A while back, the QS rankings came out, and we know plenty of students felt newly motivated to apply to Australian universities (for the full story, see: The QS 2024 University Rankings Are Out — Australian Universities Soar! Melbourne 14th Globally, Sydney/UNSW Tied at 19th, UTS Cracks the Top 100 for the First Time! No Gaokao Score Required to Get In!)

Right in the middle of the study-abroad application season, we know many students have already received an offer from the university of their choice. But some would love to study at a world-class Top 100 university, since for many people one key reason to pursue a postgraduate degree overseas is to earn a qualification that genuinely carries weight.

But we are often asked: is my grade average high enough? Is my GPA a little on the low side? Can I get into world-renowned universities like Sydney, UNSW or Monash?

Yes, you can — there is a way!

Many Australian master’s degrees can be reached by first completing a Graduate Diploma (GD for short below) or Graduate Certificate (GC for short below), and then transferring into the master’s coursework.

At this point, students often ask: I clearly applied for a postgraduate programme, so why is my offer different from my classmates’? What exactly are a GD and a GC? What is the difference between the two? And how do they relate to the postgraduate programme I originally applied for? When the time comes, will my master’s testamur somehow be “second-rate”?

Today, on the question of completing a GD or GC first and then pathwaying into a master’s, let me walk you through it.

What are

GC and GD programmes?

NEWS

”

First, let’s look at how Australian qualifications are tiered:

Clearly, both the GD and the GC sit between a bachelor’s and a master’s degree — higher than an undergraduate bachelor’s degree, lower than a postgraduate master’s degree.

GD = Graduate Diploma

– Usually one year in length

– The content covers the first year of the relevant master’s programme — the same content as any other regular postgraduate study

–completing it successfully and meeting the score requirement (the score requirement is not high), you can move into the third semester (second year) of the master’s programme.

GC = Graduate Certificate

– Usually half a year in length

– This programme covers the first semester (usually half a year) of the master’s programme

–completing it successfully and meeting the score requirement (the score requirement is not high), you can move into the second semester of the master’s programme.

So, ranked by level of recognition and academic difficulty:

Master degree> Graduate Diploma (GD)> Graduate Certificate (GC)> Bachelor degree

When

can you do a GD or GC first?

NEWS

”

Undergraduate grades just a touch short? You can.

For students who completed their bachelor’s degree within Australia or back home, if your undergraduate grades fall just short of the master’s programme you have your heart set on, a GD or GC is a great opportunity — a bridge into a higher-ranked university and field of study. It also helps you settle into study and life in Australia ahead of time, so you can be well prepared.

The GC has slightly lower entry-grade requirements than the GD, and you can generally choose from three pathways: GC-GD-Master, GC-Master, or GD-Master, depending on how the university structures that particular field of study and programme.If you already have a rough goal in mind, get in touch and I can check the specifics for you.

Most business programmes at the Group of Eight (Go8) universities everyone loves have a GC/GD bridge built in, and quite a few IT and engineering programmes do too, as does the recently popular media field.However, the disciplines that are now the golden tickets for migration — education, nursing, social work and health — do not.

Don’t meet the background requirement? You can’t.You can’t

Students also often ask: if the master’s field I want to apply for is completely unrelated to my bachelor’s degree and I have no relevant background at all, but that master’s programme requires a relevant background, can I still get in via a GD + GC? The answer is no. As mentioned above, the content of a GD and a GC matches the field of study of the master’s programme.

For example,

Sydney / UNSW / Monash / UQ…

NEWS

”

The Group of Eight, along with universities everyone is keen on such as UTS, MQ and RMIT, offer GC/GD bridging programmes across many fields for students whose undergraduate grades are just a touch short.It is impossible to list or summarise them all here, so I have picked a few of the most frequently asked about to showcase.If you would like the specifics, get in touch and ask.

For example:

University of Sydney — Master of Project Management / Master of Economics (QS ranking 41 in 2023): direct entry to the master’s requires a grade average of 80 or above from a non-prestigious (“double non”) university, whereas the GD requires a grade average of only 75 or above to apply.

Another example:

UNSW’s GC in Commerce and GC in Computing

Entry requirement: an undergraduate grade average of 60% or above

Progression-to-master’s requirement: successfully complete the corresponding GC with a grade average of 65% or above

In addition, the offers for the GC and GD programmes at the University of Sydney and UNSW are not packaged together — you need to finish the GD or GC and then submit a separate application for the master’s.

Another example:

Monash University and the University of Queensland give a GD/GC + Master packaged offer: once you finish the GD/GC and passmeet the requirement to enter the main course, you automatically progress into the main coursework

See Monash University’s package offer below:

All in all, the GC and GD have lower requirements for background and undergraduate grades, and if your English doesn’t directly meet the requirement, you can pair it with an English language course. It’s an excellent bridge for those whose grades fall short but who want to study a Go8 postgraduate degree.

Want to know more about these programmes, or get a plan assessed straight away? Just drop me a line!

Past articles worth revisiting

Six types of finance professionals in China can all move to Australia! Which pathways? Easy to be invited?

No study abroad and none of the usual hassle — many overseas teachers can migrate to Australia directly too!

No English test + no points test + no age limit for a one-step green card — there’s still a chance!

Migration News Sharing Group

2023

Step 1: Press and hold to add our consultant

Step 2: After adding, please

Study, Migration, Visas — We Are the Professionals

Attention!Please verify a genuine Newstarsec consultant!

Study & Migration Enquiries Consultants Nationwide

Sydney Head Office

Melbourne

Canberra

Brisbane

Adelaide

Hobart

Beijing

Guangzhou

Perth

Next branch

Follow the Newstarsec Official Account

Reply on the official account with one of the numbers below or any keyword (not in the article’s comment section), to get the most timely and professional migration news! Reply [A] to view the directory (covering all topics)!

Reply: 0000 → View the 16 Nov new-policy update (491 + skilled migration points)

Score 60/65 and Still Get into a Go8 Master’s! How GC and GD Let You Have It All. Are the Qualifications Different? How Do You Pathway In? Which Fields Can You Choose?

Six types of finance professionals in China can all move to Australia! Which pathways? Easy to be invited?

No study abroad and none of the usual hassle — many overseas teachers can migrate to Australia directly too!

No English test + no points test + no age limit for a one-step green card — there’s still a chance!

Quick Links

Popular Services

Our Branding Offices

Follow Us