Foundation and Diploma Pathways in Australia Without Direct Entry

اقرأ هذا المقال بالعربية

If you do not meet direct entry requirements for an Australian university, you have two routes: a Foundation programme, which takes you into first year of a bachelor degree, and a university Diploma (International Year One), which is equivalent to first year and takes you straight into second year. Both are taught by the university’s own college or by a pathway partner such as Navitas, and both can be packaged with the degree on one student visa. The Saudi scholarship has its own conditions for them.

What is the difference between a Foundation and a Diploma in Australia?

Comparison	Foundation programme	Diploma / International Year One
Who is it for?	Students who finished high school with a lower GPA or English score than required, or who completed Year 11	Students who finished high school and want a supported alternative to first year
Duration	Six months to one year according to Study Australia	About 9 months per part at Monash College, and 12 months for the engineering stream according to Monash College
Where does it lead?	First year of a bachelor degree	Second year of a bachelor degree
What you study	General academic subjects and academic English	The same first-year university subjects in smaller classes
Provider	The university’s own college or a pathway partner	The university’s own college or a pathway partner

Foundation programmes in detail

Foundation programmes in Australia follow national standards published by the Australian Department of Education in the Foundation Program Standards: a standard programme runs for at least 26 teaching weeks, an extended programme for no more than 18 months, an accelerated programme for fewer than 26 weeks, and a standard programme must include at least 200 hours of academic English and be registered on CRICOS. A foundation certificate is therefore not a "language year" but an accredited academic year.

Diplomas in detail

A diploma re-teaches first-year subjects in smaller classes with more support. At Monash College, for example, it has two parts: Part 1 for students who completed Year 11 (9 months) and Part 2 for students who completed Year 12 (9 months); students who finish Part 2 with the required exit score are guaranteed transition into second year at Monash University, with intakes in February, June and October, according to Monash College as at September 2026. At Deakin College, diplomas in business, engineering, IT, science and other fields lead into second year at Deakin University, according to the college’s courses page.

How long do these programmes take and what do they cost?

University and programme	Duration	International fee (AUD)	English required
University of Melbourne – Trinity College Foundation Studies (Standard)	Two semesters	46,770 for 2027 per Trinity College	IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5 per the entry requirements
University of Melbourne – Trinity College (Comprehensive)	Four terms	58,050 for 2027 per Trinity College	IELTS 5.5 with no band below 5.0 per the entry requirements
Deakin University – Deakin College Foundation	8 or 12 months	32,200 or 37,260 for 2026 per Deakin College	Check the college’s English page
UNSW – UNSW College Standard Foundation	Check the college website	42,700 for 2026 and 43,650 for 2027 per UNSW College	Check the college website
UNSW – Diploma in Business	Check the college website	54,540 for 2026 per UNSW College	Check the college website
University of Sydney – University of Sydney Foundation Program	40 weeks (Intensive) or 52 weeks (Standard) per Taylors College	Check the college website	Check the college website

Fees are in Australian dollars and exclude enrolment and laboratory charges; at Trinity College, for example, there is a AUD 310 enrolment fee and a AUD 400 laboratory fee per science subject according to the fees page. Students at Trinity must be at least 16 when they start, according to the entry requirements.

Who delivers pathway programmes in Australia?

Two kinds of provider:

1. The university’s own college: Trinity College for the University of Melbourne, Monash College for Monash, and UNSW College.
2. Academic pathway partners: the largest is Navitas, whose Australia page lists its colleges, including Deakin College, Curtin College, Edith Cowan College, Eynesbury College, Griffith College, La Trobe College Australia, SIBT at Western Sydney University, Taylors College at the University of Sydney and UC College at the University of Canberra. The University of Sydney’s preparation programs page notes that Taylors College Sydney is operated by Navitas Australia, formerly Study Group Australia.

KD announced its partnership with Navitas in June 2026, describing it as "the leading provider of academic pathway programs to Australian universities" in a post on its X account, and had earlier received Study Group’s award for best-performing agent in Saudi Arabia in 2021 and a certificate of outstanding performance in 2024.

How does a student move from the pathway into the university?

1. You receive a conditional offer for the degree together with an offer for the pathway (a packaged offer).
2. A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) is issued for each course and you apply for one student visa for the whole package; the Department of Home Affairs requires the gap between courses to be less than two calendar months, unless the first course ends at the end of the academic year and the next starts at its beginning.
3. You complete the pathway with the exit score required for your major; the university sets the score per faculty, and some courses with limited places cannot guarantee a seat, as the University of Sydney notes.
4. You move into first year (after Foundation) or second year (after a Diploma), usually without a new English test, because the pathway itself satisfies the English requirement.

Does the Saudi scholarship accept a Foundation year or a Diploma?

This is the most important question, and the answer comes from the Ministry of Education’s pages:

• The general conditions of the King Salman Scholarship Program require an offer from an approved institution under each track’s conditions, and a programme and study mode that comply with the track’s rules, according to the general conditions page.
• The Arruaad (الرواد) track requires the offer to be "final and unconditional" from the university’s admissions office, and makes an exception only for offers conditional on language study in non-English-speaking countries, according to the Arruaad track conditions. Australia is an English-speaking country.
• From the 2025–2026 academic year the ministry added a clause headed "for preparatory year study" for undergraduate applicants: a high school GPA of at least 90% and an IELTS score of at least 5.5 or equivalent, according to the additional conditions page. The ministry therefore recognises the preparatory year and sets conditions for it, but whether it is accepted for a given track and country is settled in the Safeer list at application time.
• Applying does not require a Qudurat or Tahsili score or a specific age, according to the program FAQ (last updated 11 January 2024).

The practical conclusion: a foundation year or diploma is usually self-funded, after which you apply for the scholarship once you hold a final offer for the degree, or you confirm in Safeer before enrolling whether the ministry accepts the preparatory year for your track. We set out each track’s conditions in the scholarship programs guide and the Arruaad track article.

What about credit transfer for diploma subjects on a scholarship?

KD wrote in August 2018 that the maximum credit in a bachelor degree is half the length of the degree, that a master’s must still involve at least one year of study after credit, and that subject descriptions and the original transcript must be attached to the request, in a post on its X account. That rule is old, so confirm the current credit-transfer rules with the Cultural Mission before relying on a diploma that takes you into second year.

How to choose and apply step by step

1. Choose the university and major, then read its direct entry requirements.
2. If the shortfall in GPA or English is small, choose a diploma to save a year; if it is large or you are in Year 11, choose a Foundation programme.
3. If you plan to apply for a scholarship, first check your track’s position on the preparatory year in Safeer, or plan to apply after the final offer.
4. Apply for the pathway and the degree together to receive a packaged offer and a single visa.
5. Achieve the exit score in the pathway and move on.

KD describes itself as the first intermediary between Saudi students and Australian universities and helps you choose the right pathway and apply for it and the degree in one application. See how we work, then start with the application form or contact us so we can review your GPA and English score and suggest the shortest route.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Pathways to university — Study Australia
• Foundation Program Standards — Australian Government Department of Education
• Diplomas — Monash College
• Dates and fees – Foundation Studies — Trinity College, University of Melbourne
• Entry requirements – Foundation Studies — Trinity College, University of Melbourne
• Foundation Program — Deakin College
• Fees — UNSW College
• University of Sydney Foundation Program — Taylors College Sydney
• Preparation programs — The University of Sydney
• Study in Australia — Navitas
• الشروط الخاصة بالمسار – مسار الرواد — وزارة التعليم السعودية
• شروط إضافية يتم تطبيقها ابتداءً من العام الأكاديمي (2025-2026) — وزارة التعليم السعودية

Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.