How to Apply to Engineering at Adelaide University: Five Four-Year Engineering (Honours) Degrees Applied to Directly, Mathematical Methods or Equivalent Required, with Admission and Prerequisites for Australian Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Engineering at Adelaide University is taught by the College of Engineering and Information Technology. The university glossary says its “Foundation Universities” are the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide, and today’s degree, application and scholarship pages are published under the Adelaide University name (institution CRICOS code 04249J in the page footer). This guide covers 2027 entry for Australian domestic students, international students (including students at high schools in China) and transfer students.

1. The engineering degrees

• College structure: four schools: Chemical Engineering; Civil Engineering and Construction Management; Computer Science and Information Technology; and Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. The College describes expertise across aviation, computer science, construction management, and civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, environmental and biomedical engineering.
• Bachelor of Engineering degrees open to international students (listed on the engineering study-area page; all four years full-time, on campus, February and July starts):
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Honours), code HENME, CRICOS 115703B;
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) (Honours), HENCH, CRICOS 115698E;
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Honours), HENCI, CRICOS 115699D;
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) (Honours), HENEE, CRICOS 118218B;
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) (Honours), HENEN, CRICOS 115701D.
• Campuses: Adelaide City Campus and Mawson Lakes. The website says most first-year common courses and second-year courses can be taken at either campus, with some cross-campus study possible.
• Software engineering: the study-area page also lists the four-year Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) (HSOEN, CRICOS 115758J), part of the College of Engineering and Information Technology and described as provisionally accredited by the Australian Computer Society (ACS); the page also says it can be studied mostly online, with in-person participation mandatory for certain core courses, workshops and clinical placements. Computer science has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here.
• Other: the same page lists a 100% online Associate Degree in Engineering (XADEN) with January, April, June and September starts; it is not covered here.
• Engineers Australia accreditation: the Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Environmental pages each say the program is provisionally accredited by Engineers Australia (EA) at the level of professional engineer, that full accreditation is assessed after the first cohort graduates, and that, subject to full accreditation, graduates will be eligible for EA membership and recognised internationally through the Washington Accord. The Chemical degree is also accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
• Structure (Mechanical as the example): 192 units: 138 core, 12 core selective, 12 work integrated learning, 18 to 30 electives and 0 to 12 discipline units. Chemical is 192 units (150 core, 12 core selective, 6 work integrated learning, 0 to 18 discipline, 6 to 24 electives); the Civil, Electrical and Environmental pages give their own splits.
• Stackable qualifications: the Mechanical, Civil, Environmental (and Software Engineering) pages say the degree is part of a stackable set, so you can exit after one year with a Diploma or after two years with an Associate Degree. The Chemical and Electrical pages do not include this.

2. How admission works: direct to a named degree, with a largely common first year

• Direct admission to a specific degree: international applicants apply to a named degree, each with its own program code and CRICOS code. The pages we read do not describe an undeclared “first-year engineering” entry.
• Common first year: the Mechanical, Civil and Electrical pages say common first-year engineering courses give flexibility to switch specialisations, and the Civil and Electrical pages add that you receive credit for completed courses. The Mechanical first year includes Engineering Design and Prototyping, Engineering Materials, Introduction to Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Programming, Electrical and Electronic Systems, Engineering Modelling 1 and Professional Engineering Practice.
• Conditions for switching: GPA thresholds, required course grades, whether places are limited or guaranteed are not published on the degree pages. Ask Admissions through the “Enquire” page.
• Internal transfer: the entry-pathways page says only that not all degrees are available via internal transfer and to contact the team; it does not list conditions for engineering, so this is not published.

3. Prerequisites and mathematics

• Prerequisite: the Mechanical, Chemical, Civil and Electrical pages list SACE Stage 2 Mathematical Methods (or equivalent), and the Environmental page lists the same. The Software Engineering page lists none.
• Assumed knowledge: “None” on these pages, so physics and chemistry are not listed as requirements.
• What counts as “equivalent”: the website says only “or equivalent” and does not map other curricula (for example Gaokao mathematics, IB or A-Level mathematics) to Mathematical Methods. This is not published; ask Admissions.
• Math placement test: not mentioned on the pages we read.
• AP / IB credit: the by-country score table uses IB and AP as admission scores; the pages do not say they exempt engineering core courses. How credit works is covered in the transfer section.

4. Australian domestic students

• How the website describes it: domestic applicants compete on a Selection Rank (ATAR plus adjustment factors). Some degrees also weigh auditions, UCAT, interviews and similar factors. For most undergraduate degrees you must not have completed more than two years of full-time-equivalent university study to use Year 12 results.
• Guaranteed Entry: available by ATAR (an ATAR including adjustment factors equal to or above the degree’s Guaranteed Entry score, plus any prerequisites) or by subject results (complete SACE or equivalent, ATAR of 50 or higher excluding adjustment factors, best three grades from 20-credit subjects, plus any prerequisites). Applicants below the score are still considered competitively. The pages we read do not give an engineering Guaranteed Entry score.
• ATAR 80: in the degree page’s admission-by-country table, the “Australia” row is ATAR 80. SATAC codes, adjustment factors and Commonwealth-supported (CSP) fees for local students are not published in the international version of the page we read; switch to “Australian student” on the official degree page or contact Admissions.
• Scholarships and fees: the pages we read do not describe a domestic engineering scholarship or a CSP fee amount.

5. International students

• How to apply: through an official education agent or the university’s international online application system. The website lists regions that must apply through an agent: the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), the Philippines and Latin America. China is not on that list, and applicants without an agent can lodge directly. The application fee is AUD 150, non-refundable, per application.
• Documents: certified copies of secondary and tertiary transcripts and graduation certificates (certified translations if not in English), and a passport copy; you may also need English test results, professional qualifications, and, for credit, course outlines. Some programs ask for a personal statement or portfolio; the engineering pages list no supplementary essay or reference requirement, so this is not published.
• Other requirements: academic entry, English, the Genuine Student requirement and financial capacity. An offer may carry a Genuine Student condition and you may be asked to book an interview.
• Score requirements: the degree page’s international table lists, for example, IB 28, GCE A-Level 9, AP 9, SAT 1170, ACT 24, Ontario OSSD 75%, HKDSE 18, Australian ATAR 80 and China Gaokao 70%. Where there are more eligible applicants than places, admission is competitive, so meeting the score does not guarantee an offer. The six engineering degree pages we read (including Software Engineering) list the same scores.
• English: the engineering pages we read (including Software Engineering) require IELTS overall 6.5 with 6.0 in Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, within the last two years, or other accepted tests or qualifications. The international entry-requirements page says the general undergraduate minimum is IELTS 6.0 but that each degree sets its own, so follow the degree page. If you do not meet English but meet the academic requirements, the university can send a conditional offer packaged with a Pre-Enrolment English Program. The list of accepted tests is on the English language proficiency page linked from the entry-requirements page and is not itemised here.
• Processing time: the site says that, because of high volume, assessment may take up to two weeks, and up to four weeks if credit assessment is needed.
• Deadlines: the pages say closing dates differ by degree and to check the degree page, but the engineering degree pages we read do not state a 2027 closing date; this is not published on the pages we read. Check the “last date to apply” question on the degree page or ask Admissions.
• Start dates and calendar: the degree pages list February and July starts. The 2027 academic calendar shows Semester 1 orientation on 8 February and teaching from 22 February, and Semester 2 orientation on 26 July and teaching from 2 August. Some programs vary the dates.
• Funds: you must show you can pay tuition and living costs and cannot ask the university to waive fees; see the non-tuition fees page. We did not read an amount.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the degree page’s table says “China: Gaokao 70%” without saying whether the percentage is based on each province’s full score or another method; this is not stated. A separate official undergraduate admission-by-country PDF lists the Gaokao minimum as “60%”, in a university-level table. The engineering page says 70%, so the two figures coexist; use the degree page’s 70% for engineering and confirm with Admissions.
• Documents: the country table and entry-requirements page ask for a secondary qualification equivalent to SACE and certified transcripts. They do not list requirements for the Chinese high school graduation certificate or provincial exams, and we found no China country page or interview note; this is not published. The page footer has a WeChat contact link, and you can also ask Admissions or an agent.
• Prerequisite mathematics: as above, the site does not say how Gaokao mathematics maps to Mathematical Methods.
• Pathways and English: pathway providers include Eynesbury College and Kaplan International College Adelaide (Foundation Studies and other programs) and TAFE SA; English shortfalls can use the English Language Centre. The pages we read list no China-specific pathway programs.

7. Fees and scholarships

• International tuition: the Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental and Software Engineering pages each give a 2027 indicative annual fee of AUD 57,100 for a full-time year, subject to annual change. The degree pages list no College surcharge.
• Adelaide Merit Scholarship (15%): automatically assessed for international undergraduates, no application; the 15% fee reduction appears on the offer. The criteria include a degree of at least 72 units after any credit; an ATAR of at least 75 (or the international equivalent), or an equivalent university GPA on a 7.0 scale. Recipients must keep a program-term GPA of 4.5.
• Adelaide Academic Excellence Scholarship (50%): limited places and highly competitive; a separate application form is needed, with applications open from 24 August 2026. It requires an ATAR of at least 99 (or international equivalent) and a program-term GPA of 5.5 to keep it.
• Other international awards: the international scholarships page also lists the Emerging Leaders Award (25%), Sibling Award (10%), Global Alumni Scholarship (10%) and Partner Award (10%), which are not covered here.
• The excluded programs listed on these two scholarship pages are health programs such as dentistry, medicine, midwifery, occupational therapy and physiotherapy; engineering degrees are not on the lists.

8. Work placement and degree features

• Mechanical: the page says up to 450 hours of industry work experience supervised by a qualified engineer (and, elsewhere on the page, up to 12 weeks of professional work experience), plus design-and-build projects and a major honours research project.
• Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental: each page says up to 12 weeks of professional placement or work experience, with a major honours research or design project.
• Software Engineering: an industry project for a real client in the honours year, and an internship with an Adelaide University industry partner.
• Whether placements are guaranteed and how they are arranged is not published on the degree pages.

9. Transfer and credit

• Recognition of Prior Learning: prior study or work can count as credit and shorten the degree. Prior study must be passed with a good grade and come from a recognised university or higher education provider in Australia or overseas, or a registered Australian provider. International students can request credit assessment in the application, and the outcome is included in the offer. An online Credit Assessor tool is available.
• Documents: an official transcript, subject information for each course you think is equivalent (scanned handbook or course guides are fine), and a CV or employer letter for work-based credit; documents not in English need a NAATI-accredited translation.
• Visa: if credit shortens your degree, the university issues a new Confirmation of Enrolment.
• University study as a basis for entry: the entry-requirements page lists at least six months of full-time study in an AQF level 7 or higher program. The GPA required, the calculus, physics and chemistry sequence required for engineering, and deadlines for engineering transfers are not published.
• TAFE and vocational pathways: an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV (AQF level 4) or higher can be used for entry; the international pathway page says TAFE SA programs can be packaged with Adelaide University degrees for credit.

Checklist

Australian domestic students:

• Check you have SACE Stage 2 Mathematical Methods or an equivalent
• Look up the SATAC code and adjustment factors on the “Australian student” version of the degree page; the pages we read give no local Guaranteed Entry score

International students:

• Choose one of the five engineering degrees and compare your results with the score table and IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each band)
• Prepare certified transcripts and a passport; add course outlines if you want credit; the fee is AUD 150
• No closing date is published on the degree pages, so confirm it early with Admissions or an agent

Applicants from China:

• The degree page lists Gaokao 70% (the university-wide table says 60%); confirm how the percentage is calculated
• Ask Admissions whether your Gaokao mathematics meets the “Mathematical Methods or equivalent” prerequisite
• China is not on the list of regions that must use an agent, so you can apply directly or through an agent

Transfer students:

• Request credit assessment in the application with course outlines; the site says it can take up to four weeks

Sources: Adelaide University, Engineering study area; College of Engineering and Information Technology; Mechanical (Honours); Chemical (Honours); Civil (Honours); Electrical (Honours); Environmental (Honours); Software Engineering (Honours); How to apply as an international student; Apply now; International entry requirements; Undergraduate admission by country (PDF); Entry pathways; Credit for previous study; Pathway providers; University glossary; Adelaide Merit Scholarship (15%); Adelaide Academic Excellence Scholarship (50%); International scholarships; Academic calendar. Information is for 2027 entry; fees are indicative annual fees. Check Adelaide University for the latest details.