Bachelor of Commerce
at University of Canberra, 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 University of Canberra 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 UC Bachelor of Commerce is a three-year degree from the Canberra Business School (Faculty of Business, Government and Law). Year one builds the CPA-recognised core: Accounting for Decision Making, Financial Accounting, Microeconomics for Business, Macroeconomics for Business, Business Statistics and Quantitative Methods. Year two layers Management Accounting, Corporate Finance, Auditing and Assurance, Taxation Law and Commercial Law. Year three runs advanced major units (Accounting, Banking and Finance, Financial Planning) plus the Professional Internship and Commerce Capstone. The Accounting major is structured to meet the CPA Australia and CA ANZ knowledge requirements (with appropriate elective choice). UC also offers Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) approval for the Financial Planning major - graduates meet the FASEA education standards required to work as a financial adviser. Class sizes are smaller than at the GO8 peers, with most accounting tutorials at 25 to 35 students. The school is AACSB accredited and graduates are well represented in APS finance and audit graduate intakes.
Example first-year subjects
- Accounting for Decision Making
- Financial Accounting
- Microeconomics for Business
- Macroeconomics for Business
- Business Statistics
- Quantitative Methods
How you will be assessed
- Final exams of 40 to 60 percent in accounting and finance core units
- Spreadsheet-modelling assignments using Excel and Xero
- 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
Placement and industry experience
The UC Bachelor of Commerce includes a Professional Internship unit in third year (around 100 to 150 supervised hours with a Canberra employer). The Faculty of Business, Government and Law has long-standing partnerships with the Australian Taxation Office (Canberra), Department of Finance, APS audit and assurance teams, Canberra offices of Big Four firms (PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte) and mid-tier firms (RSM, BDO, HLB Mann Judd). Students complete a learning agreement, weekly supervisor check-ins and a final reflective 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 at the Australian Taxation Office in Canberra and Belconnen
- Graduate at the Department of Finance and Australian National Audit Office (ANAO)
- Tax and advisory graduate at mid-tier firms (BDO, RSM, HLB Mann Judd, Grant Thornton)
- Finance graduate at APS agencies (Defence APS, Home Affairs, Services Australia)
- Financial planning graduate at Canberra-based financial advice practices
Graduate starting salary
$62,000 - $75,000 per year
Source: https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/graduate-outcomes-survey-(gos). Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
Strong students continue into the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) one-year program with a research thesis under a Canberra Business School supervisor. Combined bachelors include Commerce/Law (5 years), Commerce/IT and Commerce/Business Administration. CPA Australia certification requires completion of the CPA Program (six units) plus three years of supervised experience. CA ANZ requires the equivalent CA Program. The FASEA pathway for financial advisers requires the Professional Year (one year supervised) plus the FASEA exam. Common graduate masters include Master of Finance, Master of Professional Accounting, Master of Public Administration 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 ATO, Finance and APS audit graduate streams
- Students willing to study CPA, CA or the FASEA exam after graduation
- Those comfortable with both technical accounting standards and strategy 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)
Related courses at UC
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the University of Canberra handbook and on UAC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/canberra/bachelor-of-commerce.