Application process

Outlined below is the application process for the Defence Graduate Program.

Please note: Indigenous Graduate Pathway or the Australian Government Graduate Program, have different application processes.

Candidates will receive system-generated emails throughout this application process, so should regularly check spam/junk mail email folders for updates.

Pre-application

Before starting the application process, applicants need to complete the following:

  • View the Graduate pathways page and choose their pathways of interest.
  • Select 2 pathways and choose a role or area of interest within each.
  • Read the Eligibility requirements.
  • Have academic verification (for example, recent academic transcript), photographic identification and other relevant personal details readily available.

Application form

Once the above information is gathered and completed, applicants can click the 'Apply now' button to go the Defence Careers website. Applicants can follow the prompts to complete the Defence Graduate Program application form.

Online assessment

If eligible, applicants will be invited to complete 2 online assessments. These should take around 20-30 minutes in total.

These assessments help the Defence recruitment team match candidates with potential pathways.

Virtual assessment centre

Based on eligibility and the results of online assessments, some candidates will progress to a Virtual Assessment Centre. These candidates will receive an email invitation to book a preferred time and date.

The Virtual Assessment Centres are held from mid-May to early August. This will include a:

  1. supervised written task (one hour)
  2. panel interview and group exercise (2.5 hours).

The video below includes Defence’s recruitment team’s top 5 tips and tricks to a successful assessment centre.

Outcomes and offers

Successful candidates will be notified by early September. These candidates will then need to complete their required security clearance application.

Please note: Intelligence pathway candidates will have to complete extra suitability assessments. This may extend the time before being notified of application outcomes.