FAQs

You can apply for advanced standing in a course through either credit transfer for formal learning experience, or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for informal and non-formal learning.

You may be required to undertake a self-assessment, prepare a portfolio of evidence including application letter, copies of transcripts/certificates along with other supporting documentation. The completed application is then assessed by ACAP.  You must be an enrolled student with ACAP before you can apply for credit.

To discuss with one of our course advisers, email [email protected] or complete the Enquire Now form and a course adviser will be in touch.

We recommend you submit your application well before the beginning of trimester to avoid missing out. Applications generally close one week into the start of trimester but will only be accepted if places are still available.

Click here to apply, or for assistance, contact our course advisers.

You can start your course at the beginning of any of our three trimesters which generally commence in February, June and September each year.

View our current academic calendar or view the current ACAP timetable.

Students that have not completed year 12 are eligible to apply and alternative entry criteria may apply. To read more about admissions criteria, click here.

To discuss which path is best for you, contact our course advisers via the Enquire Now form.

For most courses the date of your Bachelor completion date is not relevant to your application but there are exceptions. Psychology qualifications including Honours, Graduate Diplomas and Masters require students to have completed an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council accredited 3-year psychology sequence within the last ten years.

The Bachelor of Psychological Science does not have any maths prerequisites. However, we recommend that those considering studying psychology have successfully completed year 11 and 12 maths. Maths, specifically statistics, makes up a significant part of the course, so an understanding of basic maths is recommended.

You may be eligible to have your past studies and/or relevant work experience count as credit towards your ACAP qualification.

This credit is also known as Advanced Standing or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and means that you could be exempt from some of the units listed in the relevant course sequence guide and be able to complete the qualification in a shorter period of time. You must be an enrolled student with ACAP before you can apply for credit.

Discuss articulation, credit transfer, and recognition of prior learning with one of our course advisers via the Enquire Now form.

If you complete an ACAP Diploma you will be eligible for credit towards any ACAP Bachelor Degree. The maximum amount of credit is 8 units and will depend on which Diploma you have completed and which Bachelor Degree you would like to study.

It’s a good idea to consider your desired career outcomes to ensure you select the best suited course.

Both the Bachelor of Counselling and the Bachelor of Counselling (Coaching) are Counselling degrees and have PACFA accreditation. Graduates from either course may practice as a counsellor.

• Counselling focuses on a client’s thinking process, behavioural problems and or emotional difficulties that can be a result of grief, loss, addiction, stress and or relationships. Qualified counsellors are employed across the sectors of Health Care and Social Assistance, Education and Training, Public Administration and Safety and Administrative Support Services.
• Coaching focuses on guiding clients towards specific life goals that may include; lifestyle, professional and or relationship with a strong focus on positive psychology.  A qualified counsellor with a coaching major will be equipped to work in areas such as health coaching, life coaching, training and development and supervisory roles.

Discuss which course is right for you with one of our course advisers.

We offer the full range of social work courses for those wishing to enter the profession for the first time to practitioners wishing to upskill.

• Bachelor of Social Work: For those wishing to become a qualified social worker prepared for a range of entry level positions within social work or human services.
• Master of Social Work (Qualifying): For current human and community service and allied health workers who want to update their professional experience with knowledge and skills for the social work discipline.

Discuss which course is right for you with one of our course advisers. Please complete the Enquire Now form and an adviser will be in touch.

Some ACAP courses are available in ‘Blended Delivery’ mode. Blended Delivery refers to a unit/module where interaction and learning occurs through a combination of online and face-to-face contexts.

Students in blended delivery units are required to undertake activities, assessment, and self-study through the online class space as well as attend on-campus class sessions, which are programmed at relevant times throughout the trimester. Some blended delivery units may require students to attend a day workshop once per month or a class session a few times in the trimester. Dates for on-campus components are available in advance so students can plan their commitments around attendance requirements.

If you study one or more units by online delivery, you will be allocated into a class with a dedicated teacher, the same as if you were studying face-to-face. However, instead of attending a class at a set time each week, you will have access to an online class space where you will access your course materials and readings, undertake activities and interact with your teacher and fellow students. You will also submit all assessments and receive grades and feedback via this online class space.

Please note that international students studying in Australia on a student visa are able to take a maximum of 25% of their total course by online delivery and must be enrolled full-time in at least one on-campus unit in each standard study trimester.

Subject to availability, you can select different modes of study for different modules or units in a given trimester and you can change the mode of study you select when you enrol each trimester. You can study in a mix of modes, for example, one module or unit on-campus and one module or unit by online delivery each trimester.

However, you cannot switch between modes in a given unit or module once your enrolment is complete. For example, you cannot switch between online and on-campus study for a unit or module halfway through the trimester.

Many students do work full time while studying. ACAP offers flexible study options for students where courses are offered on-campus, online and via blended delivery. You can undertake classes in the morning, afternoon and evening giving you the opportunity to structure study around work and family commitments.
You can discuss your work and family commitments with a course adviser at the time of enrolment as timetables vary each term.  Keep in mind that international students are able to take a maximum of 25% of your total course by online delivery and must be enrolled full-time in at least one on-campus unit in each standard study trimester.
Note: international students are eligible to work 20 hours per week during compulsory study periods (as at June 2018). Go to Australian Department of Home Affairs for more information about permissible working hours.

The number of hours you spend on campus will depend on the course you’re enrolled in, the full-time or part-time study load, and/or the mode of delivery for each subject. Subjects that are undertaken on-campus need to be attended once a week for 3 hours over the duration of the term, while a full-time study load can vary from 3-4 subjects.  For example, a student undertaking a Diploma of Counselling Skills or a Bachelor of Counselling full-time on-campus can expect to attend a total of 9 hours per week.

Students undertaking the Bachelor of Psychological Science full-time on-campus can expect to attend a minimum of 10 hours per week as some subjects require students to also attend a 1 hour tutorial.

Some subjects can be undertaken online and or via blended delivery. If this mode of study is undertaken the total time on-campus can be further reduced.

Click here for information on individual courses.

Student placements are unpaid work placements in organisations related to your study. Placements allow you to practise your skills in a work environment, meet professionals working in the industry, build your professional network, gain valuable experience, and potentially meet referees to add to your resume before you graduate. These placements are arranged by students with support from ACAP and must be completed in order to graduate.

Student placements form part of the following courses:

• Bachelor of Counselling
• Bachelor of Social Work (placements for Bachelor of Social Work students are arranged by ACAP)
• Graduate Diploma of Counselling
• Master of Professional Psychology
• Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Master of Psychology (Clinical)
• Master of Social Work (Qualifying) (placements for Master of Social Work (Qualifying) students are arranged by ACAP)

There are significant differences between psychology and counselling including different knowledge bases, different skills, different length of study, and different career outcomes.

Psychology is the science of human behaviour with an emphasis on research, statistical analysis and maths. It focusses on how people think, feel and behave at an individual, group, organisational and community level. From an academic perspective, Psychology involves a 6-year sequence of study to become an accredited psychologist in Australia.

Counselling is an applied discipline focussing on person-to person relationships and requiring knowledge about human behaviour and ethical and professional standards, as well as advanced interpersonal skills and relating capacities. It aims to help clients overcome everyday challenges in their lives, for example relationship problems, behavioural problems, emotional difficulties that can be a result of grief, loss, addiction, stress, and/or relationships.

Discuss which course is right for you with one of our course advisers via the Enquire Now form.

Campus attendance is compulsory for online and blended delivery students for some courses. If you are undertaking all or part of your course by online delivery, you may be required to attend relevant workshops at an ACAP campus, or complete exams in person.

Click here for information on individual courses.

ACAP students can access government loans such as FEE-HELP Loans to assist with the cost of studying. Fees must be paid prior to the start of each trimester.

Click here for additional information regarding fees.

FEE-HELP is a government loan available to eligible students enrolled in one of ACAP’s Higher Education courses to help pay part or all of their tuition fees.

Click here for additional information regarding fees.

There are many career opportunities including in community, criminal justice, mental health, disability, employment, government, health, human resources, immigration, non-government and corporate settings welfare, recruitment, social and market research, training, youth services.
Note that this degree does not qualify you to be a psychologist or a counsellor.

A counsellor builds rapport and trust with a client and creates a safe environment where emotional challenges can be expressed freely and in strict confidence.  A counsellor listens carefully to clients in a non-judgemental way using open-ended, encouraging and challenging questions. The aim is to facilitate positive changes in attitude and/or behaviour and to enable the client to make their own decisions.

The Diploma is a first step towards becoming a counsellor.  A Bachelor Degree is the minimum level of qualification to become a qualified counsellor. The Diploma of Counselling Skills prepares students to work in community centres, family support services, government agencies, outreach services and women’s health centres and residential services in a support capacity.

If you have completed a Bachelor of Counselling you will be qualified as a counsellor.
Work experience and hours are necessary to apply for accreditation as a Clinical Counsellor within PACFA and member associations.

Job opportunities will depend on your chosen course of study and the industry you intend to work in. ACAP’s job board has details on current opportunities and detailed information on different sectors is available on the Government’s Job Outlook website.

ACAP qualifications are designed to prepare you for the workforce with a strong practical focus, student placements to help you build industry skills and contacts, and teachers who are practitioners. Our alumni are employed in a wide range of jobs and industries. Note that a qualification is not a guarantee of a job and networking and proactive job search is required.

This will depend on your work experience, qualifications, and the position and level of the job. You can find more detailed information on salaries on the Government’s Job Outlook website.

ACAP offers a number of courses to international students, and is registered on the Australian Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
You can study towards an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in counselling, psychology, social science, social work or coaching.

View ACAP courses available to international students.

This will depend on what your qualifications are and where they were completed. You can find out by contacting our International Admissions office via [email protected]

As an international student, you can study at ACAP campuses in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane although the available courses at each campus may vary.  Online study is available to all ACAP students however, as an international student studying in Australia on a student visa, you are able to take a maximum of 1/3 of your total course by online delivery and must be enrolled full-time in at least one on-campus unit in each standard study trimester.

IELTS requirements vary from course to course within ACAP. No ACAP course has a minimum IELTS Academic score of less than 6, overall or in a subtest.

All courses delivered by ACAP that lead to a higher education award issued by ACAP are recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). AQF qualifications are recognised all around Australia and by other countries.

ACAP seeks accreditation of its programs with relevant professional bodies for quality assurance purposes and to ensure our courses meet the relevant educational and training standards that allow graduates to seek recognition and to practise as a professional.

Read more about ACAP’s standards & accreditations.

ACAP offers the benefits of university with accredited qualifications but with the added benefits of small classes and a practical approach. Our unique combination of theory and practical work – including student placements – provides an opportunity to excel in your chosen field.

ACAP creates a distinctive educational experience based on hands-on experience with a strong grounding in theory. Our small classes, group discussions, simulations and role-play activities allow you to really get to know your fellow students and teaching staff in an intimate, personalised learning environment where the exchange of experience and ideas can flourish.

Our courses are designed to prepare you for the workplace with a focus on practical and experiential learning. Our academics are not just experienced teachers; they are also industry practitioners and share a commitment to practical learning.