1.1.L.40 Levels of tertiary courses (YA, Austudy, PES)

Definition

For the purposes of Austudy and PES, tertiary courses must be approved, determined to be a tertiary course under subsections 569H(13), 1061PC and 1061PI(13) and are assigned levels. The groupings in this topic are a guide to the level of study of any given course.

For YA purposes, tertiary courses must be approved, determined to be a tertiary course under subsection 541B(5) and are assigned levels for the purposes of the satisfactory progress under the Youth Allowance (Satisfactory Study Progress Guidelines) Determination 1998.

There are 5 levels of tertiary courses: levels M, A, B, C and D.

Level M courses for Austudy only

A course for a degree of Master (or equivalent) is a Level M course.

Note: Masters courses that are not specified in Schedule 3 of the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2008 (No. 1) are NOT approved courses for YA, Austudy and PES purposes.

Act reference: SSAct section 569H(8) Levels of tertiary courses, section 569H(8A) Level M courses

Level A courses for YA, Austudy & PES

Level A courses are:

• postgraduate bachelor degree course, with or without Honours,
• graduate or postgraduate diploma course,
• a course of practical legal training at a higher education institution,
• a course of advanced education regarded by an accrediting authority as being at PG1 level, and
• a graduate certificate course.

Postgraduate bachelor degrees (sometimes referred to as graduate entry bachelor degrees) are those courses which require the student to have already undertaken an undergraduate qualification (bachelor degree) in order to gain entry to the course. They are an advanced pathway for entry into a number of professions, including, but not limited to, medicine, law, nursing, teaching and social work.

Many universities list their postgraduate bachelor degrees with undergraduate courses in their course handbooks or classify them as undergraduate study. This does not mean that the courses are not postgraduate bachelor degrees.

When deciding if a course is a postgraduate bachelor degree, the following factors should be considered:

• whether the course requires a student to have previously completed study at the undergraduate (bachelor) degree level,
• whether the course normally takes less semesters/years of study than the related undergraduate (bachelor) degree in that area,
• whether the course code for graduate entry is different to the related undergraduate (bachelor) degree, and
• whether the content of the postgraduate bachelor degree and the related undergraduate (bachelor) degree are different, although the courses may share some subjects.

Act reference: SSAct section 569H(9) Level A courses, section 1061PI(9) Level A courses

Level B courses for YA, Austudy & PES

Level B courses are:

• a bachelor degree course (other than a postgraduate course) with or without Honours,
• the bachelor level component of a Masters degree course with concurrent bachelor and Masters level study,
• a diploma course other than:
  • a graduate or postgraduate diploma course, or
  • a course for which an entry requirement is successful completion of Year 10 studies, or
  • a TAFE course, or
  • a course provided by a VET provider (this only applies to Austudy and YA),
• a Masters qualifying course,
• the Barristers or Solicitors Admission Board's course, and
• a course of advanced education regarded by an accrediting authority as being at UG1 or UG2 level.

Bachelor degree courses do not include postgraduate bachelor degrees (also known as graduate entry bachelor degrees). Postgraduate bachelor degrees should generally be considered to be Level A courses.

Act reference: SSAct section 569H(10) Level B courses, section 1061PI(10) Level B courses

Level C courses for YA, Austudy & PES

Level C courses include:

• an associate degree course,
• an associate diploma course,
• a diploma course at a TAFE for which an entry requirement is successful completion of year 12 secondary studies,
• a course provided by a VET provider for which an entry requirement is successful completion of year 12 secondary studies (this only applies to Austudy and YA),and
• a 2-year undergraduate diploma course.

Act reference: SSAct section 569H(11) Level C courses, section 1061PI(11) Level C courses

Level D courses

Level D courses are:

• a TAFE course at a higher education institution,
• a TAFE course, unless the course is in Level A, B or C, and
• a diploma course provided by a VET provider, unless the course is a Level A, B, C or M (this only applies to Austudy and YA).

Act reference: SSAct section 569H(12) Level D courses, section 1061PI(12) Level D courses

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Last reviewed: 7 March 2011