Level up with postgraduate study

UAC postgraduate applications for study in 2026 are now open! Postgraduate study might be just the ticket to advance your career and increase your earning potential. It could also open up a wider range of employment opportunities for you. Postgraduate qualifications can help you pivot your career in a new direction or deepen your expertise in the area you're already passionate about.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians undertake postgraduate study each year. Why not join their ranks in 2026 and get an edge in the competitive job market?

Higher earnings and employment opportunities

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the higher the qualification, the more likely people are to work full-time, and the higher the income. Australians with a postgraduate degree typically earn $293 per week more than those with a bachelor degree.* Employment rates for those who held a domestic postgraduate coursework qualification in 2023 were 90.3% versus 79.0% for those who only held an undergraduate qualification.†

What’s trending

Applications were particularly strong for courses in the field of society and culture this year, taking out top spot by a strong margin. This grouping contains the ever-popular Juris Doctor programs that offer graduate entry into a professional law degree. Below is the list of the most popular postgraduate fields of study in 2024:

1. Society and culture
2. Health
3. Education
4. Management and commerce
5. Information technology

Flexible options

Postgraduate study may seem like a big commitment, but UAC’s participating institutions offer different types of courses to suit your goals. You can also fit postgraduate study around your current life commitments, as courses have flexible study modes of part-time, online and full-time.

Graduate certificate, graduate diploma and masters degree

Graduate certificates are usually only of six months’ duration and offer the opportunity to upskill to support your career or get a taste of something completely new. With a graduate diploma, it usually only takes one year to gain a professional qualification, while masters degrees are more specialised and take two years of full-time study to complete.

If you want to test the waters of postgraduate study, you can start with a graduate diploma. If you decide to upgrade your qualification, through recognition of prior learning, course units you have completed in your graduate diploma can often count towards a masters.

Make your move

If you’re ready to take the next step, explore over 680 courses on UAC’s website.

Find a course

* Employee earnings, August 2024 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)

† Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2023