Why do most Australian universities not require GMAT or GRE?
August 26th, 2010 | 
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I’m in the process of applying to graduate degree programs in Australia. However I’ve noticed that schools such as University of Sydney and Australian National University do not require GMAT or GRE scores to be sent. Why is that? I’m considering the following programs, any general input would be greatly appriciated:
Master of International Business and Master of Commerce, University of Sydney
http://www.usyd.edu.au/courses/?detail=1&course_sef_id=Master_of_International_Business_and_Master_of_Commerce_278
Master of International Business and Law, University of Sydney
http://www.usyd.edu.au/courses/?detail=1&course_sef_id=Master_of_International_Business_and_Law_284
Master of Management (CEMS), University of Sydney
http://www.usyd.edu.au/courses/?detail=1&course_sef_id=Master_of_Management__CEMS__1084
Master of Commerce, University of Melbourne
http://coursesearch.unimelb.edu.au/coursedetail.aspx?cid=1564&ctype=4&typeall=0&typepg=1&typeug=0&typesc=0&stype=Interest&sterm=20
Master of Diplomacy/Master of International and Development Economics, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7890XIDEC%20;overview.html
Master of International and Development Economics, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7822XMIDEC;overview.html
Master of Diplomacy/Master of International Law, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7893XMDIPL;overview.html
Master of International Trade and Economic Relations, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7207XMITER;overview.html
Master of Economic Policy, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7206XMECPO;overview.html
Master of Commerce, ANU
http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/7412XMCOM%20;overview.html
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Thank you all!
Posted in gre course | 
Tags: amp, aspx, cems, ctype, degree programs, development economics, economic policy, economic relations, gmat, gre scores, international business, international trade, master of commerce, master of diplomacy, master of management, stype, unimelb, university of melbourne, university of sydney, usyd
I agree with the Capt – most grad programs (especially Masters) assume that if you have a Bachelors from Uni A its means the same sort of quality of work as a Bachlelors at Uni B. The "lower class, community college degrees" are called TAFEs and are not acceptable at all to get into postgrad education (you will have to get a Bachelors – usually a year or two additional study instead of 3-4 for the degree)
There is generally a set number of places for each course – and of those a portion will be set aside for local (Australian) students, a portion for international students and the remainder for either.
Part of the reason why Aussie unis don’t generally require GMAT or GRE is partly historical. Unlike the USA where the quality of education is far more variable, Australian unis have very similar academic standards and so most graduates have been exposed to similar high levels of academic education. Therefore an additional testing scheme such as GMAT or GRE was deemed not to be necessary.
Another reason is policy. It is considered that if you have a degree you are expected to have the required level of education to handle higher studies. Particularly this is true for graduate studies by course work rather than by research ( this is another difference between US unis and Aussie unis). So, if you don’t perform in your graduate course, well you will simply fail and ejected from the system. Easy.
In relation to graduate studies by research the entry level is set higher. Your entire tertiary academic record will have to be very strong to gain entry into this particular stream. But even there exceptions have been made if you can convince the academics that you have the capacity to undertake research. No undergraduate degree is necessary as long as you have other evidence to show that you are capable of research. If you fail at one point of the process, well you just get ejected.
Generally, Australian unis, similar to UK unis, tend to have an open door policy for entry to graduate studies if you can show you are capable to do the work. Hence, GRE and GMAT is not required. However, as you may have noticed this is beginning to emerge. The reasons for this is that we have increasing numbers of international students whose academic background is far more variable and we have greater competition for entry to graduate courses especially by coursework. So it’s a means of selecting the strongest candidates.
The courses you have selected at ANU and Sydney are fine. You will have to consider though what sort of lifestyle you like to enjoy while studying. Canberra is a very very boring place, so if you like a bit of buzz at night or on weekends, Canberra has funeral parlor atmosphere, while Sydney has a lot of nightlife ( some of it unsavoury like any large city).
Hope this helps.
So whether the GMAT/GRE is required or not depends on the university? Or does it depend on the postgraduate course you’re taking?