Macquarie's undergraduate Business degree, the Bachelor of Commerce, is taught through Macquarie Business School, an AACSB-accredited school located inside Sydney's largest high-tech and corporate precinct, Macquarie Park, minutes from the Australian headquarters of Microsoft, Optus, Cisco, and Pfizer. It is one of Macquarie's most popular undergraduate programs for international students, and it feeds directly into Macquarie's strongest postgraduate business offerings, including the Master of Applied Finance, which third-party rankings place at #1 in Australia. For applicants comparing business degrees across Australian universities, the Bachelor of Commerce is a solid, moderately accessible option with genuine employer connections built into the degree structure.
This guide covers exactly what it takes to get into Macquarie's Bachelor of Commerce: acceptance rate realities, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and what graduates go on to do.
Acceptance Rate
Macquarie does not publish a program-level acceptance rate for the Bachelor of Commerce, and it does not publish a single university-wide figure either. Third-party aggregators estimate Macquarie's overall acceptance rate somewhere between 54% and 72%, a wide range that reflects how differently these figures get calculated rather than a precise, agreed-upon number.
What Macquarie does publish is its admission pathway: applicants need a recognized senior secondary qualification (such as the NSW Higher School Certificate or an equivalent overseas credential), a recognized Foundation course, a diploma/advanced diploma, or at least one year of prior university study, alongside the required English proficiency score. Macquarie does not publish a specific ATAR cut-off for the Bachelor of Commerce in the sources checked for this guide; Business degrees at Macquarie are generally considered less competitive to enter than Law or Medicine-adjacent programs, but applicants should still confirm the current year's specific entry standard through Macquarie's official CourseFinder tool, since course-level thresholds can shift between intakes.
Bottom line: treat the Bachelor of Commerce as a genuinely accessible entry point into Macquarie Business School rather than a highly competitive, capacity-limited program, while still meeting the published academic and English requirements in full.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
Based on IDP Education's program listing (a third-party source, cross-checked against Macquarie's general fee range), the Bachelor of Commerce is priced at:
| Cost item | Amount (AUD/year) |
|---|---|
| Tuition (2026 indicative pricing) | ~$49,200 |
| Living costs (Australian government minimum financial requirement) | $29,710 |
| Estimated total per year | ~$78,900 |
The degree is 3 years in duration, putting total indicative cost before scholarships at roughly AUD $147,600-$237,000 across the program, depending on how living costs and any fee increases are factored in year to year. Macquarie's own fees page confirms that tuition is set per credit point and reviewed annually, so treat the $49,200/year figure as a solid indicative estimate rather than a locked-in number, and use Macquarie's official fees calculator for an exact, current quote tied to your specific enrollment year.
On top of tuition, budget for compulsory Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), textbooks, and accommodation, none of which are included in the tuition figure above. Macquarie offers international scholarships and Business School-specific awards; check the university's official scholarships page for current eligibility, since we could not verify a fixed scholarship amount for this guide.
Admission Requirements
- A recognized senior secondary school qualification or university entrance examination (for example, the NSW Higher School Certificate or an equivalent overseas credential)
- Alternatively: a recognized university Foundation course, a 2-3 year Diploma/Advanced Diploma/Associate Degree, or at least one year of completed university study from a recognized institution
- Evidence of English language proficiency (IELTS 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0, or an equivalent accepted test; see below)
- Certified transcripts, with official English translations where originals are not in English
- Completed international application through Macquarie's official application channel
- Financial documentation to support subclass 500 student visa processing once an offer is made
Macquarie's fee sources for this program do not specify an ATAR requirement, describing entry instead in terms of recognized qualification categories; if you're applying from a schooling system Macquarie doesn't explicitly list, its International Academic Entry Program pathway (for applicants with strong maths and English performance) is worth checking directly with the university.
How to Get Into Macquarie's Bachelor of Commerce
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Confirm your qualification falls into one of Macquarie's recognized categories (senior secondary certificate, Foundation course, diploma, or prior university study), and if it doesn't clearly fit, contact Macquarie's international admissions team before assuming you're ineligible.
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Get transcripts certified and translated early. Document verification is one of the more common delay points in Australian university applications, and Macquarie requires certified English translations for any documents not originally issued in English.
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Clear the IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL 79 threshold with some margin, since Commerce involves a meaningful amount of academic writing and case-study analysis; entering right at the minimum can make first-year workload noticeably harder.
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Apply during one of Macquarie's two intakes (February or July) through the official international application channel, since deadlines and required supporting documents are managed centrally and can shift between cycles.
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Plan to use the PACE (Professional and Community Engagement) program once enrolled. Macquarie connects Business students with thousands of partner organizations for credit-bearing placements, according to third-party sources, and building this into your degree plan early maximizes the practical-experience payoff by graduation.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
The Bachelor of Commerce uses Macquarie's standard undergraduate English threshold, not a Business-specific higher bar:
- IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0
- TOEFL iBT: 79 overall, minimum 12 per section
- PTE Academic: 58 overall, minimum 50 per skill
- Duolingo English Test: officially accepted by Macquarie as of September 2025 per third-party sources, though a specific minimum score was not confirmed in the sources checked for this guide
For the full breakdown of Macquarie's English requirements, waiver eligibility, and program-specific exceptions, see Macquarie University: Acceptance Rate, Fees, IELTS/TOEFL Requirements, and How to Get In.
Career Outcomes
Macquarie Business School positions the Bachelor of Commerce as a direct pipeline into finance, accounting, and business-analytics careers, leveraging its Macquarie Park location:
- Industry proximity: Microsoft, Optus, Cisco, and Pfizer are all headquartered near campus, which third-party sources describe as a meaningful advantage for internships and graduate hiring (not an official Macquaire-published placement statistic).
- PACE program: connects students with 4,000+ partner organizations for practical, credit-bearing placements, according to third-party sources.
- Downstream program strength: Commerce graduates who continue into Macquarie's Master of Applied Finance are entering a program ranked #1 in Australia by third-party rankings, and Macquarie's Accounting program reports a 91% CPA Australia exam pass rate, the highest of any Australian university, according to third-party sources.
- Subclass 485 eligibility: Commerce graduates completing a CRICOS-registered qualification and meeting the required English level can apply for Australia's Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). Following the July 1, 2024 reforms, bachelor's degree holders are generally eligible for the Post-Higher Education Work stream at up to 2 years, subject to the current maximum application age of 35 (with some bilateral exceptions). Always verify current eligibility on the Department of Home Affairs' official website, since these rules are periodically adjusted.
We could not find an official, Macquarie-published Bachelor of Commerce-specific graduate employment rate or starting-salary figure; treat any such number you encounter elsewhere as a third-party estimate unless it is sourced directly to Macquarie or Australia's national QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey.
FAQ
Does Macquarie publish an acceptance rate for the Bachelor of Commerce? No. Macquarie does not publish a program-level or university-wide acceptance rate. Third-party estimates for Macquarie overall range from roughly 54% to 72%, which should be read as a general "moderately accessible" signal rather than a precise figure.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for Macquarie's Bachelor of Commerce? The standard undergraduate threshold applies: IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) or TOEFL iBT 79 overall (minimum 12 per section). PTE Academic 58 is also accepted.
How much does the Bachelor of Commerce cost? Indicative 2026 tuition is approximately AUD $49,200/year, for a 3-year degree, putting total tuition at roughly AUD $147,600 before any scholarships. Add the Australian government's minimum living-cost benchmark of AUD $29,710/year for a fuller budget picture.
Is there an ATAR requirement for international applicants? Macquarie's published sources describe entry in terms of recognized qualification categories (senior secondary certificate, Foundation course, diploma, or prior university study) rather than a single published ATAR cut-off for this program; confirm your specific pathway through Macquarie's official CourseFinder tool.
Can Bachelor of Commerce graduates apply for the subclass 485 visa? Yes, subject to meeting CRICOS qualification and English-language requirements. Bachelor's degree holders are generally eligible for up to 2 years under the Post-Higher Education Work stream, following the July 2024 reforms, and must meet the current age cap of 35 (with limited bilateral exceptions).
Does the Bachelor of Commerce lead directly into Macquarie's Master of Applied Finance? Many Commerce graduates go on to Macquarie's postgraduate finance programs, including the Master of Applied Finance, which is ranked #1 in Australia by third-party rankings, though formal admission into that program still requires meeting its own separate entry requirements.