Macquarie University

Campus Locations

Events

Important Dates

Open day

Macquarie University Open Day, North Ryde
Saturday 15 August 2026

Refer to the Macquarie University Open Day web page for up-to-date details.

Campus tours

You can never truly know if a uni is right for you until you visit in person and get a feel for the campus. At Macquarie University, we’re ready to help you get to know your future home. Visit our campus tour schedule.

Student Outcomes

The student outcomes display the overall undergraduate results for the institution.

Positive Student Experience

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Graduate Satisfaction

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Overall Employment

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Median Graduate Salary

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L/N: Low numbers – The number of survey responses are too low to display.

N/A: Data not available for this study area or institution.

Data source: ComparED website

No QILT data available for this institution.

For further information visit ComparED website

Policies and Services

Admission criteria

To be offered a place in a degree you must meet the degree’s entrance requirements and be selected in competition with other eligible applicants.

Macquarie University is all about success. We recognise that your ATAR doesn’t necessarily reflect your achievements or potential, which is why our range of entry pathways consider a variety of criteria. To best help you follow your passion, Macquarie has created a simple entry program navigator that allows you to compare all entry programs to work out which ones suit you the best.

Visit Macquarie entry pathways

Applicants with recent secondary education

Australian Year 12 students

Admission is based on the selection rank you receive after completing your Australian Year 12 qualification or International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2025. The selection rank considers your ATAR or equivalent rank, plus any adjustment factors you’re eligible for.

Selection rank adjustments

Selection rank adjustments may allow you to receive an offer to a degree even though you have an ATAR below the published lowest selection rank. Macquarie University takes into account a number of adjustment factors when calculating your selection rank. You can receive up to a maximum of 15 adjustment factor points depending on the degree you’re interested in.

Macquarie University adjustment factors

Equity-based adjustments

Educational Access Schemes

Macquarie recognises that life circumstances or events beyond your control can impact education, opportunity and achievement. That’s why we consider your individual situation. If you’ve experienced educational or social disadvantage, or other special circumstances, you may be eligible to receive up to five additional points.

Macquarie University EAS applications are processed centrally through UAC.

Achievement-based adjustments

The following factors recognise your record of accomplishment in a range of interest areas and activities:

Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers

If performing, training or competitive commitments have affected your HSC or study preparation, you may be eligible for selection rank adjustments.

Macquarie participates in UAC’s Elite Athlete and Performer Scheme (EAPS). For detailed MQ criteria, visit Macquarie University’s achievement-based adjustment factors. By applying for EAPS through UAC, applicants can have their circumstances taken into consideration by Macquarie.

How to apply for UAC's Elite Athlete and Performer Scheme

Academic Advantage

Academic Advantage applies to the majority of Macquarie’s degrees and recognises your achievements in Year 12 subjects that relate to Macquarie’s degrees.

Depending on your performance in certain subjects related to your degree of interest, you may receive up to a maximum of six adjustment factor points. UAC will automatically adjust your selection rank if a Macquarie University degree is listed in your preferences.

Academic Advantage  

Duke of Edinburgh's, King’s Scout and Queen’s Guide Awards  

If you’ve completed the Duke of Edinburgh's, the King’s Scout or the Queen’s Guide awards, you may be eligible to receive up to six additional points. This adjustment factor scheme recognises your commitment, discipline and determination to venture outside of your comfort zone to excel and develop your interpersonal, employability and practical skills.

Duke of Edinburgh, King’s Scout and Queen’s Guide Awards

FIRST® Australia  

If you’ve participated in FIRST® challenges and events, you may be eligible to receive 5 adjustment factor points, depending on your participation level and project completion. You may be eligible for an additional five points for competing in at least one FIRST® Tech Challenge or FIRST® Robotics Challenge World Championship.

Location-based adjustments

Regional Entry

If you’re from regional or remote Australia and don’t have access to the same resources as students in cities and larger towns, you may be eligible to receive up to nine additional points through the Regional Entry Scheme, depending on the remoteness of your primary residential postcode. This scheme applies to the majority of Macquarie’s degrees.

You can enter your postcode into the online calculator to estimate how many points you’re eligible for.

Regional Entry Scheme

Macquarie Catchment

If you live in Macquarie’s catchment region, you may be eligible to receive five additional points.

Note: If you qualify for both Catchment Adjustment Factors and the Regional Entry Scheme, you’ll only receive adjustment factors for one, from whichever scheme awards you the highest amount.

Macquarie Catchment  

Criteria that may apply in addition to the ATAR

In addition to achieving the standard of performance required for admission, for certain degrees you may be required to also satisfy additional selection criteria. This may involve completing a personal statement, questionnaire, portfolio of work, audition, interview or test. These criteria are considered either instead of, or in conjunction with, your ATAR or equivalent.

Details of additional selection criteria and how you can meet these requirements are outlined in the degree descriptions.

If you’re undertaking your Year 12 studies outside of Australia and you’re applying for a degree that has additional selection criteria that you think you’ll find difficult to meet, contact Macquarie University.

Assumed knowledge

Assumed knowledge is specified in the degree descriptions. While it’s not a requirement for acceptance into a degree, you may find the degree difficult if you haven’t completed the specified HSC subjects.

Bridging courses

Bridging courses provide learning support, a useful refresher and a solid foundation for your university studies.

Mathematics and statistics

The Numeracy Centre offers free help with the mathematics or statistics component of any first-year degree/major, including those in accounting, actuarial studies, biology, chemistry, economics, electronics, mathematics, physics, psychology and statistics. The centre works on a drop-in basis during the week and runs a variety of bridging courses at the beginning of every session.

The Numeracy Centre also offers a number of courses at the start of each year on a fee-paying basis.

The Preparatory Course in Mathematics is an intensive course that's ideal if you plan to enrol in first-year mathematics units or if you need a solid review of introductory mathematical concepts.

Two different streams are available. Review sessions are also run to refresh prerequisite knowledge early in the session.

For more information, visit the Numeracy Centre website, call (02) 9850 8924 or email fse.numeracy@mq.edu.au

Chemistry

The chemistry bridging course is ideal if you plan to study university science but you didn’t study chemistry at HSC level, if you need to gain confidence in chemistry, or if you want a refresher course in chemistry.

The course is excellent preparation for any of the following units:

• CHEM1001/CHEM102
• BMOL1001
• BIOL1620

For more information, contact fse.molsci-reception@mq.edu.au or call (02) 9850 8275.  

Physics

The physics bridging course prepares you for studies in physics, astronomy, engineering, medical sciences and related disciplines. It provides learning support, a useful refresher and a solid foundation for your university studies in physics.

If you haven’t completed physics to HSC level or equivalent, this course is recommended if you plan to enrol in:

• PHYS1510/PHYS1520 or PHYS1010/PHYS1020
• WPHY1510/ WPHY1520

It's also excellent preparation for:

• PHYS1210 and a foundation for the GAMSAT
• Foundations for engineering units, such as MECH1001, CIVL1001, ENGG1000 and ENGG1050.

For more information, contact fse.physacadmin@mq.edu.au or call (02) 9850 4244.

Macquarie University bridging courses

Other admission options

Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme

The Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme considers your Year 11 academic performance alongside your extracurricular activities, casual work experience and community involvement to assess your eligibility for an early offer into a Macquarie degree. The scheme is available for most Macquarie degrees.

Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme

Academic Entry Program

The Academic Entry Program matches your strengths to Macquarie's world-class degrees. The program considers your performance in individual subjects and matches your strengths to a degree that suits you. Your results in NSW HSC Board Developed Courses that correspond to select Macquarie degrees are reviewed, and make you an offer dependent on your performance in these subjects. The program is available for most Macquarie degrees and is processed centrally through UAC.

Academic Entry Program

Schools Recommendation Schemes

The Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS) allows your school to recommend you for an early university offer. Your Year 11 academic achievements, as well as your school’s rating of your aptitude and learning ability, will be considered. If you are found to be suitable, you'll be made an early offer. The scheme is available for most Macquarie degrees and is processed centrally through UAC.

Schools Recommendation Schemes  

Limited ATAR

Under certain circumstances, you may be admitted based on a Limited ATAR.

Pathways to Macquarie University

Applicants with higher education study

If you’ve previously undertaken tertiary studies, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your overall record of academic merit – for both secondary and tertiary study. If you have tertiary award studies but you haven’t completed a Year 12 certificate, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your tertiary rank.

Former Macquarie University students

If you’re a Macquarie student applying to return to the same undergraduate degree, you may apply via UAC. If you’ve been previously excluded from Macquarie University and have finished the exclusion period, you should apply via UAC.

Admission is competitively based on academic merit. It's recommended that you undertake further studies to improve your academic performance.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

If you’ve previously undertaken VET studies, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your overall record of academic merit – for both secondary and VET study. If you have VET award studies but haven’t completed a Year 12 certificate, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your VET rank. If you’ve completed a specified diploma or advanced diploma, you could be eligible for articulation into specified Macquarie degrees.

Other entry programs

Macquarie University College

Macquarie University College offers diplomas, and foundation and intensive programs. Developed specifically to meet Macquarie’s entry requirements, the pathway programs are designed so that upon successful completion, you can seamlessly transition to the first or second year of your chosen undergraduate degree, provided you meet the entry criteria.

If you don’t receive a competitive offer based on your academic ranking, Macquarie University offers other pathways to a degree.

Next Step

Next Step allows non-school applicants to study Macquarie units alongside current degree students. Once you successfully complete your units, you may use the results to gain entry into a range of Macquarie degrees.

Open Universities Australia

Open Universities Australia allows you the flexibility to study Macquarie units at your own pace, building towards a full Macquarie degree. Study is completely online for most units and is open to students with an ATAR below entry requirement, or even no ATAR at all.

Applicants with work and life experience (including those who left secondary education more than two years ago)

If your highest level of education is the Higher School Certificate (or equivalent), you’ll be assessed on the basis of those results.

Some degrees require you to attend an interview. Visit Macquarie University coursefinder to learn more about entry requirements for your chosen degree.

If you don’t have adequate formal education qualifications, but you do have informal learning and work experience, you can submit a portfolio for entry into a diploma, foundation or intensive program offered by Macquarie University College.

Pathways

If the above entry programs don't meet your personal circumstance, you still have options. Explore the following pathways:

• internal transfer programs (enrol in a degree with a lower ATAR and transfer into your desired degree)
• Special Tertiary Admissions Test. – for non current school leavers over the age of 20 only, who do not hold any other academic qualifications at Cert IV or above.

Applicants with overseas qualifications

If you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia with overseas qualifications, check the commonly accepted overseas secondary qualifications.

If you apply on the basis of overseas qualifications, you may be required to sit an English language proficiency test.

First Nations applicants

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entry Pathway provides tertiary study opportunities for Indigenous Australians who may not have completed their HSC or acquired a necessary selection rank for entry into their degree of choice.

This pathway involves a two-stage process: an online application and then a face-to-face interview. Offers are made according to merit, based on demonstrated capacity and readiness to undertake university study.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Indigenous Student Support Officer prior to applying. Call (02) 9850 8624.

Applicants with Australian Defence Force (including Reserves) experience

In recognition of your ADF service, your selection rank for an undergraduate degree will be increased by 5 points. The points will be allocated when you declare and provide valid proof of your ADF service in your UAC application.

How to apply

Apply through UAC.

Enrolment

Acceptance of offer

New undergraduate students will have the opportunity to enrol online in their first year at Macquarie. Information and enrolment instructions for new students are available on Macquarie’s enrolment website.

Orientation takes place the week before classes begin and is the best way to find out what university life has to offer. The day is run entirely by Macquarie’s student volunteers, Mentors@Macquarie, who take new students through the basics of university and help ease the transition into university life. Read about orientation and assistance with the transition into university life.

Advanced standing

If you are seeking recognition for prior learning, you must complete an application and provide the relevant supporting evidence. Visit .

Deferment

Deferment is available to all applicants (excluding other specific degrees), for up to one year only. Diploma, foundation and intensive program students can defer their offer for one term. The offer will lapse if tertiary studies (e.g. Certificate IV and above, university studies) are undertaken during the deferment period.

Fees and charges

Visit the Macquarie University for information about course fees. All students must pay a student contribution for a Commonwealth-supported place (CSP). Payment of a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is compulsory for most students.

Financial Assistance

Youth and student allowances

For details on Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY, visit Services Australia website.

Loans

The Student Loan Scheme provides assistance to students who are unable to finance basic needs while studying.

Equity Scholarships

Macquarie University offers a range of Equity Scholarships as well as scholarships under the Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP). These are open to all eligible students applying to, or enrolled at, Macquarie University. All Macquarie Equity and ISSP Scholarships applications are processed centrally through UAC.

Macquarie University Equity Scholarship offerings are under review. Read about scholarships for up-to-date information.

Other scholarships

The University offers several prizes and scholarships. Read about the scholarships available.

Where to get further information

• Macquarie University – Macquarie University Institute's Profile
• TEQSA national register – The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia's independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education
• ComparED – The ComparED website provides prospective students with transparent institution information from recent graduates and current students views.
• Study Assist – Information for students about government assistance for financing tertiary study.
• Tertiary Admission Centre: UAC (NSW & ACT)