How to Apply to Chemistry at Swinburne University of Technology: The Chemistry Major in the Bachelor of Science, with Royal Australian Chemical Institute Accreditation Listed and Entry Routes for Australian Applicants, International Students (Including Students in China) and Transfer Students

Swinburne University of Technology is in Hawthorn, in eastern Melbourne. The website does not list a stand-alone chemistry degree: chemistry is a Major in Chemistry inside the Bachelor of Science, and you apply to the Bachelor of Science. 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. Swinburne also lists biomedical and health science degrees; they are outside this guide, so check the website.

1. Degree and program

• Bachelor of Science (application code BA-SC2, CRICOS 088402K): Hawthorn campus, three years full-time (or part-time equivalent), 300 credit points, each unit 12.5 credit points unless stated otherwise; the structure is 8 core units, 8 major units and 8 elective units. The majors listed are Applied Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics and Space Technology.
• Chemistry major: the description covers forensic and environmental science, polymer formation, water analysis, creating new materials, and agricultural and analytical chemistry. The accreditation listed on the page is the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI); which units are needed and whether there are extra conditions are not given on the pages used, so check the course handbook. The Biochemistry major page adds that its RACI accreditation applies only to students who take the Biochemistry major together with the Chemistry minor.
• Choosing the major: the course page offers "Add major" selection; when you must fix the major, and any grade or place limits, are not published on the pages used; check the handbook.
• First year (indicative Semester 1, 2026 sequence, which Swinburne says is a guide only): Semester 1 has Data Science Principles (core), two units chosen from Concepts of Biology, Chemistry 1 and Energy and Motion, and a first mathematics unit from Maths A or B (Calculus and Applications, or Preliminary Mathematics). Semester 2 has Sustainability Challenges in Science (core), Chemistry 2 (major unit), one elective and a second mathematics unit (Linear Algebra and Applications, or Essential Mathematics). The selection rules are in the course handbook.
• Later major units (indicative): year two has Analytical and Forensic Chemistry, Spectroscopy and Instrumentation, Investigative Organic Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry; year three has Advanced Analytical Chemistry, Surface and Colloid Chemistry and Computational Chemistry: Methods and Applications, plus the core units Societal Challenges in Science and Grand Challenges in Science.
• Labs and projects: Swinburne says students get laboratory access from first year and small hands-on classes. Every bachelor degree includes guaranteed Work Integrated Learning; in this degree that means three professionally focused, industry-linked projects. The "Informed Choices" section of the course page notes that laboratory work involves safely handling chemicals, instruments and protective equipment, with limited flexibility for adjustment in those activities, while most other required abilities can likely be supported with reasonable adjustments; see the course page.
• Optional professional placement: the study sequence lists an optional professional placement after year two, worth 50 or 100 credit points (the example shown is the 12-month major version); the fee section says a six- or 12-month placement raises the total fee.
• Double degrees: the combinations with Science listed are Health Science, Applied Innovation, Laws, Arts and Engineering (Honours).
• Honours or a research project: not listed on the chemistry pages used; not published, so check the website.

2. Prerequisites and entry

• Qualification (one of): completion of the VCE or an equivalent such as an interstate or international Year 12 qualification; completed or partly completed approved tertiary study (including completed Certificate IV, diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees and degrees); applicants without a formal qualification may be considered with significant relevant work experience and/or on completing the STAT test.
• Prerequisites: VCE Units 3 and 4 any English at 20 (25 for EAL) or equivalent, and any mathematics at 20. No high-school chemistry, physics or biology subject is listed; whether high-school chemistry helps and whether first-year chemistry starts from scratch is not published, so ask the admissions team.
• How A-Level, AP, IB and other qualifications map to these prerequisites is not given on the pages used; the page says only "equivalent" and points to the international entry-requirements page.

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 can apply through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC); the page lists VTAC code 3400234371 for the Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and 3400234373 for the international full-fee place (IFP). They can also follow Swinburne's local-applicant guide and apply directly online; the page says you cannot apply direct while you have an active VTAC application. The site navigation also lists an Early Entry Program; see the website for details.
• 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 given on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions team.
• The course page states that meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer.

4. Routes for different applicants

Australian applicants

• Basis of selection: Guaranteed Entry ATAR 65.0; the lowest ATAR to receive an offer in 2024 (after adjustment factors) was 58.1. Applicants below the guaranteed score can still be offered a place because the ATAR may be adjusted for subject adjustments, equity schemes or other factors. Subject adjustments: a study score of 25 in any mathematics, Physical Education or any science adds 2 aggregate points and 30 adds 3, up to 10 in total, applied to the aggregate rather than the ATAR.
• Prerequisites: VCE Units 3 and 4 any English at 20 (25 for EAL) or equivalent, and VCE Units 3 and 4 any mathematics at 20. Applicants short of the mathematics prerequisite must complete Swinburne's MathsLink bridging program (the page uses both the names MathsLink Methods and MathsLink General; confirm with Swinburne which one applies to you).
• Fees: the 2027 Commonwealth supported place (CSP) fee is A$9,880 a year, A$29,640 over three years; the page shows these as estimates and says the published fees are for 2026 unit enrolments and may change in later years. The HECS-HELP loan scheme is open to Australian citizens doing at least one unit in Australia, holders of a permanent humanitarian visa and eligible New Zealand Special Category visa holders. The 2027 capped Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is A$386.
• Swinburne also lists the free 18-week UniReady course (no ATAR or previous study needed) as another route into this 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. Country-by-country grade equivalences are not given on the pages used for this guide; check that page or ask the admissions team. How the prerequisite of a study score of 20 in any mathematics maps to an overseas qualification is likewise not published.
• English: IELTS Academic overall 6.0 with no band below 6.0, or Swinburne English for Academic Purposes (EAP 5 Advanced) at 65% overall and in every skill; other accepted evidence is listed on the English language requirements page. The Pearson test (PTE Academic) can be taken at the Hawthorn campus.
• Tuition: 2027 international tuition is A$46,300 a year (an estimate for a standard full-time load, generally including the Student Services and Amenities Fee, reviewed annually). A six- or 12-month professional placement raises the total fee.
• Scholarships: you are considered automatically when you apply, with no separate application, and the result is in the letter of offer. The international scholarships page (first-time entry in 2027 at Hawthorn) lists the Swinburne International Scholarship (20 percent off tuition) and the George Swinburne International Excellence Scholarship (30 percent off, recognising high academic performance). The reduction runs for the standard course duration, covers tuition only (not, for example, Overseas Student Health Cover), and if you hold another Swinburne tuition scholarship or reduced fee, or one from another organisation, Swinburne applies the most favourable arrangement. The website is not consistent: the course page says "up to 20 per cent" while the scholarships page lists 20 and 30 percent; rely on your letter of offer and the scholarships page. The only excluded undergraduate course on that page is the Bachelor of Aviation and Piloting.
• Back-up routes: if your qualification or English falls short, Swinburne lists the Diploma of Science (UniLink) (8 months full-time, up to 8 units of credit, CRICOS 089746M; the example shows 100 credit points), the Swinburne Foundation Program (8 months full-time) and ELICOS. 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. The Science UniLink diploma asks for IELTS 5.5 with no band below 5.0, or EAP 4 equivalent.

Students at high schools in China

• The course page says only "successful completion of Australian Year 12 or an equivalent overseas qualification". 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-requirements 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 Science UniLink diploma or the Foundation Program above.

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 only some courses use (check the course page).
• 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. The same page says credit cannot be granted again for units where another provider has already granted credit, and the original completion must be evidenced. Credit is assessed case by case, and the pathway examples on course pages are not a guarantee of specific credit.
• Switching between majors or degrees: grade thresholds and place limits are not published on the pages used; ask StudentHQ or the admissions team.

5. Checklist

Australian applicants:

• Guaranteed Entry ATAR 65.0; VCE English 20 (25 for EAL) and any mathematics 20
• 2027 CSP fee 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 A$46,300 a year; automatically considered for an international scholarship
• Last dates: 24 February 2027 (Semester 1) and 28 July 2027 (Semester 2)

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, Bachelor of Science; Chemistry major; Biochemistry major; Diploma of Science (UniLink); How to apply as an international student; Admission 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.