Admission criteria

To be considered for entry into this course, you must:

• Have completed a bachelor degree (AQF7) or equivalent in any discipline with studies to have been completed within 10 years of 1 January in the year in which the applicant intends to commence Doctor of Physiotherapy.

Or

• Have completed a bachelor degree (AQF7) or equivalent in any discipline completed 10 or more years before 1 January of the year in which the applicant intends to commence the Doctor of Physiotherapy.
  
  And
• Have completed a graduate diploma (AQF8) or equivalent in any discipline completed within 10 years before 1 January of the year in which the applicant intends to commence the Doctor of Physiotherapy.

And

• Have completed below prerequisite subject(s):

  • University subject in human anatomy or equivalent, and
  • University subject in human physiology or equivalent.

And

• Have completed the CASPer® situational judgement test.

See About selection for important details about the CASPer® situational judgement test dates.

The University of Melbourne is committed to maintaining a transparent admissions policy by clearly communicating all entry scores to prospective students. Entry requirements to the University of Melbourne are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with the University's Selection and Admissions Policy. The entry requirements published for this course will apply from the start year 2027 intake onwards.

Where degree levels are referenced, levels align with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Applications are assessed against these standards.

Don't meet the prerequisite subject requirements?

You may have the option to enrol in specific single subjects through the University's Community Access Program, even if you are not enrolled in a course. Completing these prerequisite subjects may qualify you for entry into this course. This option is not available to student visa holders or applicants. Learn more about single subject study.

English language requirements

All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test. If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:

About selection

As part of your application, you must also:

• Have taken the Casper Situational Judgement Test

CASPer® Situational Judgement Test further information

All applicants seeking entry to the Doctor of Physiotherapy must undertake an approved Situational Judgement Test (SJT).

Applicants must take the SJT the year before their intended commencement of the Doctor of Physiotherapy

You must be registered for one of the following test times at least three days prior to the test date. All test times are listed in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Please convert them to your local timezone.

• Apr 12, 2026 - 10:00 AM AEST
• May 5, 2026 - 7:00 PM AEST
• May 14, 2026 - 7:00 PM AEST
• Jun 11, 2026 - 7:00 PM AEST
• Jun 21, 2026 - 10:00 AM AEST

The approved Casper test type for the Doctor of Physiotherapy is the Australia Casper 2 (CSP-20400) – English, 2026-2027 cycle, provided by Acuity Insights. You can find a link to test dates online available at https://my.acuityinsights.app/dates-times/.

Please note that only results obtained on one of the approved test dates shown above can be used to gain entry in the 2027 intake. We do not accept tests taken on any other dates.

Applicants are encouraged not to leave completing the Casper test until the last test date, as additional dates will not be available under any circumstances, including illness or other misadventures.

You can only take the Casper test once per admissions cycle. If you’re applying to multiple programs that require the same test type, you only need to reserve one Casper test. You will opt to distribute your results to your chosen programs within your Acuity Insights account.

You can take the Casper test before submitting your application for the Doctor of Physiotherapy. To register, you need a University of Melbourne Student ID. If you do not already have a Student ID, you can get one by starting your online application and completing step 1 (register). Once you have obtained a Student ID, you can register for one of the approved Casper tests listed above.

There are a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for this course. To ensure you are considered for a CSP, submit your complete application prior to the application deadline.

Missing information or documents may result in your application being deemed ineligible.

When assessing (and where relevant, ranking) applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• Prior academic performance
• Performance in test or examination

See Additional Information for the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) calculation method.

The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Selection and Admission Policy.

Meeting the minimum entry requirements for this course does not guarantee selection.

Additional information

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) calculation method

When assessing your prior academic performance, your most recent bachelor's degree results (including honours) will be used for the purposes of calculating your Weighted Average Mark (WAM) regardless of any subsequent graduate studies completed. Your WAM will be measured by considering the last three years of your undergraduate coursework studies (including honours when available).

Weightings will be applied by weighting the first of the final three years by 1, the second year by 2 and the final year by 2.

The Selection Committee may re-rank up to 3 applicants in any given intake with a high level of performance in postgraduate studies in a cognate area subject to the following:

• Postgraduate study must have been completed within ten years of commencement of the Doctor of Physiotherapy;
• Postgraduate study must be the equivalent of at least a one-year full time program;
• Postgraduate study must be in a discipline that builds upon studies completed at the undergraduate level;
• Postgraduate study must be in a health related or biological sciences discipline.

The Selection Committee is not required to fill the quotas and any unused places will be allocated as normal.

Prerequisite subjects

Learn more about prerequisite subjects for the Doctor of Physiotherapy.

Inherent requirements

This course has inherent requirements. Refer to the Doctor of Physiotherapy Handbook for important information on these requirements.

Clinical placements

Clinical Placements are undertaken as part of this course. All students must undertake a Police Record Check, obtain a Working with Children Check and comply with immunisation requirements. Refer to the following pages for important information:

• Clinical Education Risk & Governance
• MDHS Compliance Booklet
• Student Placements.

Graduate Access Melbourne (GAM)

We encourage domestic students to explore eligibility for Graduate Access Melbourne (GAM). GAM offers an opportunity for admission to this course even if your tertiary marks are below the standard entry requirements. GAM applicants may also be considered for financial bursaries and Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) where available.

GAM categories include coming from a rural area, being an Indigenous Australian, experiencing financial hardship or personal difficulties, having refugee status, or living with a disability or medical condition. In assessing applications, we look to balance opportunity and your capacity to succeed.

Advanced Standing

Prior studies may be credited towards your degree and potentially reduce the duration of your course. This is known as Advanced Standing (also known as credit or recognition of prior learning).

Advanced Standing is not considered for this course.

For additional, in-depth details on entry requirements and admissions for this course, refer to the University Handbook.