Minimum age requirements
If you're aged 13 years or over, we can help you study with your parent or guardian's permission.
To enrol in subjects, or apply for a full degree, you need to be at least 13 years old. Not all universities have the same minimum age requirements, so we’ve summarised them on this page.
Check your university options
If you’d like to make an early start at uni, look up your age to find out where you can study. One thing to note: some universities take the extra step of assessing and approving younger students' enrolments. If they don’t approve your enrolment, we’ll withdraw you and let you know.
| Your age | Your university options |
|---|---|
| 13–14 years | |
| 15 years |
Any of the universities above, plus: |
| 16 years |
Any of the universities above, plus: |
| 17 years |
Any of the universities above, plus: |
| 18 years |
Any of the universities above, plus: |
*Enrolments are subject to university assessment and approval.
Keep in mind, if you want to study with a uni that has additional enrolment checks or conditions, you might not be able to enrol and start studying straight away. We suggest you enrol early to allow time for this extra step, so that your enrolment is taken care of well before classes start. If you need help with your enrolment, contact a student advisor.
Get permission
If you’re under 18, you need to submit a Parent or Guardian Consent Form when you enrol in subjects or apply for a degree.
When your parent or guardian signs the form, it tells us, and your uni, that they:
- are your legal parent or guardian
- give you permission to study
- understand you might need to study mature content
- can meet our payment terms and conditions
Most of the time, students under 18 get a parent or guardian to act on their behalf when it comes to managing their enrolments and account. If you’d like to do this too, you can fill in a 3rd Party Consent Form to tell us who your representative is and how we can contact them.
We're here to guide you there
Our student advisors can assist you with enrolment, help you plan your studies, and answer questions about how studying through Open Universities Australia can get you from where you are today, to where you want to be tomorrow.