Graduate Certificate in Professional Nursing

To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Professional Nursing, applicants must hold:

• a Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent degree from a recognised University (or another tertiary education institution of equivalent standing)
• AND
• current or temporary unrestricted registration as a nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or the professional registration body in their country of origin.

Degrees from overseas institutions must be assessed as equivalent to a recognised Australian accredited degree.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has instituted a Recognition of Prior Experience (RPE) procedure for registered nurses who do not have an undergraduate qualification. Applicants will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate eligibility requirements. The School of Nursing and Midwifery will determine eligibility for admission into the requested program based on application, curriculum vitae and referee reports.

Admission requirements from Trimester 1, 2025

To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Professional Nursing, you must have:

• A recognised Bachelor of Nursing degree (or higher); AND
• Current or temporary, unrestricted registration as a registered nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or the professional registration body in your country of origin.

Degrees from overseas institutions must be assessed as equivalent to a recognised Australian accredited qualification.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has instituted a Recognition of Prior Experience (RPE) procedure for registered nurses who do not have an undergraduate qualification. Applicants will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate eligibility requirements. The School of Nursing and Midwifery will determine eligibility for admission into the requested program based on application, curriculum vitae and referee reports.

A higher qualification refers to a qualification at a higher level than a Bachelor qualification, which includes any of the following: a Bachelor Honours Degree; Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Masters Degree, MPhil or PhD.

An international student is a person who is not Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, a Pacific Engagement visa holder or the holder of a permanent resident/humanitarian visa.

This program is available to International students via online study only as follows:

• Students applying to study online in Australia will require a type of visa (other than a student visa) which has no limitations on study.
• Students can apply to study online outside Australia without any visa requirements.

You can apply for admission online OR via a Griffith University registered agent.

Registered nurses who do not have an undergraduate qualification will also need to complete the following form:

• Recognition of Prior Experience (PDF 270k)

English language requirements apply to International applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for entry to this program are as follows:

• A minimum overall band score of 6.5 on IELTS (Academic) with no sub-score of less than 6.0
• OR a minimum score of 575 on TOEFL
• OR an internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score of 79 (no sub-score less than 19)
• OR no score less than 3+ in each skill of the ISLPR (conducted by ISLPR Language Services only)
• OR a minimum overall score of 176 (no score less than 169) on C1 Advanced (formerly Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English) or C2 Proficiency (formerly Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English)
• OR an overall score of 58 in the Pearson Test of English (Academic) with no score less than 50.

All applicants who hold current unrestricted registration as a Nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) are deemed to have met the English language requirements for admission to the program due to the requirements outlined in the Registration Standard (English Language Skills) set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

English test results must be no more than two years old.

The Direct Entry Program (DEP) pathway is not accepted for this program.

Applicants should refer to the English language requirements section of the following University procedure for exceptions to these overall requirements:

• Admission Procedure

Griffith University grants credit and recognition of prior learning which may relate to prior formal learning or prior informal and non-formal learning. For more information, please visit the following website:

• Credit transfer

Griffith's innovative Credit Precedent Database allows you to find out what credit decisions have been made in the past. These precedents will give you an idea of what you can expect.

• View credit precedents for this program