Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for the Defence Graduate Program.
Citizenship
Applicants must be an Australian Citizen and hold citizenship by 31 December 2026.
Qualifications
Applicants must have completed at minimum an Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7 qualification (a Bachelor degree), or higher equivalent, with the most recent eligible qualification being completed between 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2026.
Any applicants completing a degree during the application process will need to verify they have completed their degree before starting the program.
Applicants holding international qualifications will need to provide a statement verifying recognition of qualifications. This can be done by:
- the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition
- the State or Territory Overseas Qualifications Unit
- the Australian Education International.
Degree disciplines
Defence are looking for candidates from degree disciplines that support critical capabilities across the organisation.
The 2027 Graduate Program – Intelligence Pathway degree disciplines are listed on the Intelligence Pathway page.
For all other pathways, candidates will be shortlisted based on holding a degree that aligns to the following disciplines list. Applications may not progress where the degree discipline does not align.
- accounting and financial management
- actuarial
- agronomy
- anthropology
- arts
- Asian studies
- biological sciences
- biomedical science
- business
- chemistry
- cloud
- coding
- commerce
- commercial (contracting and/or procurement)
- computer science
- counter terrorism
- criminology
- cyber information and communications and technology (ICT)
- data analytics
- data science
- digital
- education
- engineering – aeronautical
- engineering – aerospace
- engineering – artificial intelligence
- engineering – biomedical
- engineering – chemical
- engineering – civil
- engineering – communications
- engineering – electrical
- engineering – electronic
- engineering – materials
- engineering – mechanical
- engineering – mechatronic
- engineering – systems
- evaluation and release
- generalist – administration and customer service
- government
- human resources
- ICT
- information technology (IT)
- intelligence
- intensity and credential
- international policy and/or international relations
- languages
- legal
- logistics and supply chain management
- mathematics
- media and communication
- Middle Eastern studies
- modelling
- national security
- naval architecture
- network and bearers
- nuclear
- pharmacology
- geospatial
- philosophy
- physics
- political science
- program management
- project management
- psychology
- security studies
- sociology
- software
- simulation
- science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
- simulation
- systems control
- toxicology.
Pathway eligibility
Some pathways have specific eligibility criteria.
- Research and Innovation Pathway:
- Applicants require a Bachelor with Honours Degree within the 2 years before starting the program.
- Technical Pathway:
- Some engineering roles require applicants to have an Engineers Australia membership.
Relocation
Defence has graduate opportunities across Australia. When applying to the Graduate Program, it's important to note successful applicants may need to relocate for the program. Defence can provide organisational and financial support.
Security clearance
To work at Defence, applicants will need a security clearance to be eligible for employment. Each level of clearance required will be in the specific pathway information pack.
Security clearance assessments are undertaken by the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA).
Before applying, graduates need to consider if they are willing to provide personal information for this process. If candidates aren’t able to meet the minimum security requirements of an advertised position, their application will be unsuccessful.
The AGSVA website has more information to help prepare for the security clearance application.
Psychological assessment
For roles in a high-security environment, applicants need to undergo a psychological assessment. This allows Defence to identify if candidates have the cognitive and interpersonal skills required.
Psychological assessments are mandatory for all potential employees in:
- Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation
- Defence Intelligence Organisation
- Intelligence Capability Division
- Intelligence Policy and Priorities.
For security reasons, applicants won't receive feedback about their psychological assessment.
Privacy and access to personal information
Defence is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (the Privacy Act) for the collection, storage, access, alteration, use and disclosure of personal information. These obligations are set out in Section 14 of the Privacy Act as the Information Privacy Principles.