FAQs: Assessing psychology qualifications

To complete practical training (eg. an internship) in Australia you must hold current provisional registration. The Psychology Board of Australia sets the requirements for provisional registration, which are to have completed an APAC-accredited four year sequence of study in psychology in Australia or qualifications that are comparable to an APAC-accredited four year sequence of study in psychology. For further information about your intended internship you should contact the Psychology Board of Australia.

For an assessment for the purpose of registration applicants with qualifications obtained overseas are required to apply directly to the Psychology Board of Australia.

Students seeking to apply for an APAC accredited postgraduate psychology program will only require an assessment conducted by the APS.

Students applying for accredited postgraduate psychology programmes do NOT need an assessment from the Psychology Board of Australia to undertake the compulsory internship component of their postgraduate degree. The Psychology Board of Australia will grant provisional registration on the basis of your current enrolment into an APAC accredited postgraduate programme.

Overseas qualifications must be assessed by the Psychology Board of Australia for eligibility for registration. The exception is New Zealand.

If you hold registration in New Zealand you may obtain registration as a psychologist in Australia through the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement. For further information, contact the Psychology Board of Australia. Unless you require an assessment for migration purposes, it is unlikely that you will be required to undergo an APS assessment of psychology qualifications.

No.

In order to meet the requirements for skilled migration as a psychologist or a skilled graduate visa, you must have completed qualifications which have been assessed as comparable to a six year sequence of study in psychology by the APS, or hold full, current and unconditional registration as a psychologist in Australia. 

All non-APAC-accredited qualifications that are awarded by institutions outside Australia need to be assessed by the APS and/or the Psychology Board of Australia. There are no existing arrangements for mutual recognition of degrees from other countries.

The APS may assess your qualifications. However, before applying for an assessment, the APS advises that you contact the course coordinator of the program you wish to apply to. Recency of study requirements can vary by higher education provider. You are advised to confirm these requirements directly with the institution to which you intend to apply.

Registration as a psychologist in Australia and membership of the APS are entirely separate. The Psychology Board of Australia and the APS are distinct organisations.

Registration

To practise as a psychologist in Australia you must hold current registration. The Psychology Board of Australia is the body responsible for the registration of psychologists in Australia.

For registration purposes applicants with qualifications obtained overseas are required to apply directly to the Psychology Board of Australia for an assessment of their overseas qualifications. Applicants do not need an APS assessment if they intend to apply for registration only.

APS membership

The APS is the largest professional association for psychologists in Australia with over 30,000 members. The mission of the APS is to advance the discipline and profession of psychology for the benefit of members and the communities they serve. Once your APS assessment has been completed, you may consider joining the APS.  See our membership pages to learn about the benefits of belonging to the APS.

No. The APS may only assess completed qualifications.

No. You may submit your application for assessment from overseas. If the APS has any queries about your application, you will be contacted by email.

You are required to provide high resolution colour scans of original documents to support your online application. However, scans of certified true copies of the original documents are also accepted. This includes scanned original or certified true copies of your academic transcript/s and degree certificate/s (also called a diploma or testamur) for each completed qualification. If you are a recent graduate who has not yet been awarded the degree certificate for your qualification, the APS will likely require additional formal documentation from the awarding institution (in the form of a diploma supplement, or provisional degree certificate, for example).

A scan of a photocopy of a certified document is not valid - we need to see the true certified copy that was physically signed by an authorised person. 

The APS does not accept university letters as official evidence of course completion.

No.

If your PhD thesis is currently under examination, the degree has not yet been formally completed. You may only apply for an assessment once you can provide either a certified copy of the degree certificate or a certified copy of the academic transcript which clearly states that the qualification has been completed or conferred.

High resolution scans of original documents are required to be submitted with your online application. However, scans of certified true copies of the original documents are also accepted. This is a document that has been formally endorsed as true copies of the originals by a person or agency recognised by the law of your country and recognised by the Australian Embassy, High Commission or Immigration Office for this purpose.

In Australia, persons who may certify documents include Justices of the Peace (JPs), Commissioners for Declarations, and legal practitioners. The APS also accepts documents which have been certified by an accountant, notary, pharmacist, physiotherapist, police officer or psychologist. The certifying officer must not be a family member or spouse.

To have your copies certified you will need to present both the original and the copy of each document to the person certifying the copies. Each copy of the document must be certified separately and must show clearly:

• the words ‘certified as a true copy of the original’;
• the signature of the certifying officer; and
• the name and address or provider/registration number (where appropriate) of the certifying officer legibly printed below the signature. It must be possible, from the details provided, for the APS to contact the certifying officer if necessary.

Please note that a scan of a photocopied certified document is not valid - we need to see the true certified copy that was physically signed by an authorised person.

No. The APS may only assess completed qualifications.

The APS does not assess individual coursework units as part of its assessment. It is an Australian higher education provider's responsibility to determine the level of accepted credits within an APAC-accredited course. For further information about the APAC accreditation standards, please see www.psychologycouncil.org.au.

Reviewing applications is a complex process, and we are currently experiencing significant demand. At certain times of the year there are very high numbers of applications which can impact processing time e.g., around university application deadlines.

We understand that waiting for your assessment can be a stressful time when you are depending on the outcome to complete your other applications for migration or university entry. Rest assured we have a dedicated team working hard to get your outcome to you as soon as possible.

Due to current demand, we endeavour to provide outcomes via email within an approximate 3-month timeframe.

Yes.

The APS requires an official academic transcript that indicates the date on which the qualification was completed or conferred, and the years that you were enrolled in the course. The APS suggests that you contact the student records department of the university at which you studied for a transcript. In circumstances where the university does not routinely issue academic transcripts for research degrees, please contact the APS.

Yes.

The APS requires that you submit a electronic copy of your full thesis if this is in english. If the thesis is not in english please upload a translated and certified copy of the title page, table of contents and abstract of your thesis/major research project.

The APS also requires a list of supervisor(s) and examiner(s) indicating their profession and institutional affiliation.

 If you are seeking provisional or general registration to practise as a psychologist in Australia, you must apply directly to the Psychology Board of Australia. 

An assessment for the purpose of skilled migration under the categories of psychologist is separate to the assessment for registration purposes conducted by the Psychology Board of Australia. 

If you have completed all your academic training in psychology at a tertiary institution(s) in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada or the USA where programs are conducted in English, you are exempt from sitting an English language assessment.

The APS reserves the right to ask applicants to provide either the IELTS (Academic) or PTE Academic examination if there is uncertainty about their level of English proficiency.

You must provide a certified copy of a satisfactory and valid result, or arrange for the evidence to be sent directly from the testing centre to the APS. 

For PTE Academic results, you may send these results securely through the PTE web site to the APS. 

To meet the English language proficiency requirements you must achieve the required minimum scores in one of the above English language tests and meet the requirements for test results specified:

a) the IELTS (academic module) with a minimum overall score of 7 and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

NOTE: We will only accept test results:

• from one test sitting, or a maximum of two test sittings in a six month period only if:
  • you achieve a minimum overall score of 7 in each sitting, and
  • you achieve a minimum score of 7 in each component across the two sittings, and
  • no score in any component of the test is below 6.5.

b) the PTE Academic  with a minimum overall score of 65 and a minimum score of 65 in each of the four communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

NOTE: We will only accept test results:

• from one test sitting, or a maximum of two test sittings in a six month period only if:
  • a minimum overall score of 65 is achieved in each sitting, and
  • you achieve a minimum score of 65 in each of the communicative skills across the two sittings, and
  • no score in any of the communicative skills is below 58

One Skill Retake (OSR)

From 14 December 2022, IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) will be available for certain test takers. OSR allows test takers to retake one of the four test components in either reading, writing, speaking or listening (once only).

For Australian visa purposes, the Department will accept IELTS test results that include OSR, with the exception of applications for subclasses 476, 482, and 485​, which need scores from a single sitting/attempt.

The APS will accept OSR for our skilled migration applications in general, with the caveat that applicants are aware their result may not be accepted by the Department of Home Affairs should they subsequently apply for subclasses 476, 482 and 485. 

For further information please review the information on the Department of Home Affairs website. 

The APS will accept results from any of the following English language examinations:

• IELTS (Academic) - the International English Language Testing System (Academic module)
• PTE Academic - the Pearson Test of English, Academic

At-home or online English language tests

Some test providers offer alternative versions of their tests that you can take at home or online, such as TOEFL iBT – Home Edition, OET@Home, PTE Academic Online, IELTS Online (General and Academic) and IELTS Indicator.

The Department of Home Affairs does not accept scores from these tests, or any other 'at-home' or 'online' tests for Australian migration purposes. 

For further information please review the information on the Department of Home Affairs website. 

You may use the same assessment to apply for entry into multiple universities. It is your responsibility to make certified copies of the Statement of Comparability for multiple purposes. Please note additional copies made by the APS may incur a fee.

If you disagree with the Statement of Psychology Qualifications decision made by the APS you should contact the APS Assessments Team directly on via email at [email protected] or phone 1800 333 497. 

If, after discussing your outcome with the APS assessment team you are still dissatisfied with the APS decision and are able to provide new official supporting evidence, you can request a re-assessment of your qualifications. To do this, we ask that you submit a detailed cover letter outlining your concerns and specifically address the relevant APAC competencies. You will need to provide new official supporting evidence such as detailed course outlines, syllabus, course learning outcomes etc. 

Reassessments of qualifications will attract a non-refundable fee of $200. The timeframe for reassessments is the same as all other applications, approximately 3 months.

The APS will consider your application for re-assessment on the basis of your email and the additional documentation supplied in support of your application.