How to become a software engineer in Australia
Software Engineers design, develop, modify, document, test, implement, install and support software applications and systems.
Pay and growth are for the wider software and applications programmers group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the software and applications programmers group are projected to grow 26.7% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Provides advice, guidance and expertise in developing proposals and strategies for software design activities such as financial evaluation and costings for recommending software purchases and upgrades.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the software and applications programmers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 87% a degree or higher, 4% a diploma, 2% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria46 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Computer Science Advanced (Honours) · Monash, Clayton95.10 Computer Science (Professional) · RMIT, City90.55 Software Engineering (Professional) · RMIT, City82.60 Computer Science · Monash, Clayton82.05 Engineering-Software Engineering (Honours) · RMIT, City80.65 Computer Science · RMIT, City75.10 Computer Science (Professional) · Swinburne, Hawthorn74.15 Computer Science (Cyber Security major) · Swinburne, Hawthorn67.95Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 11 of 46 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT56 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Computer Science (Dean's Scholar) · Wollongong96.25 Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours) · UNSW96.00 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software) · UNSW94.00 Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) Degrees · UNSW93.40 Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Software Engineering) · Sydney90.50 Bachelor of Advanced Computing · Sydney90.10 Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) · Griffith89.50 Bachelor of Computing Science (Honours) · UTS87.75Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 56 matches. Search every course.
Queensland25 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Computer Science · UQ, St Lucia84.00 Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours) · Griffith, Online83.65 Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) · Griffith, Gold Coast80.80 Bachelor of Computer Science · UNE, Armidale73.55 Bachelor of Computer Science · Griffith, Gold Coast68.60 Bachelor of Computer Science · UniSC, Moreton Bay62.15 Bachelor of Computer Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia98.00 Bachelor of Computer Science/Master of Cyber Security · UQ, St Lucia97.25Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 10 of 25 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia13 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours) · UWA, Perth90.55 Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) in Computing · Curtin, Perth89.80 Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) · Curtin, Perth70.80 Bachelor of Computing (Cyber Security) · Curtin, Perth70.80 Bachelor of Computing (Software Engineering) · Curtin, Perth70.80 Bachelor of Science (Science) in Software Development · Curtin, Perth66.60 Bachelor of Computer Science · ECU, Joondalup60.65 Bachelor of Information Technology in Computer Science · Murdoch, Perth60.05Showing 8 of 13 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 140 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Conventional, Investigative, Realistic.
From O*NET ratings for "Computer Systems Engineers/Architects", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.