7. Admission to the LLB program

7.1. First year entry

Admission to the first year of the LLB program is governed by the general and special principles of selection for entry, to which applicants should refer for detailed information. Selection is based primarily on academic merit. For most applicants, academic merit is judged on results obtained in the VCE examination and represented nationally as an Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) score, following the formula used by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) and the special rules published by the faculty. A committee of faculty identifies and ranks in order of merit those applicants who are likely to complete the LLB course successfully. Places are offered to applicants in the order of ranking until the places available are filled. There is strong competition for admission to the Melbourne Faculty of Law. In 2001 candidates required an ENTER score of 99.30 to be admitted. It is not possible to predict what the ENTER cut-off score will be in 2002.

The minimum requirement for admission to the LLB course is that the applicant have a VCE English minimum grade score of B.

Students who have graduated in another discipline, or who have not yet completed their studies in another course, may also apply for admission to the Faculty of Law. Intending applicants should refer to the special requirements listed in the current VTAC guide.

7.2. Other circumstances relevant to admission

Generally, the likelihood of an applicant succeeding in the LLB course is judged by reference to his or her academic record but in certain cases the general and special principles for entry allow additional factors to be taken into account on a discretionary basis. The University's general principles of selection provide that, in appropriate cases, and provided the applicant meets the ordinary requirements for admission, the selection committee may take the following circumstances into account when assessing an applicants likelihood of successfully completing a course:

the age of an applicant when attempting any qualifying examinations;
any illness, war or military service, or serious hardship, as a result of which the studies or examination performance of an applicant have, in the opinion of the committee, been adversely affected;
physical handicaps or disabilities;
school principals' reports, where those reports may assist the selection committee in evaluating the effect of factors referred to in paragraph (b) or (c);
any work experience which, in the opinion of the selection committee, may be relevant to the proposed course of study.

When applying through VTAC for admission, applicants should bring any such relevant special circumstances to the attention of course selection authorities, following the instructions in the VTAC guide and the VTAC application form.

7.3. Targeted Access Program

The Faculty of Law reserves a limited number of places for applicants whose academic record has been adversely affected by disadvantage of a social, economic or like nature including mature-age applicants.

For further information about the Targeted Access Program, including eligibility, application procedures and application forms, contact the University's Information Centre, telephone +61 3 8344 6543.

All targeted access applications should be returned to the Information Centre. An application for entry to the LLB must also be made through VTAC.

Applicants who do not meet ordinary admission requirements

Special admission may be granted under Statute 11.1.5 to applicants who lack the ordinary requirements for admission. The Academic Board has declared certain disadvantaged applicants, particularly Koori students, to be eligible for selection under this provision. Prospective Koori applicants should contact the Centre for Indigenous Education before making an application on +61 3 8344 7722.

7.4. Later year entry

Later year applicants should apply for admission through VTAC. It should be noted that the faculty will not grant credit transfers to students from another institution for more than half of the law subjects required for a University of Melbourne law degree. Successful later year applicants may not defer taking up the offer of a place. If an offer is declined by an applicant who wishes to be considered for entry in a subsequent year, it will be necessary to reapply and be re-selected in competition with all other later year applicants for that year.

7.5. International students

The Faculty of Law welcomes applications from international students. A certain number of places are available for full fee-paying students from overseas. Students who wish to apply for admission must have obtained academic results at least equal to the VCE cut-off score currently applying in the Faculty of Law. Results will be assessed on application to the Faculty of Law. It will be an advantage if applicants have studied subjects which are the equivalent of those prescribed for VCE students (see under first year entry above).

Candidates are also required to demonstrate proficiency in English. This requirement can be satisfied by obtaining a minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5, or a paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 577, or a computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 233 with an SA rating score of 4.5.

The Australian Government provides scholarships to international students who wish to undertake studies in Australia. These scholarships are generally available to students from developing countries. Current information and application forms can be obtained from your nearest Australian Diplomatic Mission.

International students should make initial enquiries and lodge applications for admission to the Faculty of Law with the International Centre at the University of Melbourne before the end of December. International students who are currently completing the Victorian VCE or IB should apply through VTAC for admission.

7.6. Full fee Australian students

From 1998 places in all undergraduate law programs have been available to Australian students on a full fee basis. Selection proceeds on the same principles as outlined above for first year entry and later year entry. The University Council has ruled that no full fee Australian student can be admitted to Law in 2002 with an ENTER score less than 95.00.

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Status:                   Official 2002
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Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au

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