Bachelor of Laws
at Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria.
A three-year Bachelor of Laws at Hawthorn that meets the Victorian Legal Admissions Board's academic requirements, with an intellectual property specialisation and 60 days of law-related placements. Swinburne's guaranteed ATAR for 2027 entry is 80. VCE prerequisite is a study score of at least 25 in English other than EAL (or 30 in EAL).
Lowest selection rank
The lowest selection rank (LSR) is the lowest ATAR plus adjustment factors (equity, subject and regional bonuses) that received an offer to the Swinburne Bachelor of Laws for that intake. Universities publish it in their admissions student profiles. Only intakes with a published figure are listed.
| Intake | Lowest selection rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 77.35 | delta.vtac.edu.au |
| 2025 | 77.20 | delta.vtac.edu.au |
| 2024 | 83.75 | delta.vtac.edu.au |
A lowest selection rank describes a past intake, not a guaranteed entry score. Check the current entry requirements on the official course page before you apply through VTAC.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
Alongside the areas required for admission, students study intellectual property (trademarks, patents, designs and copyright) and competition law, and technologies changing legal practice, such as smart legal contracts, document automation and predictive AI.
Placement and industry experience
Students complete 60 days of law-related professional experience placements, which Swinburne says is unique among Victorian law degrees.
Career outcomes
- Graduates work as solicitors and barristers after completing practical legal training and admission to the relevant state Supreme Court.
- Common destinations include top-tier and mid-tier law firms, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and state legal aid commissions.
- Many alumni move into in-house counsel roles, policy work in government or the judiciary as associates and tipstaves.
Professional accreditation
- Victorian Legal Admissions Board (academic requirements for admission)
Typical first jobs
- Graduate solicitor at top-tier or mid-tier Melbourne law firms
- Associate to a Federal Court, Supreme Court or County Court judge
- Government lawyer at the Victorian Government Solicitor's Office
- Office of Public Prosecutions or Victoria Legal Aid lawyer
- In-house counsel at a corporate or major bank
- Policy lawyer in Commonwealth or state government
- Community legal centre lawyer
Graduate starting salary
$70,000 - $95,000 per year
Source: jobsandskills.gov.au. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
Students can enrol in a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with the Leo Cussen Centre for Law in their final year, providing the practical training needed for admission.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Strong readers comfortable with 100-plus pages of case law a week
- Precise writers who can build a tight legal argument
- Patient students who can hold detail in their head
- Confident speakers willing to moot and present
- Self-starters who chase clerkships from year two
It is probably not for you if
- Students who dislike heavy reading and writing
- Those who hate final-exam pressure
- People wanting a science or maths-heavy course
- Students who avoid public speaking and oral assessment
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and selection ranks on the Swinburne University of Technology website and on VTAC before applying.