When required, adding a CV and/or a personal statement is your opportunity to provide the admission area with greater insight into who you are, your qualifications, background and why you want to attend Deakin.

Depending on the course you are applying for, you may need to include a personal statement as part of your application. This is your chance to let us know why you would make a great Deakin student. It could also be the key to getting you into the course of your dreams, so it is important you take your time and put in the extra effort. If you need help getting started, check out our tips on writing your personal statement.

You will need to attach documents supporting your level of English proficiency, according to the English language requirements of your chosen degree.

Learn more about our English language requirements

If you have studied or been in the workforce, you could use your learning qualifications to reduce the number of subjects or units you need to study for your degree at Deakin – this means you could finish your course earlier and pay less.

How to apply for recognition of prior learning

To apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL), complete the relevant section of your application form and include:

• certified copies of any relevant academic transcripts and certificates (please don't send in any original documents at this stage as they will not be returned)
• information on the structure or curriculum (including the level e.g. diploma, bachelor, masters) of the course that you would like to use for the RPL
• details of the unit, subject outline for all the units and subjects studied in your course, including:
  • breakdown of topics covered in each unit
  • number of contact hours
  • summary of assessment criteria (e.g. examinations, assignments)
  • a list of recommended textbooks and other references used for the unit.

If your application is successful, your Letter of Offer will include details about your RPL. When you then enrol, you will need to present all original documents to the student adviser to complete your application for your RPL.

Find out more about recognition of prior learning

• Photocopy a copy of your original document.
• Photocopies must be legible; this applies to all aspects of the document, including the name and address of the awarding institution.
• If the document is in a language other than English, a certified copy of the original must be provided together with a certified translation.
• Take both the photocopy and original to one of the people listed below to have them certified.
• The authorised person must write and sign each page of the copied document.
• The authorised person should sign each statement and provide their designation, i.e. Pharmacist.

Many authorised persons have a stamp they use to mark the paper before they sign and date the declaration. If an authorised person does not have a stamp, they may use wording such as the example below:

Certified true copy. Original sighted by me on ......../......../20......

Signed ..................................................................................

Signatory's authority: .............................................................

Signatory’s Professional Registration Number: ……………….

In Australia, the following people are acceptable as signatories for certification of documents:

• a justice of the peace or bail justice
• a public notary
• an Australian lawyer (within the meaning of the Legal Profession Act 2004)
• a clerk to an Australian lawyer
• the prothonotary or deputy prothonotary of the Supreme Court, the registrar or the deputy registrar of the County Court, the principal registrar of the Magistrates' Court or the registrar or the deputy registrar of the Magistrates' Court
• the registrar of probates and the assistant registrar of probates
• the associate to a judge of the Supreme Court or of the County Court
• the associate of an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court or of an associate judge of the County Court
• a person registered as a patent attorney under Chapter 20 of the Patents Act 1990 of the Commonwealth
• a member of the police force
• the sheriff or deputy sheriff
• a member or a former member of either House of the Parliament of Victoria
• a member or a former member of either House of the Parliament of the Commonwealth
• a councillor of a municipality
• a senior officer of a council as defined in the Local Government Act 1989
• a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practise in the medical profession (other than as a student)
• a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practise in the dental profession as a dentist (other than as a student) and in the dentists division of that profession
• a veterinary practitioner
• a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practise in the pharmacy profession (other than as a student)
• a principal in the teaching service
• the manager of an authorised deposit-taking institution
• a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia or the Australian Society of Accountants or the Institute of Public Accountants
• the secretary of a building society
• a minister of religion authorised to celebrate marriages (not a civil celebrant)
• a person employed under Part 3 of the Public Administration Act 2004 with a classification that is prescribed as a classification to which this section applies or who holds office in a statutory authority with such a classification
• a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (Victoria).

Outside Australia, the following people are authorised to certify documents:

• a justice of the peace
• notary public
• Australian Consular Officer or Australian Diplomatic Officer (within the meaning of the Consular Fees Act 1955)
• employee of the Commonwealth or the Australian Trade Commission who works outside of Australia
• a recruitment agent for international students.

Outside Australia, the following people are authorised to sight documents:

• Deakin offshore office staff
• Deakin international onshore staff
• Deakin International Managers travelling overseas
• Selected Deakin International staff members travelling overseas
• Registrar or Dean of Administration or equivalent may sight transcripts, testamurs, and other documents created by their own institution for students or past students of the institution
• Registrar or Dean of Administration or equivalent of a Deakin partner university or Deakin partner institute may sight transcripts, testamurs and other documents for students intending to enrol in a partnership program.

You cannot certify your own documents, even if you are listed as being able to do so for others on the list above.

A family member cannot certify your documents, even if they are listed as being able to do so for other people on the list above.

Sometimes you may be asked to complete a statutory declaration. The Department of Justice has more information on how to complete this, including a downloadable form. The Office of General Counsel can also provide information on statutory declarations and/or affidavits.

Applying online is simple, convenient and fast. You do not need to pay an application fee but you will need details of:

• previous studies (including course name and institution, duration and qualification obtained)
• current studies (including course name and institution, duration and expected date of completion)
• English language proficiency and/or results of recent English language testing
• (if applicable) employment history (including employer's name, dates and description of work carried out).

You can make your application easily through Deakin’s online application portal StudyLink Connect.

Visit Deakin’s online application portal

Please be advised that Higher Degree by Research students cannot apply through StudyLink.

Learn more about applying for a Deakin research degree

Applicants from certain countries cannot apply online and will need to submit their application through a Deakin authorised international agent. These organisations are all accredited by Deakin and will assist you with advice, liaise with the University on your behalf, provide information about degrees and help you through the entire application process. You can visit our authorised international agents page to learn more about the countries included and find an agent nearest to you.

Find an authorised international agent near you

You will receive an acknowledgement email from Deakin International in a couple of days after your application has been received. There will be some helpful information in there for you to read. Your application will be allocated to a case officer who will then assess your documents and be in contact if they require anything further to make a full assessment.

Generally, you will get an outcome (offer or rejection) for your application within the following timeframe:

• 48 hours for English language study at the Deakin University English language Institute (DUELI);
• Three weeks for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework studies;
• Approximately eight weeks for research degrees including PhD and Masters by research courses from the date of when we receive all required information to process the application.

It is important to note that when lodging an application, all relevant fields in the application form should be completed and all relevant certified documents provided. If this is not done correctly, it can delay the assessment process.

Once we have assessed the application, we will inform you of the assessment outcome as soon as possible.

If you receive an offer of admission into a Deakin course, you can accept or defer the offer.

If your application has been successful, you will be issued a Letter of Offer (a firm or a conditional offer). You can then accept, reject or defer. For conditional offers, you need to meet all the conditions before accepting the offer. For deferring or rejecting your offer, please send an email to Deakin international admissions.

Your Letter of Offer will state the date by which you must accept or defer your offer.

You are encouraged to accept the offer and make payment as soon as possible. Please ensure you allow enough time for your visa processing. Please note that some courses are quota based for which we highly recommend early acceptance. If for any reason you can’t accept the offer or would like to defer to another intake, contact Deakin international admissions.

In order to accept your offer please refer to details in the offer email. You must meet all conditions and requirements, and also provide requested evidence so that Deakin can issue you a Confirmation of Enrolment (COE). You can also visit our How to accept page for more information.

How to accept your offer