TOEFLIELTS
English
☰

Admissions · Australia

UNSW Sydney Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and TOEFL & IELTS Requirements

UNSW Sydney does not publish an acceptance rate. UAC data show 11,757 current Year 12 students listed UNSW as their first preference for 2026 entry and UNSW made 7,744 offers to Year 12 applicants; these count different groups, so they do not give an acceptance rate.

UNSW Sydney TOEFL and IELTS requirements at a glance

Minimum TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic scores for UNSW Sydney
Applying forTOEFL iBTIELTS Academic
Undergraduate (Arts, Design & Architecture; Engineering; Medicine & Health; Science; UNSW Canberra)TOEFL iBT90 overall with Writing 23, Reading 22, Listening 22, Speaking 22 — on the pre-2026 0–120 scale. UNSW is not accepting the new TOEFL format until further notice and has published no 1–6 minimum; select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when registering.IELTS Academic6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each band
Undergraduate (Business; Law & Justice, except Criminology & Criminal Justice)TOEFL iBT94 overall with Writing 25, Reading 23, Listening 23, Speaking 23 — on the pre-2026 0–120 scale; the new TOEFL format is not accepted until further notice.IELTS Academic7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each band

Full requirements and official sources · Check your TOEFL band with a free mock test

UNSW publishes no applications or offers totals of its own. The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), which runs undergraduate admissions for New South Wales and the ACT, publishes for each institution how many applicants listed it as their first preference and how many offers it made. This page uses those official figures, explains what they count, and lists the English test scores international applicants need.

Figures read from official sources on · LingoLeap Admissions Research

UNSW Sydney acceptance rate by year

UNSW Sydney applicants, admits and acceptance rate by admission cycle
CycleApplicantsAdmittedAcceptance rate
2026 entry (UAC 2025–26) · current Year 1211,757 first preferences7,744 offersNot published source
2025 entry (UAC 2024–25) · current Year 1210,690 first preferences8,487 offersNot published source
2024 entry (UAC 2023–24) · current Year 1210,111 first preferences10,046 offersNot published source
2023 entry (UAC 2022–23) · current Year 129,153 first preferences10,199 offersNot published source

UNSW's share of UAC first preferences, by applicant type

UNSW Sydney acceptance rate by admission round, college or applicant group
GroupCycleRateDetail
Current Year 12 applicants2026 entry22.52% of first preferences11,757 of 52,206 UAC first preferences, second only to the University of Sydney (21.48% for 2025 entry). source
Non-Year 12 domestic applicants2026 entry18.41% of first preferences4,904 of 26,631 first preferences; 3,759 offers made to non-Year 12 applicants. source
International applicants through UAC2026 entry26.81% of first preferences662 of 2,469 international first preferences; 1,074 offers. Covers only international students who applied through UAC. source
International applicants through UAC2025 entry24.42% of first preferences477 of 1,954 international first preferences; 885 offers. source

What the numbers mean

UAC's 'first preferences' counts applicants who put UNSW at the top of their course list. 'Total offers' counts every offer UNSW made through UAC, including offers to applicants who listed it as a second or later preference. Because the two cover different groups, dividing one by the other does not give an acceptance rate: for 2023 entry UNSW made 10,199 offers to current Year 12 students, more than the 9,153 who listed it first, and it made more international offers than it received international first preferences in every year shown.

The figures do show demand. UNSW had the second-largest share of UAC first preferences, after the University of Sydney, in every applicant category for 2026 entry: 22.52% of current Year 12 first preferences, 18.41% of non-Year 12 and 26.81% of international. Year 12 first preferences rose from 9,153 for 2023 entry to 11,757 for 2026 entry, while Year 12 offers fell from 10,199 to 7,744. The 2026 figures were extracted in June 2026 and earlier years in March, so the years are not exactly comparable.

UAC's tables include only applications made through UAC. Neither UNSW nor UAC publishes a total of international applications or offers for UNSW, so there is no official international acceptance rate; figures quoted elsewhere are estimates.

UNSW Sydney TOEFL and IELTS requirements

Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.

Undergraduate (Arts, Design & Architecture; Engineering; Medicine & Health; Science; UNSW Canberra)

TOEFL iBT: 90 overall with Writing 23, Reading 22, Listening 22, Speaking 22 — on the pre-2026 0–120 scale. UNSW is not accepting the new TOEFL format until further notice and has published no 1–6 minimum; select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when registering.

IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each band

Exceptions are higher, e.g. Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours): IELTS 7.5 (Writing and Reading 7.0, Speaking and Listening 8.0) or TOEFL 102. TOEFL iBT Home Edition accepted in the TOEFL for Australia version; MyBest Score and IELTS Online not accepted. Test no more than two years before the intended start date.

UNSW Sydney, English language requirements · checked 26 October 2026

Undergraduate (Business; Law & Justice, except Criminology & Criminal Justice)

TOEFL iBT: 94 overall with Writing 25, Reading 23, Listening 23, Speaking 23 — on the pre-2026 0–120 scale; the new TOEFL format is not accepted until further notice.

IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each band

For a cross-faculty double degree, the higher English requirement applies.

UNSW Sydney, English language requirements · checked 26 October 2026

Check your score against UNSW Sydney

Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.

Free TOEFL mock test

Sign up free to submit your answers for scoring · no credit card

FAQ

What is the UNSW acceptance rate?

UNSW does not publish one. The closest official data are UAC's: for 2026 entry 11,757 current Year 12 applicants listed UNSW as their first preference and UNSW made 7,744 offers to Year 12 applicants. Offers include applicants who listed UNSW lower down, so the two numbers cannot be divided into an acceptance rate.

What is the UNSW acceptance rate for international students?

There is no official figure. UAC's tables cover only international students who applied through UAC (662 first preferences and 1,074 offers for 2026 entry), not applications made outside UAC. What UNSW does publish is the entry standard, including English at IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 in each band) for most faculties and 7.0 for Business and Law & Justice.

Is UNSW hard to get into?

It is the second most requested university in the UAC system after the University of Sydney: 22.52% of all current Year 12 first preferences for 2026 entry named UNSW. No official overall acceptance rate exists, and requirements vary by course.

What TOEFL score does UNSW Sydney require?

For most undergraduate degrees (Arts, Design & Architecture; Engineering; Medicine & Health; Science; UNSW Canberra): TOEFL iBT 90 overall with at least 23 in Writing and 22 in Reading, Listening and Speaking. Business and Law & Justice degrees require 94 overall with 25 in Writing and 23 in the other sections. These are on the 0–120 scale: UNSW says the new TOEFL format is under review and not accepted until further notice, so you must select 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when registering. TOEFL Home Edition is accepted in the TOEFL for Australia version; MyBest scores are not.

What IELTS score does UNSW Sydney require?

IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each band for most undergraduate degrees, and 7.0 overall with 6.0 in each band for Business and Law & Justice (except the Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice, which is 6.5). Some degrees are higher, such as Education (Primary) (Honours) at 7.5 overall. IELTS Online is not accepted, and the test must be no more than two years old at your start date.

Sources