Bachelor of Commerce
at The Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory.
A professional business degree covering accounting, finance, economics, marketing and management. Most providers offer CPA-accredited majors and a placement year.
ATAR cutoff history
Published cutoff data for the The Australian National University Bachelor of Commerce. We never invent figures; entries marked "not published" mean the university or admissions centre has not released a verified cutoff for that intake.
| Intake year | ATAR cutoff | Admissions centre |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ATAR cutoff not published | UAC |
| 2023 | ATAR cutoff not published | UAC |
| 2022 | ATAR cutoff not published | UAC |
No verified cutoffs are available. Confirm the latest figure on the official UAC cutoff release.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
The ANU Bachelor of Commerce is a three-year degree from the ANU College of Business and Economics (CBE), structured around the ANU Plan model: a 48-unit major (or two majors) plus minors and electives. Year one builds the CPA-recognised core: Business Reporting and Analysis, Financial Accounting, Introductory Microeconomics, Introductory Macroeconomics, Quantitative Research Methods and Business Information Systems. Year two layers Management Accounting, Corporate Finance, Auditing, Australian Income Tax Law and Commercial Law. Year three runs advanced major units (Accounting, Finance, Business Information Systems, Quantitative Finance, Statistics) plus a capstone integrating real-world case work, typically with an APS agency or Canberra-based corporate. The Accounting major is the route to CPA Australia and CA ANZ accreditation (with the right unit choices). The Finance major covers asset pricing, derivatives, financial markets and corporate finance. Quantitative finance students stack econometrics units from the Research School of Economics. CBE is AACSB accredited.
Example first-year subjects
- Business Reporting and Analysis
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Introductory Macroeconomics
- Financial Accounting
- Quantitative Research Methods
- Business Information Systems
How you will be assessed
- Final exams of 40 to 60 percent in accounting and finance core units
- Spreadsheet-modelling assignments using Excel and financial software
- Group consulting projects with Canberra-based clients
- Case-study reports of 2000 to 3500 words
- Mid-semester tests in financial accounting, audit and tax
- Capstone integrative project with client report and presentation
Career outcomes
- Graduates enter chartered accounting, audit and tax roles at the Big Four firms and mid-tier accounting practices.
- Common destinations include commercial banking, investment banking analyst programmes and financial planning practices.
- Many alumni move into corporate strategy, management consulting and finance functions within ASX-listed companies.
Professional accreditation
- CPA Australia
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
Typical first jobs
- Audit and assurance graduate at Big Four firms (PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte) Canberra offices
- Graduate analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, Treasury and the Productivity Commission
- Graduate at the Australian Taxation Office in Canberra
- Tax and advisory graduate at mid-tier firms (BDO, Grant Thornton, RSM)
- Finance graduate at APS agencies (Finance, Defence APS, Home Affairs)
- Commercial banking and corporate finance graduate at CBA, NAB and Westpac Canberra
Graduate starting salary
$65,000 - $78,000 per year
Source: https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/graduate-outcomes-survey-(gos). Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
Honours (CBE Honours, fourth year, 12,000 to 15,000 word research thesis under a Research School of Accounting, Finance or Management supervisor) is the strongest route into RBA Graduate, Treasury Graduate and academic research careers. The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) - Business (PhB Business) is the research-intensive four-year variant. Combined bachelors include Commerce/Law (5 years), Commerce/Economics, Commerce/Asia-Pacific Studies and Commerce/Advanced Computing. CPA Australia certification requires completion of the CPA Program (six units) plus three years of supervised experience. CA ANZ requires the equivalent CA Program. Common graduate masters include Master of Finance, Master of Accounting, Master of Applied Data Analytics and the MBA.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Students who scored well in Year 12 advanced maths and enjoy financial reasoning
- Those targeting Big Four audit graduate programs (Canberra offices of PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte)
- People drawn to the RBA, Treasury and Productivity Commission graduate streams
- Students willing to study CPA or CA after graduation for accreditation
- Those comfortable balancing technical accounting with strategy and management units
It is probably not for you if
- Students who dislike accounting standards, tax law and detailed numerical work
- Those who avoid timed final exams (a substantial weight in core units)
- Anyone wanting a broad qualitative-only management degree (Business is the better fit)
Careers this leads to
Australian career pathways that name this Bachelor of Commerce as an entry route. Each page shows uni, TAFE and apprenticeship alternatives.
Related courses at ANU
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the The Australian National University handbook and on UAC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/anu/bachelor-of-commerce.