Diploma in Engineering Studies is for Australian citizens and permanent residents only.

7. Transfers and credit

• The table says completing the first year of a bachelor’s degree at a recognised university meets the undergraduate minimum.
• The Engineering Science page notes that students granted advanced standing may have to travel to different campuses to complete parts of their program.
• Detailed advanced standing rules (GPA, required calculus, physics or chemistry sequences) are in the handbook, which was not accessed; ask Western. Deadlines are not published in the pages read.

8. Work experience requirements

• The website states the industry experience requirement in several ways, and all appear:
  • the Honours course page and FAQ say you complete 450 hours of industry-related employment before graduation;
  • the “Industry experience” section of the same page says 12 weeks of work placement at the end of third year;
  • each major’s description says it includes a mandatory 300-hour industrial placement as a completion requirement for Engineers Australia accreditation as an engineering technologist;
  • the Engineering Science page says a minimum of 300 hours of industrial experience.
• Ask the School which applies to you. The site also mentions a partnership with OMRON at the Parramatta Engineering Innovation Hub (internships, research projects, guest lectures) and student projects such as the Solar Car, Formula SAE and the Unlimited Robotics Club.

9. International fees and scholarships

• 2027 tuition: the 2027 undergraduate international fee schedule (footer: last updated September 2026) lists the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Bachelor of Engineering Science and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Business at AUD 42,962 a year (based on 80 credit points). No engineering surcharge is mentioned in the pages read. Fees change on 1 January each year and are paid in advance; the Student Services and Amenities Fee and health cover are extra.
• Automatic scholarship assessment: no separate application is needed; awards appear in your offer letter, and the scholarships page says awards are valued up to 50% of tuition.
  • Western Sydney International Scholarship (Undergraduate): the scholarships page says AUD 10,000 or 5,000 a year in 2027 for the full duration of your degree, and AUD 6,000 or 3,000 for up to three years in 2026. The how-to-apply page mentions AUD 6,000 or 3,000 for up to three years and 50% off tuition. Both are on Western’s website; your offer letter is final.
  • International UAC Scholarship: a AUD 10,000 multi-year scholarship awarded on academic merit.
  • Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Excellence Undergraduate Scholarship: 50% of tuition for three years, no application needed.
  • International Alumni Scholarship: AUD 10,000 a year for up to three years (undergraduate) for new international students commencing in 2026 and 2027, on academic merit, first-come, first-served. The page says it covers most undergraduate programs with some exclusions and does not say whether engineering is excluded.
  • Applicants from North Asia and South East Asia are eligible for a AUD 5,000 or 10,000 Regional Achievement Award; the page says it is available for all 2026 intakes and does not list countries.
  • School of Engineering scholarships specific to engineering are not described in the pages read.

Checklist

Australian applicants:

• Check LSR: 68 for Engineering (Honours), 60 for Engineering Science; check adjustment factors; consider the Diploma in Engineering Studies or a TAFE diploma pathway if you fall short
• Confirm prerequisites in the handbook: Physics and Mathematics Extension 1 or 2

International applicants:

• Prepare IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each band) or equivalent, no more than two years old
• Apply directly for free; Australian HSC, IB or NCEA students go through UAC International
• Ask international admissions about the physics and mathematics requirements

Applicants from China:

• A three-year Gao San average of 80%, or the Science Stream second-tier Gaokao threshold for your province
• Choose your campus: Electrical, Mechanical and Civil are on all three campuses; other majors at Parramatta and Penrith

Transfer students:

• One year of bachelor’s study meets the minimum; confirm credit with Western

Sources: Western Sydney University, Engineering degrees; School of Engineering; Bachelor of Engineering (Honours); Bachelor of Engineering Science; Diploma in Engineering Studies; Adjustment factors; International entry requirements; International qualifications table (PDF); International tuition; 2027 undergraduate international fees (PDF); International scholarships; How to apply. Information is for 2027 entry. Check Western Sydney University for the latest details.