Admission Requirements

Below is a list of requirements for students undertaking study at Ridley College. Please take the time to read through them carefully. You can find further details in the Australian College of Theology Coursework Course Enrolment Policy here.

Background and Beliefs
Ridley welcomes people from a wide range of Christian denominations. As an evangelical college, we believe that the Bible is our standard for faith and practice and we hold the historic Christian faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. Students who share our commitment to the Bible’s authority and assent to these Creeds are welcome, whatever their denomination.

Personal Integrity and Behaviour
Please note that if you are offered a place to study at Ridley College (on-campus or online) you will be asked to sign a copy of our Student Personal Integrity & Behaviour Policy.

Unlike universities, we are not just an academic community but also a confessional community. We share a set of core beliefs that are grounded in the Bible and centred on Christ. These beliefs lead to certain standards of behaviour which are expected of our students.

These standards are expressed in a document produced by the Anglican Church of Australia called Faithfulness in Service. This booklet provides a range of standards expected of those in ministry which are set within a theological context and contain helpful guidelines that promote integrity and holiness.

All applicants must agree to abide by the standards of Faithfulness in Service. Students who are found to be in breach of these standards will be counselled and supported but may be suspended from study or required to leave the college. The full document can be accessed by clicking here.

Some of the key points are:

• You are not to abuse your spouse, children or other members of your family.
• You are to be responsible in your use of alcohol and other mind-altering or addictive substances.
• You are not to use any prohibited substance.
• You are not to take property belonging to others, including intellectual property.
• You are not knowingly to make statements that are false, misleading or deceptive.
• You are not knowingly to use offensive language.
• You are to be chaste and not engage in sex outside of marriage and not engage in disgraceful conduct of a sexual nature.
• You are not to view, possess, produce or distribute restricted material containing sex or nudity without a legitimate purpose

Age
The minimum age for admission is 18 years.

Academic Requirements
Diploma and Bachelor Degree
The required Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score for our Diplomas and Bachelor degrees is no less than 65 or equivalent.  Those who do not meet the minimum ATAR may be given the opportunity to complete the (unaccredited) Ridley Bridging Program online over a semester; satisfactory completion of the Bridging Program may provide entry to academic study.

 Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master of Divinity, Master of Ministry
An applicant for admission to these awards must have graduated with or qualified for [at least] a bachelor degree or equivalent qualification in a non-theological discipline from an Australian university or other approved higher education provider.

English Proficiency
Candidates who (a) have an assessable qualification, such as VCE/HSC that was undertaken solely in English in one of a set of prescribed countries OR (b) have been resident in Australia with English being the language spoken at home and at work for ten (10) or more years are not required to provide proof of English language proficiency for consideration for admission. All other applicants MUST provide proof of English language proficiency for consideration for admission to an ACT course. Such proof will normally be by the provision of the results of an IELTS test (Academic Version).

For admission to our undergraduate courses (Bachelor or Diploma), the minimum IELTS result required is 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each subtest.

For admission to graduate-level courses (Master of Divinity or Ministry) the minimum IELTS result required is 7.0 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in reading and writing, and 6.5 in listening & speaking.