International applicants are those who do not hold:

  • Australian citizenship
  • New Zealand citizenship
  • Australian permanent residence.

Whether you can apply through SATAC will depend on the institutions and courses you are applying for.

Applying for TAFE SA courses

If you are an international applicant on a student visa (subclass 500) you do not apply through SATAC. Contact TAFE SA International on + 61 8 8463 5487 or free call (in Australia) 1800 049 492 or visit the TAFE SA website.

If you hold another visa type you can apply through SATAC. TAFE SA will inform you about your eligibility to study and tuition fees when you enrol. You can check your eligibility to enrol before applying. Email admissions@tafesa.edu.au and include your visa number and subclass if relevant.

Applying for undergraduate courses

International Year 12 applicants to Charles Darwin University, Flinders University, The University of Adelaide and University of South Australia, can apply for undergraduate courses through SATAC. 

Who is considered an International Year 12 applicant? 

International students studying one of the following qualifications in 2023 can apply for undergraduate courses through SATAC:

  • South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
  • Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET)
  • ACT Senior Secondary Certificate (ACT SSC)
  • NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC)
  • Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
  • Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE)
  • Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
  • Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE)
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma (in Australia only)

Agents (e.g. IDP Education) can make an undergraduate International Year 12 application through SATAC on your behalf. They should not apply directly to the universities. Your agent must be registered with the universities you are applying to.

All other international students must apply to the institutions, not SATAC.

Awaiting permanent residency status

International Year 12 students awaiting permanent residency still apply as international Year 12 applicants.

If you are granted permanent residency after you apply, you will need to reapply as a domestic applicant.

You can apply as a domestic applicant only once your permanent residency is confirmed. You will then be subject to the same conditions of application as other domestic applicants.

The timing of your application may affect your eligibility to receive an offer. Check the key dates for more information.

If you have any questions about how your pending permanent residency affects your application, contact the admissions office of the university you are applying to.

All other international applicants awaiting permanent residency must wait until their residency is granted before applying through SATAC.

Applying for postgraduate courses

SATAC does not accept international applications for postgraduate courses. Contact the institution offering the course for information about the postgraduate application process.

Important differences in the application process

International Year 12 students apply online. When applying, you will need to provide some extra details to SATAC. This includes information about your country of birth and, if you are using an agent, you will need to provide their contact details.

Availability of courses

Most courses offered by the universities are available to international applicants through SATAC. There are some exceptions to this. Use course search for information about course availability. The online course search has filters that you can use to show courses available through SATAC to International Year 12 applicants.

Courses offered by SAIBT, Tabor or Torrens University Australia are not available to international applicants through SATAC.

Offers

International Year 12 applicants can receive an offer to every course in their preference list. This is subject to meeting eligibility and selection rank requirements. It is still a good idea to list your preferences in order. You can add or remove preferences from your list if you need to.

There are some differences to offer round dates for International Year 12 students. The main rounds of offers are in mid-December to early January, shortly after you receive your Year 12 results (this varies from mid to late December from state to state). After 10 January no further offers will be made by SATAC.

2024 key dates for international Year 12 applicants
Date Event
7 August 2023 Applications open for Semester 1 2024.
1 December 2023 Deadline for new applications to be considered in the December offer rounds. New applications and/or changes of preference after this date will be considered if there are places available.
Mid-December to early January Several offer rounds - offers sent by email from SATAC as results become available from the SACE Board and interstate.
5 January 2024 SATAC's website closed for new applications and changes of preference. Any new applications can be made direct to the institutions.
10 January 2024 Final SATAC offer round - offers sent by email from SATAC. No further offers are made by SATAC after this date.

 

For most courses, places are available for all international Year 12 applicants. Applicants must be eligible and competitive enough for an offer.

Selection ranks are based on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) (or equivalent). You can get details of selection ranks used in 2022/2023 from the universities. In the final SATAC offer round, some courses use the cutoff ranks used in the main domestic offer round.

Some courses have restrictions on the number of international applicants that can receive an offer (for example, the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at the University of South Australia). This is known as a ‘quota’.

For quota courses, applicants may need to achieve a higher rank than the minimum selection rank. The universities may offer places on a ‘first-come, first-served basis. This means students who receive an offer must respond immediately to the university to secure a place.

For Charles Darwin University, if you are under 18 years old on 1 February 2024, you must meet extra requirements before you can receive an offer. You can still apply for Charles Darwin University courses but you may not be eligible for an offer.

For Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of South Australia, you will still receive an offer for any preference for which you are eligible. You must meet extra requirements before you can accept an offer.

Contact these universities to find out more about extra requirements.