History of Australian National University, infrasturcture and international Affilations, admission to Australian National University, programms, Study Cost at Australian National University, application deadlines and other facts.
Indicative 2027 tuition at ANU runs 30,416-40,689 USD a year, depending on the program[1]. The figure to plan on is the one printed on your own programme page, not a schedule from an earlier year. Accepting an offer then means a 12,689 USD deposit, paid before the Confirmation of Enrolment[2].
Housing is the easier part: ANU publishes an accommodation guarantee, so a room is settled before you book a flight rather than after you land. The accommodation application is submitted separately, through the Accommodation Portal, in the week you accept. Applicants holding an IB apply through UAC, not directly to ANU. Beyond the paperwork, ANU was created by federal Parliament, and its national research facilities sit on the campus you will study at.
Location
Canberra, Australia
Establishment year
1946
Students
17,358
International students
7,620
Female students
52%
Place in ratings
There's not enough data to display the dynamics of this rating.
12,689 USD, before the Confirmation of Enrolment[2]
Work during study
48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session[11]
After graduation
Subclass 485, usually 2-3 years by qualification[12]
Acceptance rate
Not published by ANU
Where ANU is genuinely strong
Subject standing carries the argument here, not the overall rank
ANU is first in Australia in 11 academic disciplines and in the world's top ten in six of them[3], on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026[13]. Buy the discipline, not the headline number.
National facilities sit on the campus you will study at
ANU hosts the National Computational Infrastructure and the Australian Earth-System Simulator, and the headquarters of the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility and Phenomics Australia; it also runs the coordinating office for Australian participation in the Giant Magellan Telescope, the International Ocean Discovery Program and LIGO[14].
A room is the one thing you do not have to fight for
ANU states an accommodation guarantee for all eligible students, year-round: apply and you receive an offer at one of its 18 university-managed residences[15]. The residence and room type are not guaranteed — only the bed.
The teaching group is small by Australian standards
13.3 students per staff member in the THE World University Rankings 2026[4], against 19.2 at the same institution a decade earlier. A cohort of 17000 across six colleges is closer to a large liberal-arts college than to a metropolitan mega-campus.
ANU's weak spots
QS and THE disagree about ANU by nearly fifty places
29th in the QS World University Rankings 2027[16] against 77th in THE World University Rankings 2027[17]. The two weight reputation and research income differently, and ANU's own QS position has moved between 29 and =34 across the last five editions[16]. A single year's movement tells you very little.
The university is still inside a large savings programme
Renew ANU targets a reduction of a quarter of a billion Australian dollars in annual spending, a target the Chief Operating Officer confirmed was unchanged after staff voted down an enterprise-agreement variation[18]; the programme page now lists post-implementation reviews of the change initiatives[19]. Seven colleges became six along the way.
ANU's largest international award is not currently open
The Chancellor's International Scholarship page carries the line that the scholarship is currently unavailable and shows applications closed[20]. Build your 2027 budget on the International Achievement Award instead, and treat the Chancellor's as upside if it reopens.
Canberra is a small labour market, however healthy it looks
The Australian Capital Territory had 489700 residents at 31 March 2026[21] and 277800 people in work in July 2026, against 4.56 million in New South Wales[22]. Unemployment is the lowest in the country, but the number of employers you can walk into is not.
Six colleges, one campus, and a national brief
On 1 January 2025 ANU merged seven academic colleges into six[23]. Older guides still list seven, and several list an "Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics" college that no longer exists under that name. The current six, with the schools that sit inside them[24]:
Arts & Social Sciences — Research School of Humanities & the Arts, Research School of Social Sciences.
Asia & the Pacific — Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian Centre on China in the World.
Business & Economics — four research schools covering accounting, economics, finance and actuarial studies, and management.
Law, Governance & Policy — ANU Law School, Crawford School of Public Policy, RegNet, National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health.
Science & Medicine — John Curtin School of Medical Research, School of Medicine & Psychology, and the research schools of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences and physics.
Systems & Society — School of Computing, School of Engineering, School of Cybernetics, Mathematical Sciences Institute, Fenner School of Environment & Society.
The campus is one place, not a network: 143 hectares at Acton[25], walkable end to end, with the residences, the libraries and the research schools inside the same perimeter. Six Nobel laureates have worked on it, from Howard Florey in 1945 to Brian Schmidt in 2011[26].
Campus Type
Suburban
Library
Yes
The national brief is not decoration. The Higher Education Contributions Scheme that funds Australian students was designed by an ANU economist, the country's immigration points system by another, and the intellectual architecture of APEC by a third[3]. Crawford School works directly with the Australian Public Service. If you want a degree that puts you in the room where policy is argued rather than taught about, that is the specific thing ANU sells — and it is the reason its Asia-Pacific and public-policy programmes fill from the region rather than from Australia.
Graduates you may have heard of, and what they did next
ANU alumni listed by the university include Syed Akbaruddin, India's permanent representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2020; John Bryant, chief executive of the Kellogg Company between 2011 and 2017; Datuk Dr Paul Chan, co-founder and vice-chancellor of HELP University in Malaysia; and the comedian Ronny Chieng[3]. The pattern is worth reading: diplomacy, regional business and public administration rather than Silicon Valley. If your target career is a foreign ministry, a central bank, a development agency or a regional think tank, this alumni base is an asset. If it is a startup in a tech hub, it is neutral.
Undergraduates choose from 599 single and flexible double-degree combinations, and ANU teaches 28 languages, more than any other Australian university[27].
Two semesters carry the load, and four shorter sessions — Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring — run alongside them for intensives and catch-up courses. For the 2027 academic year the shape is fixed and published[5]:
Stage
Semester 1, 2027
Semester 2, 2027
Orientation Week
from 15 February
from 19 July
Teaching begins
22 February
26 July
Census date
31 March
31 August
Teaching break
5-19 April
6-20 September
Teaching ends
28 May
29 October
Examination period
3-19 June
4-20 November
The census date is the one line in that table with money attached: it is the point at which your enrolment for the semester is locked and the tuition for those courses becomes payable. Dropping a course before it costs nothing; dropping it after it costs the full fee.
Units, courses and what a full load means
ANU counts in units rather than credits. Most courses are worth 6 units, a standard full-time load is 24 units in a study period, and 48 units is the year that every indicative fee below is calculated on[28] — four courses a semester, eight a year. The distinction that matters for an international applicant is that the 24-unit load is not advisory. ANU's study-load policy treats domestic students as full-time at 18 units or more, but students on a student visa are expected to enrol in 24 units and are recorded as under-loaded below that, except in a final study period or with prior University approval[29]. Quietly dropping to three courses because the semester got hard is a visa problem, not just an academic one.
Going the other way is possible but gated. An undergraduate wanting 25 to 30 units in one study period must already have passed 48 units, have completed 24 units in a single period, and hold an overall mark average of at least 60 per cent[29].
Grades, and the 7-point GPA
ANU has used one grading scale across every academic area since 1994[30]:
Mark
Coursework grade
Honours grade
80-100
High Distinction
First Class Honours
70-79
Distinction
Second Class Honours, Division A
60-69
Credit
Second Class Honours, Division B
50-59
Pass
Third Class Honours
0-49
Fail
—
Marks are converted to a Grade Point Average on a 7-point scale, and you receive one GPA for your whole academic career rather than one per programme[31]. Three consequences are worth knowing before you enrol. Pass/fail courses are excluded from the calculation. Students in a research programme receive no GPA at all. And the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, the old MBBS and the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice are not GPA'd either. If you are planning to use an ANU average to apply somewhere else later, check which number your target institution will actually see.
Language support you did not ask for
From 1 January 2027 every student admitted to ANU undertakes a post-entry language assessment, normally during the orientation preceding their first classes[6]. It has no effect on the admission decision; its stated purpose is to flag students who may struggle, route them to English support and let the University calibrate its own entry thresholds. Practically: expect a short test in your first week, and take the referral seriously if you get one.
What 2027 costs
ANU does not charge a flat degree price. Each course carries its own fee, fees vary by discipline, and the annual figure published against a programme is the total for a standard 48-unit year[32]. Fees are reviewed annually and typically rise from year to year, and the rate that applies to you depends on your year of commencement.
Indicative annual international tuition for the 2027 academic year is live on the Programs & Courses catalogue, one programme at a time. A spread across the fee bands:
Two caveats on that table. First, the consolidated Schedule of Tuition Fees — the single PDF that sets out every discipline band — is still the 2026 edition on the ANU fees-schedules page as of September 2026; the 2025 and 2026 schedules are there, the 2027 one is not[32]. Per-programme 2027 figures are nevertheless published, and they are the numbers you will be invoiced against. Second, a double degree mixes courses from two disciplines, so its actual bill sits between the two programme figures rather than on either.
On top of tuition come a Services and Amenities Fee, charged to every student[32], and 971-1,012 USD a year for textbooks on ANU's own estimate[9].
Academic calendar
Semesters
Scholarships
Yes
Financial Aid
Yes
Bachelor
Foreign25,290USD/year
Master
Local16,923USD/year
Foreign21,267USD/year
Doctorate
Local2,467USD/year
Foreign26,495USD/year
The 12,689 USD that comes before the visa
Accepting an ANU offer is not a form you sign and send. The Offer Acceptance Declaration and Payment Advice form requires a payment of 12,689 USD, and the University states plainly that it cannot process the acceptance until that deposit has been received, and that the Confirmation of Enrolment is issued only after acceptance and payment are processed[2]. Without a CoE there is no student visa application.
The money is not lost. Where ANU arranges your Overseas Student Health Cover, the deposit covers visa-length cover; where you arrange OSHC yourself, the full 12,689 USD is credited to your tuition account[2]. But it has to move as one payment, in the window between your offer and the acceptance deadline — 15 January for a Semester 1 start if you are overseas. Applicants from countries with transfer limits or slow bank clearance should begin arranging the transfer at the point of offer, not at the point of deadline.
The accommodation guarantee, and what a hall really costs
This is the section most comparisons between Australian universities skip, and for ANU it is the strongest practical argument in the file. ANU runs 18 university-managed residences on or beside the Acton campus and states an accommodation guarantee for all eligible students, year-round: every student who applies receives a guaranteed offer in one of them[15]. Separately, the international admissions pages carry a narrower and older commitment in the same direction — an offer of on-campus accommodation guaranteed to international undergraduates commencing in the first semester of their first year[10].
Read both together. The guarantee covers the bed, not the building: the University says openly that applying early is what improves your chances of your preferred residence and room type. Recipients of the Chancellor's International Scholarship, when it is running, are additionally guaranteed accommodation for their first year as a benefit of the award[20]. Applications go through the Accommodation Portal and are separate from your admission application[10].
2027 rates, by residence and catering
Weekly tariffs are inclusive: internet and utilities are in the price at every residence, laundry is included at some and pay-as-you-go at others. These are the 2027 indicative standard-room rates[8]:
Across a 44-week contract the cheapest self-catered standard room works out at roughly 8,883 USD for the year and the dearest catered one at about 16,496 USD, a gap of the order of 7,614 USD — comparable to the difference between two tuition bands. Catering buys back your time and a fixed food bill; self-catering buys back money and a kitchen you have to use.
What is due before you move in
Accepting a residence offer triggers a second payment that trips up budgets built around tuition alone. For 2027 the standard components are two weeks' rent in advance, a refundable deposit of 825 USD, a registration fee of 254 USD for new students, and a residents' committee fee of 127-152 USD[40]. For the cheapest standard room that is about 1,637 USD due at acceptance; for a catered room at Bruce Hall it is about 1,986 USD[45].
And after first year
Two things change. The guarantee as ANU currently words it is year-round and not limited to first-years, but returning residents apply through a separate "apply to return" process and can also apply to transfer between residences[46]. And the contract length is the practical catch: most halls run 44 weeks, Lena Karmel 48, so a standard hall contract does not cover the whole calendar year. If you stay in Canberra over the summer — for research, an internship or a job — you need either an extension or somewhere else to sleep for eight weeks. Budget for that before you assume the hall rate is your annual housing cost.
Applying to ANU, step by step
Meeting a published minimum does not secure a place: several programmes select competitively above it. The route you take depends on your school qualification rather than your nationality. International applicants finishing an Australian Year 12 inside or outside Australia, an International Baccalaureate Diploma, or a New Zealand NCEA apply through the Universities Admissions Centre; everyone else applies directly to ANU[10]. Get this wrong and you lose weeks.
From school results to an ANU entrance rank
Convert your results into an ANU entrance rank on the indicative entry requirement index[47].
Check the rank each programme expects and whether it adds a portfolio, audition, interview or supplementary form.
Sit the English test early — the certificate must exist when you apply, and results are valid for two years from the date of application, or four where you have since completed a year of full-time study in English[6].
Shortlist up to three programmes in order of preference. That is the cap, each costs 95 USD, and if you succeed you receive an offer to your highest eligible preference — so do not fill all three slots with equally demanding options[10].
Apply with transcripts, certificates, passport and English results. Scholarship assessment is automatic; there is no separate form.
Accept by the date below, pay the 12,689 USD deposit, collect the Confirmation of Enrolment, then lodge the visa with health cover.
Apply for housing through the Accommodation Portal in the same week, and earlier if you care which hall you land in.
Coursework master's applications
Read the degree background and average the programme page expects; ANU converts foreign averages through its own country tables, including one for the UAE[48].
Assemble transcripts, degree certificate, CV and referees.
Watch the early closers: programmes offered by the Crawford School of Public Policy shut six weeks ahead of the general deadline.
Then accept, deposit and visa as above. Research degrees follow a different route entirely — see the research section below.
Deadlines for the 2027 intake
Stage
Semester 1, 2027
Semester 2, 2027
General application closes
15 December 2026
15 May 2027
Crawford School closes
31 October 2026
15 April 2027
Accept offer, from overseas
15 January 2027
30 June 2027
Accept offer, from inside Australia
31 January 2027
10 July 2027
Programmes with additional selection criteria set their own, earlier dates[10].
Research: the national facilities, and the two ways in
Research is the thing ANU was built for, and it is visible at undergraduate level in a way it is not at most universities. Two entry points matter.
Research as an undergraduate: the PhB
The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) runs four years and 192 units, and ANU describes it as a degree with no equivalent in Australia[36]. Roughly a quarter of the first three years is spent on Advanced Studies — individually tailored research work in two formats, either standalone research-focused courses or a higher-level extension attached to a regular course, both requiring the approval of the programme and course conveners. In practice you join a research team and run a hands-on project under an academic's supervision; alternatives include a theoretical project, a reading course with a senior researcher, or an external project with CSIRO or industry. The fourth year is an Honours year spent mostly on a single supervised research project. The 2027 indicative international fee for the Science stream is 36,571 USD, the same as a standard Bachelor of Science.
This is the route to take if you already know you want a PhD. It is the wrong route if you want a broad, low-pressure first degree: continuation in the programme is reviewed each semester by a Conditions of Award Committee after your first year[36].
MPhil and PhD: supervisor first, application second
Research degree admission at ANU turns on fit, not on grades alone, and the University asks you to find a supervisor before you apply. Some colleges have their own pre-application steps, and some ask for an expression of interest with a short description of your proposed research before a formal application[13]. Applications are accepted all year; scholarship deadlines are the constraint, and ANU advises completing your application two to three weeks ahead of them so referees have time.
PhD entry — an Australian bachelor's degree with at least second-class honours, or the international equivalent; some programmes require upper first-class honours. Another degree with a significant research or thesis component, or a combination of qualifications, publications and professional experience, can also work[13].
MPhil entry — a bachelor's degree or higher with an overall grade of distinction or above, or an equivalent qualification, or a comparable combination of research output and experience[13].
Documents — a short draft research proposal that establishes relevance, identifies the gap and sketches your method, plus at least two referee reports sent confidentially and directly to the University. Two are needed before assessment can begin[13].
The money works differently from coursework too. The ANU PhD Scholarship is a stipend awarded by the colleges to Higher Degree by Research candidates, worth 25,680 USD a year at the 2027 full-time base rate, paid fortnightly for 3.5 years, with travel and relocation allowances, a thesis allowance, a dependant child allowance for international students and paid medical and parental leave[49]. International recipients must study full time. No separate application is required — every complete admission application is considered. Eligibility is a bachelor's with first-class honours, which some colleges relax to upper second-class, or a master's with a research component.
One administrative detail with long consequences: students enrolled in a research programme do not receive a GPA[31]. Your record is your thesis and your publications. Plan for that if you expect to be assessed later by an employer or an immigration system that wants a numeric average.
Money off the tuition bill
ANU assesses its headline international awards automatically on the admission application — there is no separate form and no separate deadline[50]. You do, however, have to accept the scholarship offer separately from the academic offer.
ANU International Achievement Award — 20% off tuition for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students generally, 25% for South East Asia, 50% for the Pacific, applied at the start of each semester for the duration of the programme up to four years. Undergraduates need an ANU Selection Rank of 85 or equivalent, postgraduates a GPA of 5.5 or equivalent; citizens of Pacific Region countries need only the programme minimum. Residents of China including Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR Japan, Mongolia and the Korean peninsula are excluded and directed to the Vice-Chancellor's award instead[50].
ANU Vice-Chancellor's International Achievement Award — 20% off first-year tuition, one year only, for residents of those same countries and regions, on the same 85 selection rank or 5.5 GPA threshold[51].
ANU Chancellor's International Scholarship — 25% or 50% off tuition for the duration of the degree, up to 200 awards across nine regional categories, with guaranteed first-year accommodation attached. When checked in September 2026, its page stated that the scholarship was unavailable and showed applications closed[20], so do not build a 2027 budget around it.
ANU PhD Scholarship — 25,680 USD a year for 3.5 years, described above, open all year round[49].
Two eligibility traps recur. The coursework awards are closed to anyone holding an external sponsorship that covers all or part of their ANU tuition, and neither is available for the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery. Statuses also change mid-cycle, as the Chancellor's award shows, so re-check the award page the week you apply. Home-country and third-party funding runs on its own track — see our guide to scholarships for international students and the country overview of higher education in Australia.
The subclass 500 student visa costs from 1,586 USD for a primary applicant, a figure raised from 1,269 USD on 1 July 2026 and determined by the date you lodge, with lower charges for eligible ASEAN, Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants[11]. It lets you stay up to six years in line with your enrolment and work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session; hours are unrestricted during scheduled breaks, and students in a Master's by Research or a doctorate are exempt from the fortnightly cap once their course has started. You must also evidence funds for twelve months of living costs on top of tuition and travel — a national floor set by Home Affairs at 18,850 USD for a single applicant since 10 May 2024, benchmarked to 75% of the national minimum wage, with 6,595 USD for an accompanying partner and 2,823 USD per dependent child[52]. That number is a visa minimum and nothing to do with ANU: the University's own Canberra estimate of 20,938-24,744 USD sits above it, and is the figure to budget to. Home Affairs says the same thing in its own words — that declared living costs are a minimum, that actual costs vary across Australia, and that you should not rely on work to support yourself[11]. Full requirements and the document list are in our Australian student visa guide. Applications lodged from 14 November 2025 onwards, which covers every 2027 applicant, are processed under Ministerial Direction 115 rather than the older Direction 111[11].
What 48 hours a fortnight buys in Canberra is different from what it buys in Sydney. The ACT recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the country in July 2026 at 4.0% against a national 4.5% and Victoria's 5.1%, with a participation rate of 72.0%[22]. Finding work is not the problem; the range is. With 277800 people employed in the whole territory, the casual market is public administration, university services, hospitality and retail, and it is thin outside those. ANU's CareerHub board carries everything from casual shifts to graduate programmes, and coordinated internships run about ten weeks[53].
Afterwards comes the Temporary Graduate visa, subclass 485, Post-Higher Education Work stream. Home Affairs states a stay of usually between two and three years depending on your qualification, with five years for Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders, and a charge from 3,648 USD[12]. The conditions catch people out more often than the duration does: you must be in Australia when you apply, must have held a student visa within the previous six months, must hold a recent degree from a CRICOS-registered course, and must supply health insurance, evidence of an Australian Federal Police check and evidence of English with the application. The age rule is worth reading before you build a plan around it. You must be 35 or under when you apply, but you can be under 50 if you are using a Master's by Research or a doctoral degree to meet the Temporary Graduate study requirement, or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport[12]. That exception is one of the quieter arguments for ANU's research degrees: it moves the ceiling by fifteen years for anyone who did not come to Australia straight from school.
Canberra as a place to live
Canberra is not a city you move to for the city. The Australian Capital Territory held 489700 people at 31 March 2026[21] — a fraction of New South Wales' 8.67 million or Victoria's 7.15 million. A quarter of residents speak a language other than English at home, Sydney is a three-hour drive, and both the snow and the coast are two hours away[3].
The weather is the first surprise for applicants from the tropics or the Gulf. ANU describes Canberra summers as warm, with average maximum daily temperatures above 27°C, and winters as cold, with average maxima below 13°C[9]. Inland and 600 metres up, Canberra gets frost and single-digit mornings through winter in a way coastal Australian cities do not. Budget for a real coat.
On cost, the honest picture is mixed rather than cheap. The official yardstick is the rent written into bond lodgements: for tenancies starting in the December 2025 quarter the ACT median was 387 USD a week across all dwelling types, up from 254 USD at the start of 2015, according to figures the ACT Revenue Office gave the Legislative Assembly in May 2026. For a comparison with other capitals, the Domain property portal's median asking rents are more recent: in the June 2026 quarter a Canberra unit was listed at 368 USD a week against 495 USD in Sydney and 381 USD in Melbourne, and a house at 450 USD against 539 USD and 381 USD. So a Canberra unit undercuts Sydney by 127 USD a week and edges out Melbourne, while a whole house costs well above Melbourne. ANU's own student estimate is 198 USD a week in shared accommodation and 427 USD not sharing, with groceries at 93-129 USD, utilities 14-45 USD, phone and internet 11-16 USD, and a first-month establishment cost of 1,584-3,714 USD for bond, rent in advance, utilities and furniture[9]. This is where the accommodation guarantee earns its keep: a hall at 202 USD a week with utilities, internet and furniture included removes the establishment cost and the bond negotiation entirely.
Transport is the one line where Canberra is genuinely cheap for an ANU student. ANU puts weekly transport at 3-19 USD[9] — a number that only makes sense for a walkable single campus with the residences on it. Light rail and buses run by Transport Canberra cover the rest of the city, with concession fares for eligible cardholders[54]. For a wider view of daily life, see our guide to living in Australia as a student.
ANU students can spend part of a degree at one of 180 partner universities across 39 countries[27]. Layered on top is the IARU network: as the only Australian member of an alliance of 11 research-intensive universities, ANU offers its students IARU short courses, IARU summer internships, student exchange with IARU partners and IARU Student Sustainability Fellowships[55]. For an international student this is a second passport-stamp opportunity inside a single degree, and it is worth asking about at the point of choosing a programme rather than in third year, because exchange usually needs elective space reserved in advance. ANU's own Bachelor of Arts advice says exactly that — hold some electives back for exchange, internships and transdisciplinary requirements[28].
For applicants outside Australia
ANU converts qualifications through its own country tables, so find your row before you assume anything. CBSE and ISC results are read from the best four externally examined subjects plus English or Hindi[56]. The IB runs from an indicative 30.00 to 45.00[57], and IB applicants go through UAC rather than directly to ANU. A-levels are read on your best three or four subjects[58], the usual route for UAE and British-curriculum applicants. A US high school diploma and a Philippine Senior High School certificate count only with SAT or ACT scores, or AP results of 3 and above[59]. WAEC and NECO have no published table — write to admissions before you spend an application fee.
Documents. Order transcripts early and prepare a certified translation of your diploma where the originals are not in English. Apostille rules come from your own authorities, and they are what adds weeks.
English. ANU accepts IELTS Academic and IELTS UKVI Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced; Duolingo is not on the list, and "at home" or online versions of the accepted tests are rejected[6]. One recent change bites: a TOEFL iBT taken on or after 21 January 2026 is accepted only in its TOEFL iBT Australia form.
The undergraduate thresholds change for anyone commencing on or after 1 January 2027, which means most readers of this article[6]:
Test
Commencing before 1 January 2027
Commencing from 1 January 2027
IELTS Academic
6.5 overall, 6.0 per band
6.5 overall, 6.0 per band
TOEFL iBT
80 overall; R20 W20 L18 S18
81 overall; R16 W19 L16 S19
PTE Academic
64 overall; 55 per skill
64 overall; 60 per skill
Cambridge C1 Advanced
176 overall; 169 per skill
169 overall; R163 W170 L163 S179
Read that table carefully rather than skimming the overall scores. TOEFL's overall bar goes up by one point while its reading and listening components drop by four, and Cambridge's overall requirement falls while its speaking requirement rises by ten. A profile that cleared the old thresholds may not clear the new ones, and the reverse is also true.
Are 2027 tuition figures out, or should I plan on 2026 numbers?
They are out, but only programme by programme. Every 2027 programme page on the Programs & Courses catalogue carries an annual indicative fee for international students[34]. The consolidated Schedule of Tuition Fees PDF on the ANU fees-schedules page is still the 2026 edition as of September 2026[32]. Use the programme page for your own degree.
Is the accommodation guarantee only for first-year international students?
The guarantee page states it applies to all eligible students, year-round[15], while the international admissions page states the narrower commitment to international undergraduates commencing in their first semester[10]. If you are a commencing international undergraduate you are covered under either wording. Everyone else should apply early and read the offer.
Do any programmes demand a higher English score than the table above?
Yes. The Doctor of Medicine and Surgery sits on its own tier — IELTS 7.0 with 7.0 in every component, or TOEFL iBT 100 with R24 W27 L24 S23[6]. Several clinical and professional psychology programmes also require 7.0 across the board.
Can I take fewer than four courses in a semester if I am struggling?
Not unilaterally. A student-visa holder is expected to enrol in 24 units a study period and is recorded as under-loaded below that without prior University approval[29]. Talk to your College student office and get the reduction approved before the census date, not after it.
What if my results fall short of the indicative rank?
Early Offer and adjustment factors are for Australian applicants. Realistic options are another programme in the same college, or one year of a recognised bachelor's degree at home, which ANU accepts as an alternative basis of admission[10].
Is ANU part of the Group of Eight?
Yes — it is one of the eight research-intensive Australian universities in the group[60], and ANU describes itself as the most international of the eight[3]. Our overview of the Group of Eight compares them side by side.
Is ANU the right Australian choice?
Choose ANU when your field is one it leads nationally, when policy, economics, the Asia-Pacific or research-track science is the point of the degree, when you intend to continue into a PhD and want research experience from first year, and when one walkable campus with housing settled before you fly suits you better than a metropolis.
Look elsewhere when the budget cannot absorb Canberra's living costs on top of tuition, when you need a large casual job market to fund yourself, or when your target employers cluster in a bigger city — the University of Melbourne is the usual comparison, and our list of universities in Australia sets out the rest.
Three ANU-specific things to get right
Check the 2027 indicative fee on your own programme page, not on the 2026 schedule PDF — the two do not agree.
Submit the accommodation application separately, through the Accommodation Portal, in the week you accept.
If you are on an IB, an Australian Year 12 or a New Zealand NCEA, apply through UAC, not directly to ANU.
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