General Requirements

Age Requirement

Australian Defence Force Academy

Applicants must normally be a minimum of 17 years of age on day of entry; however an age waiver may be sought for Army applicants entering the ADF through ADFA at 16 years of age.

Applicants may be able to initiate the application process from 16 years of age, depending upon the capacity of their local recruiting centre.

Maximum age on entry is 45.5 years of age for 3 year degree studies and 44.5 years of age for 4 year degree studies for this avenue of entry. Maximum age guidelines are set to ensure Return of Service Obligations (ROSO) are met prior to the compulsory retirement age of 60.

Royal Military College Duntroon

Applicants must be aged between 17 and 49 years of age inclusive on entry.

Applicants will not normally be allowed to enter the ADF until they achieve a minimum of 17 years of age, however they may be able to initiate the application process from 16 years and six months of age, depending upon the capacity of their local recruiting centre.

Citizenship Requirement

Only Australian citizens are permitted to serve in the ADF.

If you are a Permanent Resident of Australia, the ADF may consider a temporary waiver of the citizenship requirement if the position for which you are applying cannot be filled by an applicant who meets all the citizenship requirements, and then only in exceptional circumstances. You will be required to obtain Australian citizenship as early as possible following enlistment or appointment.

More information on citizenship requirements and the citizenship waiver process is available from the Recruitment Centre and your local Defence Force Recruiting Centre.

Security Requirement

The Department of Defence requires ADF entrants to obtain a security clearance appropriate to their avenue of entry.

A process of background checks, collection of relevant information and, as required, interviews enables the Regional Security Office to make an informed assessment of an applicant's suitability for a security clearance.

Current policy requires applicants for this particular avenue of entry to have lived in Australia for the preceding 10 years, or have a checkable background for this period.

Aptitude Requirement

Australian Defence Force Academy, Royal Military College Duntroon

Aptitude testing is undertaken to assess your ability to cope with the training and intellectual demands placed on you whilst serving in the ADF. The standards are sound and realistic in expectation, with psychology support staff explaining what is involved with each test.

Aviation applicants will also undergo a series of aptitude tests designed to predict suitability for flying training. Whilst aviation cadets will have completed these prior to entering, cadets within RMC who consider flying as a career path, commence these tests during second class. Historically it has been proven that applicants who do not perform well in these tests are less likely to succeed in flying training. Standards have therefore been set, below which an applicant is not considered for further processing. Failure to achieve these standards should not be considered as a personal shortcoming. They are solely aimed at predicting success in the air; an environment to which many are unfamiliar.

You must be assessed as:

• suitable on tests for pilot training;
• showing common sense and good judgement;
• able to process new information quickly and accurately and apply learned procedures under pressure;
• able to allocate priorities amongst competing sources of incoming information;
• able to think and act quickly and relevantly in stressful situations (eg in unusual or emergency situations);
• able to perform complex cognitive tasks while carrying out precise manual activities; and
• able to visualise the relationship of moving objects to each other in space, time and direction.

It is essential that you be assessed as having:

• a high level of interest in the Service; and
• a very high level of interest in flying and in the roles of the Pilot specialisation.