Are you an American high school student who wants to use college as a way to see the world beyond the United States for a few years? But maybe you’re not keen on learning another language—so you’d prefer a country where English is spoken? Well, lucky for you: I’ve been writing a whole blog post (and video) series about that subject!
And today, we’re heading down under to survey admissions requirements at universities in Australia and New Zealand!
Why should you listen to what I have to say on the matter? Well, for the past 15 years, I’ve helped high schoolers all over the globe get into their dream schools by working with them one-on-one to dramatically raise their SAT and ACT test scores and write compelling college application essays. Over the course of that time, I’ve learned the ins and outs of testing practices all over the globe.
Today, I’ll hone in on five institutions of higher learning in Australia, and one in New Zealand. I’ll explain, in plain English, the SAT, ACT, IB, and/or AP scores that you’ll need to gain admission.
ARTICLE CONTENTS
1. Watch this article as a video
3. Australian National University
6. University of New South Wales
8. Conclusion
Video version of this article:
University of Melbourne SAT/ACT Rules
The first university we’re going to delve into is the University of Melbourne in Australia, aka Unimelb or UoM.
If you’re an American high schooler who wishes to apply to the University of Melbourne, you are going to have to submit test scores. There are two options here.
Option 1 is an SAT or ACT score. Option 2, if you choose to forego the SAT and ACT, is three to four AP scores.
Within those two categories, there are specific test score minimums you’ll need to meet. And as is the case with most universities in England, Scotland, and Ireland, those minimums will depend on the degree/course of study (aka major) you want to pursue.
What you’ll do to figure out the numbers you need to hit is:
1) Proceed to the University of Melbourne web page specifically dedicated to American applicants. You’ll see a long table listing out different degree disciplines, from Agriculture to Science.
2) Scroll to the degree you think you’ll be applying to study.
3) You’ll be presented with the two options I mentioned above: minimum SAT/ACT scores, and AP scores. Note that some of the AP score requirements involve an “aggregate,” e.g. “AP exam aggregate score 13”: this means you’ll need your various AP test scores to add up to 13 total.
4) You'll also note that this school has required GPAs for each degree path. So yes, your transcripts matter for Unimelb, too.
5) There is also an English language requirement, which you can fulfill by getting a 3 or above on one of the English APs (English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition).
Test Scores for International Admission to Australian National University
Now let's discuss our second university, located in the same country: Australian National University, or ANU.
Like UoM, ANU asks for minimum SAT or ACT scores, calibrated according to your chosen course of study. However, unlike UoM, there is no AP alternative here. So you will, in fact, need to take (and hit a certain score on) one of the main standardized tests.
Here’s how you figure out what those numbers are for YOU, personally.
1) Search for your course of study on ANU’s website.
2) Note the ATAR number attached to your course of study. (What’s an ATAR number, you ask? It’s a slightly different system from what they use in the UK. Basically, the higher the ATAR number for a given discipline is, the higher your SAT/ACT score will need to be. They also call it an entrance rank.)
3) To find your minimum ACT score, you’ll then navigate to this page. Find your ATAR score (“entrance rank”) in the table there to determine what minimum ACT score you need in order to apply. For instance, an ATAR of 85 corresponds to a minimum ACT composite score of 25.
4) But what if you want to take the SAT instead? In that case, you’ll need this web page. There, you’ll look for the ATAR/entrance rank score associated with your major and find the corresponding baseline SAT score.
Et voilà! Those are the minimum numbers you’ll need to hit to be considered as an applicant to ANU.
University of Sydney: Lowest Scores You Can Get in with as a Foreign Applicant
Onwards and upwards to our third Australian institution of higher learning: the University of Sydney, aka USYD.
I went to Sydney with my dad when I was a kid, and I have to say—what a beautiful city! The coffee is amazing and the opera house is even more gorgeous than the pictures make it look.
So, the University of Sydney requires SAT or ACT scores, plus your high school diploma (as in, proof that you’ve graduated from high school).
Here’s how you’re going to determine your minimum test score requirement, based on your planned degree.
1) Proceed to this USYD webpage and click on “2025 Admission Guide for international students.” This will download a PDF to your computer or phone containing USYD’s 2025 score requirements for non-Australian applicants.
2) Open the PDF.
3) This is where things get a little tricky because the charts are huge, and what would usually be a really wide horizontal page is split across two vertical pages, so you have to pay attention to keep everything straight. You’ll see that the course of study names, in gray, fall on even number pages (60, 62, 64, 66), while the testing requirements fall on odd number pages.
4) So, you’ll find your course of study on an even number page, then go to the immediately following page and find the column that reads “USA - ACT” or “USA - SAT.” And those numbers comprise your minimums!
Make sense?
Scores for United States Applicants to University of Queensland
School #4 on today’s list of appealing options for American applicants is the University of Queensland.
Much like the first school we looked at (University of Melbourne), the University of Queensland gives you a few different possible ways to fulfill their testing reqs. You can take the SAT or the ACT, or you can take two to four AP exams. And here’s how you’ll find out which numbers you need to meet or surpass for each of those exams:
1) Go to the University of Queensland’s website, and select your intended course of study by either scrolling through the many pages of options or (easier) doing a keyword search.
2) Click the name of your desired program, then on the right-hand side of the program page, select the “International” option. Indicate your desired start date—which for our information gathering purposes should just be “2026 or 2027 semester.” Then select “Semester 1,” which means you're starting at the beginning of U of Q’s school year. When asked “where your qualification is from,” select the country where you live and will receive your high school degree—that’s the U.S.A., if you’re reading this post.
3) Now you’ll get a drop-down menu asking you to specify which qualification you’re checking—as in, are you asking about SATs, ACTs, APs, etc. So choose your desired test there.
4) The number that then pops up under “Minimum Entry Score” is exactly that—the score you’ll need to hit to be considered for admission.
And that takes care of Queensland for us!
UNSW SAT, ACT, AP Scores for Applicants from America
The last of the Australian universities that we’ll be covering today is the University of New South Wales, or UNSW.
American high school students will need to submit an SAT or ACT test score along with your high school diploma proving that you graduated from high school.
In order to figure out your minimum scores, the process is quite similar to the one we just reviewed for University of Queensland:
1) Navigate to UNSW’s website. You’ll see a field prompting you to “Search for a degree”; that’s where you’ll type your intended major into the search field, and select your choice from the options that pop up.
2) On the major-specific page that results, toggle on “International,” then click “View all admissions criteria.”
3) On the next page you’re taken to, under “I studied in,” you’ll select, of course, USA. Then you’ll be presented with the admissions criteria, including SAT, ACT, and IB minimum scores. (If you select “SAT,” make sure you’re looking at the right one—which will almost certainly be the second one on the list, “after 2016.”)
There may be other requirements mentioned, depending on your major—e.g. a strong transcript, etc.
So that does it for the five Australian universities I wanted to talk about! But of course, we can't leave out New Zealand. So that’s where we’re headed next.
How high do Americans need to score to apply to University of Auckland?
To get your foot through the door to the University of Auckland (as a foreign student), you’ll also need to meet certain standards—depending, as usual, on your intended course of study. You can submit either an SAT score or two to four AP exams, all with scores of 3 or higher.
As for the ACT, University of Auckland info sheet on international admissions says that the ACT is also acceptable and is assessed on a case-by-case basis—but I don't know if that's still true. For pretty much every college or university around the globe, if they take the SAT, they'll also take the ACT, and vice versa. But you might need to contact UoA to see if they still do take the ACT.
Here’s your process—by now a familiar one—for figuring out your minimum scores:
1) Check out this PDF from UoA. It lists programs of study on the left side, and then towards the middle of the chart they list out minimum SAT and AP exam scores.
2) So, you’ll find your intended degree on the left-hand side and then track over to the right to figure out the corresponding minimum SAT score or aggregate AP score (across the multiple AP exams you take; remember, only AP test scores of 3 or higher count towards that aggregate).
And that, my friends, is how you would apply to the University of Auckland if you are coming from the U.S.!
Conclusion
I hope this post was useful in helping you figure out some options for yourself going forward. If you dream of going abroad for your four years in college, but still want to speak English, you’ve now got six more ideas for where you might go—and info on what you need to achieve in order to get there!
Speaking of achieving, if you take a look at some of those charts and feel daunted by the minimum scores, my one-on-one tutoring services exist to help you get where you need to be—whether it’s SATs, ACTs, or college essay drafting.
