Australian university qualifications explained
By Ralph BrownPublished on
In Australia, university qualifications range from certificates to doctorates, each sitting at a different level of the Australian Qualifications Framework. This guide explains those levels of study, so you can figure out where you might like to start.
If you already know roughly what you want to study, you can browse online courses by qualification level.
What is the Australian Qualifications Framework?
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national system that organises every recognised qualification in Australia into 10 levels, from entry-level certificates through to doctorates.
Each level describes how complex the study is and how much independence you're expected to show by the end of it. That's what makes it useful: a diploma means the same thing whether you earn it in Perth or Hobart.
The levels span every sector. Vocational education and training covers the certificates and much of the diploma range, while higher education runs from level 5 to level 10. University study sits in that upper band, which is why those are the levels worth understanding in detail.
You don't need to start at the bottom and climb every rung. Most people enter at the level that matches their goal and their experience, and the framework is built to let you move between levels later. Complete a diploma and a university will often grant credit toward a related bachelor degree. Come back to study after a decade in your career and that work can count too, through recognition of prior learning.
University qualification levels at a glance
AQF level | Qualification | Typical full-time duration | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
1 to 4 | Certificates I to IV (vocational) | 6 months to 2 years | Job-ready vocational skills, usually through TAFE. See our TAFE vs uni guide |
5 | 1 to 2 years | Practical, foundational study in one field, or a first step towards a degree | |
6 | Advanced diploma | About 2 years | Paraprofessional roles, or credit towards a bachelor degree |
7 | 3 to 4 years | The standard qualification for most professions in Australia | |
8 | 6 months to 1 year (after a bachelor degree) | Specialising or upskilling after a degree, and the usual route into research | |
9 | 1 to 2 years | Advanced expertise after a degree, or a career change | |
10 | Doctoral degree | 3 to 4 years | Original research at the highest level |
There is one special case: the undergraduate certificate. It takes about six months of full time study to complete and isn't allocated to a single AQF level. Its subjects are drawn from levels 5 to 7, which is what makes it such a flexible way in, and it is now a permanent AQF qualification after its original end date was removed.
What is AQF level 5?
The diploma sits here, and it's the level most people underrate. It usually takes one to two years full time and gives you working knowledge of a single field rather than the breadth a degree covers.
Graduates are prepared for paraprofessional work, which in practice means roles that carry real responsibility without requiring a degree behind them.
What confuses people is that diplomas are issued in both sectors. The vocational version, from a TAFE or registered training organisation, is built around competency in specific job tasks.
The higher education version is built around academic subjects and usually designed to feed into a degree at the same university. Both are level 5, so check which kind you are looking at before you enrol.
If you're not sure a degree is right for you, or your school results closed some doors, a diploma is often the most sensible move available. It gets you a qualification in a year or two, and it earns credit if you decide to continue.
Read more: What is a diploma?
What is AQF level 6?
Two qualifications share this level, and they're less interchangeable than they look.
The associate degree is a higher education qualification of roughly two years, structured like the first half of a bachelor degree and designed from the outset to articulate into one.
The advanced diploma is usually a vocational qualification of a similar length, built around advanced technical skills for a particular occupation.
The difference shows up when you want to keep going. An associate degree usually transfers into a related bachelor degree with a substantial block of credit already banked, because the subjects were academic to begin with. An advanced diploma may also earn credit, but how much varies by university and by course, so confirm it before you commit.
Choose the associate degree if a bachelor degree is the eventual goal. Choose the advanced diploma if the job at the end is the goal and further study is a maybe.
Read more: What is an associate degree?
What is AQF level 7?
The bachelor degree is the standard qualification for most Australian professions, and level 7 is where the majority of university study happens.
Most take three years full time. Four years is common in fields with an accredited professional component, and some, like engineering or a double degree, run longer than that. Many online students study part time around work, which stretches the same degree out over more years.
Entry is more flexible than the ATAR conversation suggests. School results are one route in. A completed diploma is another, and it can bring credit with it. Some universities accept relevant work experience, and Open Access subjects let you prove yourself by passing two to four subjects before you formally apply.
If you've been out of school for years, your ATAR is often the least relevant thing about your application.
Study at this level when the profession you want requires a degree, or when you want the flexibility a broad qualification gives you across a working life.
Read more: What is a bachelor degree? or How to get into uni without an ATAR.
What is AQF level 8?
Three qualifications sit at level 8, and they attract very different people.
The bachelor honours degree is an advanced year of study built around a research thesis. It comes in two forms: an extra year added after a three-year bachelor degree, or an integrated four-year degree with honours built in from the start.
If a PhD is in your future, honours is the conventional way to get there.
Read more: What is an honours degree?
The graduate certificate is the shortest postgraduate qualification, around six months full time, and it's often the lowest-risk first move into postgraduate study.
You find out whether you enjoy the field and whether you can manage study alongside work, without signing up for two years. Pass those subjects and they will normally count as credit toward a related graduate diploma or masters at the same university.
Read more: What is a graduate certificate?
The graduate diploma is roughly a year full time and goes deeper. It suits people who want substantial specialist knowledge without committing to a masters, and it is often used to move sideways into a new field.
Entry to either a graduate certificate or diploma usually requires a completed bachelor degree, though relevant work experience is frequently accepted instead.
Read more: What is a graduate diploma?
What are AQF levels 9 and 10?
Level 9 is the masters degree, which involves one to two years of advanced study.
Coursework masters are the common form, built from taught subjects and aimed at professional expertise or a change of career.
Research masters are dominated by a thesis and usually expect honours or an equivalent research background.
Length varies with what you have already done, so someone entering with an honours degree may finish faster than someone entering with a three-year bachelor degree.
Level 10 is the doctorate, the highest qualification in Australia. The research doctorate, better known as the PhD, takes three to four years full time and focuses on original research assessed by external experts. The professional doctorate applies the same standard to a field of practice and carries more coursework.
Read more: What is a masters degree?
Undergraduate or postgraduate?
Undergraduate study, which covers levels 5 to 7 plus the undergraduate certificate, is for people who haven't completed a degree yet.
Postgraduate study, levels 8 to 10, normally builds on a completed degree, although relevant work experience can sometimes get you in without one.
The split matters mostly for entry requirements. If you're returning to study after years away, don't assume you have to start from scratch: your experience counts for more than you might think, and a student advisor can tell you in one conversation which door is actually open to you.
What I tell students:
The most common worry I hear is that starting with a diploma or a certificate somehow locks you out of a degree later. It’s usually the opposite. The framework is built for movement, and the students who start at the level that fits their life right now are the ones still studying a year on.
Not sure where you fit?
You don't have to work it out alone.
Help Me Choose can help you narrow things down in a few minutes, or you can get in touch with a student advisor for free, personalised guidance about which level suits where you're starting from.
Compare qualifications through us
Whatever level fits, you can compare courses from Australian universities in one place:
The university delivers and awards the qualification. We help you compare your options and understand the pathways between levels, right through to enrolment
About the author
Ralph Brown
Student advisor specialising in qualification advice
Ralph Brown is an experienced student advisor at Open Universities Australia. Over nine years, he has helped thousands of students compare courses, understand their options and take their next step with confidence. Ralph believes there is often more than one path forward. He gives clear, practical advice without pressure, helping students make decisions that suit their goals, circumstances and readiness to study.
Frequently asked questions
What does AQF stand for?
AQF stands for Australian Qualifications Framework, the national system that organises Australian qualifications into 10 levels across schools, vocational education and higher education.
The level tells you how advanced a qualification is, which is what lets employers and universities compare qualifications from different institutions on the same terms.
How do I check the AQF level of a course?
Every accredited course lists its qualification type, and the qualification type tells you the level. A diploma is always level 5 and a bachelor degree is always level 7, regardless of which university offers it.
On our site it appears on the course page, and if you're looking at a provider you don't recognise, a student advisor can confirm it for you.
Is a higher AQF level always better?
No. The right level is the one that matches your goal, your experience and the time you have. Plenty of careers are best served by a diploma rather than a degree.
Employers hire for the qualification the role requires, and a level 5 qualification you finish is worth more than a level 7 you abandon. Starting lower and building up later is a valid path, not a lesser one.
