How to Apply to Physics at Swinburne University of Technology: The AIP-Accredited Physics Major and the New Astronomy and Astrophysics Major in the Bachelor of Science, with Entry Routes for Australian Applicants, International Students (Including Students in China) and Transfer Students

Swinburne University of Technology is in Hawthorn, in eastern Melbourne. Physics at undergraduate level is the Physics major within the Bachelor of Science, alongside the newer Astronomy and Astrophysics major and a Space Technology major. This guide follows Swinburne's own pages for 2027 entry and splits the advice into Australian applicants, international students, students in China and transfer students.

1. Degrees and programs

• Degree: Bachelor of Science (application code BA-SC2, CRICOS 088402K), Hawthorn campus, three years full-time or the part-time equivalent, 300 credit points: 8 core, 8 major and 8 elective units.
• Majors: Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Space Technology, plus Applied Mathematics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Science.
• Physics major: Swinburne describes classical and modern physics plus quantum technology, optical, atomic, nuclear and condensed matter physics, third-year quantum laboratories (including quantum sensing) and an Australian Institute of Physics (AIP)-accredited degree. Example major units: Electronics and Electromagnetism; Matrices, Vector Calculus and Complex Analysis; Quantum Mechanics and Solid State Physics; Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism; Physics Research Laboratories; Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics; Optics, Relativity and Subatomic Physics; Quantum, Atomic and Optical Physics.
• Accreditation detail (two statements to reconcile): the Physics major page says an AIP-accredited degree; a footnote on the Astronomy and Astrophysics page says AIP accreditation applies only to students who complete a Physics major together with the Higher Mathematics Minor. Confirm the conditions with Swinburne before applying.
• Astronomy and Astrophysics major: the page calls it a new major and says "the next available intake is Semester 1 2026", yet the same page lists 2027 start dates; confirm 2027 availability with Swinburne. Example major units: Discovering the Universe; Earth, Moon, Mars and Beyond; Astrobiology and the Origins of Life; Introduction to Supercomputing; Galaxies and their Place in the Universe; Cosmology and the Large-scale Structure of the Universe; From Stars to Black Holes; Research Skills in Astrophysics. Facilities named include the OzSTAR supercomputer and a Keck Telescope remote control room.
• First-year core: Data Science Principles, two of Concepts of Biology / Chemistry 1 / Energy and Motion, Sustainability Challenges in Science, and a Maths A (Calculus and Applications; Linear Algebra and Applications) or Maths B (Preliminary Mathematics; Essential Mathematics) unit each semester; what decides A or B is not published.
• When the major is chosen, grade conditions and place limits are not published, and no admission test or interview is mentioned.
• Industry experience: three industry-linked projects; an optional six- or 12-month professional placement (higher total fee).

2. Prerequisites and entry

• Basis of admission: the course page names completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or an interstate or international Year 12 equivalent; completed or partly completed approved tertiary study (Certificate IV, diplomas, associate degrees, degrees) is also accepted, and applicants without a formal qualification but with significant relevant work experience may be considered or may sit the STAT test.
• Guaranteed-entry score: the Bachelor of Science lists a Guaranteed Entry ATAR of 65.0 (a place is guaranteed if you meet it and the prerequisites); the lowest ATAR to receive an offer in 2024, after adjustment factors, was 58.1. Below the guaranteed score you can still be offered a place because the ATAR may be adjusted for subjects, equity schemes and other factors.
• Subject adjustments: a study score of 25 in any mathematics, Physical Education or any science gives 2 aggregate points and a score of 30 gives 3, up to 10 in total; the points are added to the aggregate, not the ATAR.
• Prerequisites: VCE Units 3 and 4 with a study score of at least 20 in any English (25 in English as an Additional Language) or equivalent, and at least 20 in any mathematics. Applicants short of the mathematics prerequisite must complete Swinburne's MathsLink bridging program. No specific physics, chemistry or biology subject is listed.

3. How to apply, start dates and deadlines

• Start dates: Hawthorn campus, Semester 1 on 1 March 2027 and Semester 2 on 2 August 2027
• Last date to apply: 24 February 2027 for Semester 1 and 28 July 2027 for Semester 2. These are last application dates; applying earlier is safer, and you should check the course page for updates.
• Australian applicants apply through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) or, following Swinburne's local-applicant guide, directly online; the page says you cannot apply direct while you have an active VTAC application. There is also an Early Entry Program that uses a special code; see the website.
• International students can apply online directly or through an approved education agent; international students already in Year 12 in Australia must apply through VTAC. A direct application needs certified copies of previous academic results, certified English test results and letters from your school or employer. Essays, references and an application fee are not mentioned on the pages used; not published, so ask the admissions team.

4. Routes for different applicants

Australian applicants

• Prerequisite note: no high-school physics or advanced mathematics subject is listed for the Physics major; the stated mathematics requirement is a study score of 20 in any mathematics, and a physics requirement is not published, so ask Swinburne.
• Fees: for the Bachelor of Science, the 2027 Commonwealth Supported Place fee is A$9,880 a year (A$29,640 in total over three years), shown as an estimate. The HECS-HELP loan scheme is open to Australian citizens, holders of a permanent humanitarian visa and eligible New Zealand citizens.
• Swinburne also lists the free 18-week UniReady course as a no-fee, ATAR-free route into a bachelor degree; check the website for who is eligible.

International students

• Qualification: the course page says "successful completion of Australian Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification", assessed at application, and points to the international entry-requirements page, whose content was not read for this guide; country-by-country grade requirements are not published on the pages used. How the mathematics prerequisite (a study score of 20 in any mathematics) maps to an overseas qualification is not published; ask the admissions team.
• English: IELTS Academic overall 6.0 with no band below 6.0, or Swinburne English for Academic Purposes (EAP 5 Advanced) with 65% overall and in every skill. Other accepted evidence (TOEFL, Pearson PTE, secondary-school English results and so on) is listed on the English requirements page; the Pearson test can be taken on the Hawthorn campus.
• Tuition: the 2027 international tuition for the Bachelor of Science is A$46,300 a year (an estimate for a standard full-time load, generally including the Student Services and Amenities Fee, charged by actual load each semester and reviewed annually). Students who take a six- or 12-month professional placement pay higher total fees; the amount is not published on the page.
• Scholarships: you are considered automatically when you apply, with no separate application. International students starting at Hawthorn for the first time in 2027 may receive the Swinburne International Scholarship (20 percent off tuition) or the George Swinburne International Excellence Scholarship (30 percent off, for high academic performance). The reduction runs for the standard course duration, covers tuition only (not, for example, Overseas Student Health Cover) and is stated in the letter of offer. If you hold another tuition scholarship or reduced-fee arrangement, Swinburne applies the most favourable one. The 2027 page lists the Bachelor of Aviation and Piloting as excluded; the courses in this guide are not on the exclusion list.
• Back-up routes: if your qualification or English falls short, Swinburne lists UniLink diplomas (equivalent to the first year of a bachelor degree, with English and study support), the Swinburne Foundation Program (for Year 11 completers) and ELICOS. The science pathway is the Diploma of Science (UniLink): eight months full-time, up to 8 units of credit, CRICOS 089746M, leading to the Bachelor of Science (the example shows 100 credit points, which varies by major).

Students at high schools in China

• The degree page says only "successful completion of Australian Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification, assessed at application". Whether the gaokao is used, how, and what Chinese transcripts or the senior-high exit exams must show are not given on the pages used for this guide; check Swinburne's international entry page or ask the admissions team.
• International applicants submit certified copies of their results. Swinburne has approved education agents in many countries (course pages link to an agent search by country) who can verify documents and help with student-visa preparation; a China-specific page, interviews and credential-verification bodies are not published.
• If you do not meet direct entry, look at the UniLink diploma or the Foundation Program above. Swinburne's 2026 indicative fees are A$32,200 in total for the Foundation Program and A$38,440 in total for the Science UniLink diploma; check the fees page for 2027 figures.

Transfer students and credit

• Swinburne treats prior university study, vocational (TAFE) study and work experience as bases for admission: higher education results from the last seven years can be used; if the results are older and the degree was not completed, you may be asked to sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT), which applies only to certain courses.
• Credit (advanced standing): higher education students apply online, Swinburne says it replies 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 completed at Swinburne for a Swinburne award. Credit is assessed case by case, and the pathway examples on course pages are not a guarantee of specific credit.
• Switching within the science degree: grade thresholds or place limits for moving into the Bachelor of Science or changing major are not published on the pages used; ask StudentHQ or the admissions team.

5. Checklist

Australian applicants:

• No physics subject is listed; Guaranteed Entry ATAR 65.0 (lowest offer 58.1 in 2024); VCE English 20 and any mathematics 20, with MathsLink as a bridge
• 2027 CSP fee about A$9,880 a year; apply through VTAC or online

International students:

• Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification; IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 6.0
• 2027 tuition about A$46,300 a year; automatically considered for a 20% or 30% scholarship
• Last date to apply: 24 February 2027 for March, 28 July 2027 for August

Students at high schools in China:

• Gaokao and exit-exam requirements are not published; ask the admissions team or an approved agent
• If you do not meet direct entry: the Science UniLink diploma or the Foundation Program

Transfer students:

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

Sources: Swinburne University of Technology, Science study area; Bachelor of Science; Physics major; Astronomy and Astrophysics major; Diploma of Science (UniLink); How to apply as an international student; Admission and English language requirements; Scholarships for international students; Fees for international students; How to apply as a local undergraduate; Credit for prior study or experience. Information is for 2027 entry; admission data are from 2024. Check Swinburne for the latest details.