Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements

International applications will be assessed by TAFE SA International Unit against each of the following criteria:

• academic entry criteria
• English language proficiency
• other program specific criteria which may include one or more of the following: interview, portfolio or aptitude testing
• any legislative or government policy requirements (that is, requirements relating to student visas, Genuine Student assessment)
• any institution or university partner’s admission requirements (for packaged courses and offers and/or collaborative arrangements).

To check the specific academic and English language entry requirements for your chosen course, please visit the International Course Page.

Academic Entry Criteria

Each individual course at TAFE SA has academic entry criteria that students must meet to be eligible for enrolment in that course.  To check the specific academic entry requirements for your chosen course visit the International Course Pages. In general, the minimum academic entry is:

• Certificate III course – satisfactory completion of Year 10 or equivalent
• Certificate IV course - satisfactory completion of Year 11 or equivalent
• Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Associate Degree and Bachelor Degree courses - satisfactory completion of Year 12 or equivalent

Most Foundation Studies Programs, particularly those offered by Australian Universities, are deemed equivalent to Year 12. 

Additional Academic Entry Criteria 

Some courses require additional entry criteria.  For example,  Arts courses often require a portfolio or audition and Health courses an aptitude or skills test.  Visit the International Course Page for specific details. 

17 Years +

You must be 17 years or over prior to commencement date of studies at TAFE SA.  

21 Years +

If you don’t meet the academic entry requirements for your selected course, and you are over 21 years old, you may use your work experience to support your application.  You will need to provide a detailed Curriculum Vitae/Resume which outlines your work history and tasks.  This will be assessed by the relevant program area, and is assessed on a case by case basis. 

Equivalent Overseas Qualifications

The following overseas qualifications are recognised as being equivalent to Australian Years 10, 11 and 12 for entry onto our courses.

Where a score is not stated in the below table, satisfactory results of 50% minimum is required for all courses with the following exceptions where 60% minimum is required: 

• All applicants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan (60% in their top 4 Year 12 subjects). If any exams have been repeated the results of the resit must be submitted.
• All Bachelor, Associate Degrees, Nursing and Dental courses 

• Equivalent Overseas Qualifications

  Country/Region	TAFE SA
  	Year 10/11 Equivalent*	Year 12 Equivalent*
  Australia		Australian Year 12 Senior Secondary Certificate of Education – satisfactory completion of 50% minimum in all subjects
  Bangladesh	N/A	Higher Secondary Certificate/vocational higher secondary certificate (Minimum CGPA is 3.5 or 60% in HSC/First Division pass) GCE A-level (2 passes)
  Bhutan	Bhutan Middle Secondary School Certificate	Bhutan Higher Secondary School Certificate  or Middle Secondary School Certificate plus 2 year relevant vocational diploma
  Brazil	Certificado de Ensio Medio (Year 10 or Year 11 equivalent)	Certificado de Conclusão de Ensino Médio (Year 12 equivalent)
  Cambodia		Diploma of Upper Secondary Education/Baccalaurate
  Canada	Successful completion of Grade 11	High School Diploma
  Chile	Educacion Media (Year 10 or Year 11 equivalent)	Licencia de Educación Media (Certificate of Secondary Education Certificate) Tecnico-Profesional or Tecnico
  China	Senior Middle 2	General Senior Secondary Unified Graduation (Certificate of Graduation)
  Colombia	Bachillerato Secondary School Graduation Certificate (Year 11 equivalent)	Bachillerato Secondary School Graduation Certificate (Year 11 equivalent) plus one year further study
  Fiji & other South Pacific Nations	Fiji only	Fiji only
  	Form 6 School Leaving Certificate for student visa	Fiji Form 7 Examination/ Fiji School Leaving Certificate (FSLC)
  Hong Kong	Secondary 4 or 5, in best 4 subjects, either 50% pass rate, or a minimum total score of 8  (Category A and C) - Grades are calculated where: 5**=6, 5*=5.5, 5=5, 4=4, 3=3, 2=2 and 1=1.	Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), in best 4 subjects, either 50% pass rate or  a minimum total score of 12 (Category A and C) - Grades are calculated where: 5**=6, 5*=5.5, 5=5, 4=4, 3=3, 2=2 and 1=1.
  India	N/A	All India Senior School Certificate or Indian School Certificate or Certificate of Vocational Education or Senior Secondary Certificate or State Boards of Secondary/Senior Secondary Education certificates, GCE A-level (2 passes)
  Indonesia	Secondary School:SMU 3 or SMK 3	Certificate of Completion of Senior Secondary Education (Ijazah/STTB SMA/STTB SMK) or Certificate of Graduation (SKHUN)
  Japan	Completion of Kotogakko Year 1 Lower Secondary Leaving Certificate	Upper Secondary School Certificate of Graduation (Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shosho
  Kenya	GCE O-Level (4 passes)	Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)  or GCE A-level – 2 passes
  Malaysia	SPM (4 passes) or GCE O-Level (4 passes) or Senior Middle 2	STPM Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, GCE A-level, UEC - with an average of 50% VET courses or 60% higher education courses
  Nepal	N/A	Higher Secondary Education Board Certificate (Grade 12)
  Nigeria	Senior Secondary School (WAEC/NECO) examinations – pass grade, GCE O-Level (4 subject passes)	Senior Secondary School (WAEC/NECO) examinations (5 subjects passes C grade average) GCE A-level (2 passes)
  Pakistan	N/A	Higher Secondary School Certificate/ Intermediate Certificate
  Papua New Guinea		Higher School Certificate
  Philippines	High School Diploma or National College Entrance Examination (NCEE)  OR from 2018, successful completion of Grade 11 Senior High School	High School Diploma or a Certificate of Graduation  OR from 2018, Grade 12 Senior High School Diploma
  Saudi Arabia		Shahadat al-thanawiyyah al-'aama or shahadat al-marhalat al-thanawiyyat (General Secondary Education Certificate) Form 7 or University Foundation Year
  Singapore	GCE O-Level (4 subject passes)	GCE A-level - 2 passes
  South Africa	National Senior Certificate / Senior Certificate Year 11/10	National Senior Certificate (Year12) Senior Certificate (Year 12) GCE A-Level 2 Passes, International Baccalaureate Diploma
  South Korea	Completion of Senior High School Grade 1 or equivalent	General/Academic Senior High School Certificate/Diploma (Immumgye Kodung Hakkyo Choeupchang
  Sri Lanka	Sri Lankan GCE O-Level (4 passes)	GCE A-level – 3 passes
  Taiwan	Senior High School (1st or 2nd Year)	Senior High School Diploma or Senior Vocational School Diploma
  Thailand	Upper Secondary School (Matayom 5/ Matayom 4)	Matayom 6 or MS 6. (Certificate of Secondary Education)
  UK	GCE O-Level (4 subject passes)	GCE A-Level (2 subject passes)
  Vietnam	Upper Secondary schooling (Year 10 or 11 equivalent)	Bang Tot nghiep Trung hoc Pho thong (Upper Secondary Education Graduation Diploma)
  Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education (ZGCE) GSE O-Level (4 subject passes)	Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at Advanced Levels (A Level)– 2 passes, or International Baccalaureate Diploma

   

  *Local language subjects are excluded in the assessment of academic results

Genuine Student assessment

If your application is deemed to require a Genuine Student assessment you will be given a Conditional Offer and be sent a link in order to complete this assessment.

English language requirements

For admission to a TAFE SA course, international applicants are expected to be proficient in English.  This can be proven through:

• Passing an approved test or
• Completing an English (ELICOS) course or
• Meeting an approved alternative requirement.

Most TAFE SA courses require an Academic IELTS of 6.0 with 5.0 in all bands, or equivalent.  See individual course entry criteria for confirmation of the English requirement for your course. TAFE SA accepts the following English tests:

• IELTS – Academic, including IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic
• Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – PT and iBT
• University of Cambridge – ESOL Examinations for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CEP) or the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

Please view the TAFE SA Academic & English Language Comparison Table for more detailed information. In most cases, tests are valid for two years.

If you do not meet the TAFE SA English language entry requirements, you may undertake an English language course at the English Language Centre of TAFE SA or another approved provider.  The English Language Centre offers English language training for students planning to study at TAFE SA or another Australian education institution.  

• English Language Comparison Table

  Academic & English Language Entry Criteria Approved Qualifications/Tests

  English Language Requirements

  The following qualifications have been assessed as equivalent to the required IELTS score. Successful completion is expected unless otherwise noted.

  English Language Requirements Name of Course/Test	IELTS Academic 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.0 in all bands	IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.0 in all bands	IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all bands	IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with 6.0 in all bands	IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in all bands
  TAFE SA English Language Centre	English for Academic Purposes (EAP20) Pass	English for Academic Purposes (EAP20) Credit	English for Academic Purposes (EAP20) Credit or English for Academic Purposes Advanced (EAP Advanced), Part 1, Pass grade	English for Academic Purposes Advanced (EAP Advanced), Part 2, Pass grade	English for Academic Purposes Advanced (EAP Advanced), Part 2, Credit grade*
  TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - iBT	Score of 46, with reading: 4-7, listening: 4-6, speaking: 14-15, and writing: 14-17		Score of 60, with reading: 8-12, listening: 7-11, speaking: 16-17, and writing: 18-20	Score of 79 with reading: 18, listening: 13, speaking: 18, and writing: 21	Score of 94 with reading: 24, listening: 24, speaking: 23, and writing: 27
  Pearsons Test of English (PTE) Academic	Minimum 42 with 36 in all for communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum 50 with 42 in all for communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum 50 with 42 in all for communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum 58 with 50 in all for communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum 65 with 65 in all for communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking)
  Occupational English Test OET	Pass	Minimum score of C in all four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum score of C in all four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum score of B in all four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking)	Minimum score of B in all four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking)
  Cambridge C1 Advanced or B2 First previously Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) and First Certificate of English (FCE)	Overall score of 162 with a minimum of 154 in all bands		Overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all bands	Overall score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in all bands	Overall score of 185 with a minimum of 185 in all bands
  South Australian College of English (SACE)	English for Tertiary Studies I or Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or B2 First (FCE) overall score of 162 with a minimum of 154 in all bands		English for Tertiary Studies II or Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or B2 First (FCE) overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all bands	Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or B2 First (FCE) overall score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in all bands
  ILSC Education Group (all campuses)	English for Academic Purposes Intermediate 3 (I3)	English for Academic Purposes Intermediate 4 (I4)	English for Academic Purposes Intermediate 4 (I4)	English for Academic Purposes Advanced 1 (A1)	English for Academic Purposes Advanced 2 (A2)*
  International House	70% or above in either: English for Academic Purposes 1 Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE)	80% or above in either: English for Academic Purposes 1 Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE) Or 50% or above in either: English for Academic Purposes 2 Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE)
  GCE O Levels English/1119 English	C6	C5
  Malaysian SPM English	B	A
  Kenyan KCSE English	C	B
  International Baccalaureate	English A or B grade (score of 5-7)	English A grade (score of 5-7)
  Australian Certificate of Education	Completion of Y12	Completion of Y12	Completion of Y12	Completion of Y12 with ATAR 65+
  Completion of Australian Y10 and Y11 (2 years in total)	Achieved minimum of C grade in all results, with B in English in Y11	Achieved minimum of B grade in all results, with B in English in Y11	Achieved minimum of B grade in all results, with B in English in Y11	Achieved minimum of B grade in all results, with A in English in Y11

  *This ELICOS program does not meet the English entry requirements for the Diploma of Nursing or the Advanced Diploma of Oral Health (Dental Hygiene).

  ELICOS courses, from other providers, only state the equivalence to the overall IELTS score.  In these cases, a minimum band score is not required.
  

  Other circumstances where the IELTS requirement may be waived (evidence required):  

  • Successful completion, within the last two years, of a secondary or tertiary level course, undertaken in English in a country where English is an official language, or the main language spoken (as deemed by TAFE SA).  
  • Successful completion of at least one year of study, at Year 12 level or above, within the last two years, in a CRICOS registered course delivered in Australia.
  • If Year 11 is the highest level, successful completion of Year 10 and 11 with an English subject in Year 11 and, if TAFE SA course requires:
    • IELTS of 5.5 (or equivalent) then minimum of C grade in all results, with B in English
    • IELTS of 6.0 (or equivalent) then minimum of B grade in all results, with B in English
    • IELTS of 6.5 (or equivalent) then minimum of B grade in all results, with A in English

  Courses exempt from the above waivers:

  • Advanced Diploma of Oral Health (Dental Hygiene)
  • Diploma of Nursing - English entry criteria is set in line with the NBMA requirements

  • Certificate III and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

  Students requiring English language training: some students may be requested to attend an interview or complete the Entry test for Award Courses (at their own cost) to enable an accurate prediction of the number of weeks of English language training required.

  All test results are valid for two years from the date of sitting, however, for entry to TAFE SA, a test/s will not be accepted if it is older than two years from the date of commencement of the TAFE SA course.

  TAFE SA will continue to accept a combination of two English tests, in a 6-month period, as evidence of meeting English requirement as follows:

  1. Two tests: when the overall results on both tests meet the required English entry, but one individual score is lower than required on one test but meets the requirement on the second, in this case two valid results can be combined.  The earliest test will be deemed the test result with 2-year validity.  
  2. When overall results meet the required English entry but one individual score is lower than required, in this case an Entry test for Award Courses result in one skill can be combined with the results.  
  3. The acceptance of the combined tests also applies to the Diploma of Nursing, however, the individual score that is less, must only be one level lower than the requirement.  This requirement, including the acceptance of the IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) is subject to change and can be confirmed here. 

  Academic Entry Criteria (equivalent to Year 12)

  Most international and Australian Foundation Studies Programs (FSPs) are deemed equivalent to Year 12.

Local University acceptance of TAFE SA English programs

The table below demonstrates the EAP 20 or EAP Advanced result required for the various English proficiency entry requirements of the universities.  The grade result = its equivalence to the IELTS scoring.