CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: THE ARMY TERTIARY EDUCATION PROGRAM (ATEP) 2026

The Army Tertiary Education Program (ATEP) provides junior officers, warrant officers and SNCOs who do not have an undergraduate degree the opportunity to undertake part-time study in selected degrees at participating universities.

The period of sponsorship under the ATEP is for one academic year of part-time study, which includes up to a maximum of four units of study in the academic year. Any remaining units of study to be completed after this sponsored year may be considered after a formal request by the continuing student.

One of the benefits of studying through the ATEP is the ability to gain advanced standing within the selected degrees. This allows students to complete a three-year full-time course in as little as two years of part-time study by acknowledging their previous training and experience.

For further information, including available courses and how to apply, consult the ATEP Sharepoint page (DPN link only).

Not convinced? Read the feedback from these ATEP students:

WO2 Joseph Seymour, Bachelor of Business, UNE

"I decided to apply for ATEP after I learnt about the program from a colleague I was working with at the time. Having joined the Army at 17, it meant I had not completed Year 12 or received a HSC score. At the time, I found I had no interest in school and wanted something different; hence the reason to join the Army. When I joined I had no real plan on how long I wanted to remain in the Army or what I would do if I left; I just knew I didn’t want to be at school anymore. After joining and enjoying my time more and more as I progressed through the ranks and corps transferred, it became clearer that my future career path would be within the military. After an injury restricted my ability to carry out my trade’s primary duties, I found myself in the CLM pathway. With this new direction in my career and on learning what ATEP was, I found an interest in turning the experiences I had gained over time into something more consolidated and meaningful. I was able to do this through study and ATEP, which in turn provided me with a broader knowledge base to draw from while working towards achieving a degree which I thought would not ever be achievable having not completed Year 12.

The ATEP application process was clearly explained and was, when I applied, very simple. It was a series of clear steps and check boxes between the member, the CoC, the university being applied to, and the ATEP coordinator that you progress through in your application to be approved.

One of the key advantages to ATEP is that it provides that flexibility for a member to complete the units over time. The program will fund 4 units a year and most degrees only require 8 units to be completed after RPL. I completed my degree over 7 trimesters (approximately 2 years and 4 months). 

I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of unit topics and the challenges they each presented. A lot of military work, training and concepts can be directly related back to the topics and I found some were even identical to systems we use but are just called something different in the academic world. In addition to this, it was interesting getting perspectives from other students, especially those from a different government organisation, large business enterprises or even not for profit organisations. The diversity created a great range of lived experience to draw and learn from.

Some of the challenges I faced were remaining engaged in a topic if it wasn’t something that piqued my interest; this can also be extremely difficult to do as all of my study was done online through a portal very similar to ADELE. The schedule at times was also challenging when it came to balancing study and work, especially over busy exercise periods. I found that all of my lecturers and the university were extremely supportive with assignment extension applications when I required it a couple of times and my CoC was the same when I needed it."

WO1 Linden Bleijie, Bachelor of Organisational Leadership, UNE

"I undertook ATEP for professional development, and I will admit that, initially, it was begrudgingly. I was told that to maintain competitiveness I would need tertiary education. I had been resistant to this notion for a long time as it was not stipulated early in in my career as an OR. It was always seen as an “officer thing”. Once I started the Bachelors in Organisational Leadership, it quickly changed my perspective on tertiary education, and it showed the benefits of ATEP itself.

The joining part was easy but having spent a long time out of school and out of any kind of “non-military” education, it was beneficial to have someone hold my hand; this was through the use of the student resources from UNE. They were extremely helpful and walked me through the whole setup. This was just the university side; the ATEP side was as simple as it could be: very clear and consistent communication from the ATEP team made it easy to follow along; a point of difference for DASS is that you don’t need to pay upfront, you only need to send the invoice to the ATEP inbox and they handle everything for you. The only issue I had was probably not reading the fine print and trying to do more units than allowed per year.

It took me two years to finish my degree, and the workload was easily achievable. I was URF and living on board at the time so did not have a lot of external time pressures; my advice here is to not underestimate the study required. It is not excessive, but it is there, especially if taking on two units at a time with a full work load. This was for someone that had never studied before; I even joined Defence before Grade 12 finished. Even though there were parts of me that doubted whether I could do it, once I was in the swing of it, I could see the benefits of attention to detail, time management, and the real world experience that the Defence life could bring were realised. An issue that I had while studying was the lack of feedback around assessments. This was very different to most ADF training institutes I have worked in. Once you had completed an assessment at university, it was onto the next one or the next unit entirely. There were small windows for improvement; however, there wasn’t really much scope to improve the fundamentals like essay writing for example. This was learnt through exposure and while reading widely through the various units. 

Final thoughts: Like Nike says, “Just do it”. I really did not think it would be for me, but I actually enjoyed it. I feel that I was able to link a lot of the conversations and reading that I did directly back to the workplace. I guess time will tell whether it has made me a better leader or not, but in the meantime, I have a large evidence pool for a lot of the things that the Army is doing right at the moment and maybe a few that we can look to modify. I acknowledge that a younger version of myself might not have been as keen, but it worked for me at this stage of my career."

SGT Matthew Blows, Bachelor of Organisational Leadership, UNE

"I undertook the Army Tertiary Education Program (ATEP) to align my personal development with the Army’s strategic focus on building a future-ready workforce. By gaining a tertiary qualification, I aimed to improve my emotional intelligence and enhance on my ability to communicate effectively to contribute to Defence’s evolving operational and leadership requirements. 

The ATEP process was efficient and well-supported. Education coordinators provided clear guidance and direction throughout the application and studying process. This education scheme demonstrates how the organisation invests in intellectual capability to support long-term Defence objectives.

It took just over 2 years to complete my degree through ATEP. Due to my already having completed subject courses, I was fortunate to receive advance standing for my degree. I then completed my degree part-time, balancing study with service requirements. 

I enjoyed gaining broader perspectives and academic insights that complemented my military training and experience. This strengthened my ability to think critically, expand on my knowledge on how to be an effective leader and adapt to the situation/environment when dealing with subordinates. 

Balancing study with being a parent and unit requirements was demanding, especially during peak operational periods. However, this challenge was overcome by help from my family/partner and having a chain of command who was supportive of my studies. This highlighted the Army’s support structures and its recognition of education as a strategic enabler, not just an individual pursuit.

ATEP is an exceptional study scheme for senior soldiers within the organisation. Not only does it benefit the member at the micro level by paying for a tertiary qualification. It also supports Defence’s goal of developing adaptable, educated leaders capable of working within a joint and multinational environment. My participation has not only enhanced my personal skills but also reinforced the Army’s broader strategic emphasis on intellectual edge and professional mastery."

CAPT Grant McMahon, Bachelor of Business, JCU

"I chose to undertake ATEP to gain a formal qualification that would complement my Defence experience, broaden my professional skill set, and support future career advancement both within and beyond the ADF.

The process was straightforward and well supported. The Defence Education Schemes team provided timely guidance to the RPL process, and the administrative steps to enroll, manage funding, and stay on track were clear and easy to navigate. I felt well backed throughout the journey.

I completed my Bachelor of Business through James Cook University in approximately 2 years, studying part-time while managing full-time Defence responsibilities.

I enjoyed the relevance of the course content, particularly in areas such as strategic logistics and organisational behaviour, which aligned closely with my current and future Defence roles. It also gave me a broader perspective on civilian business practices.

Balancing study with full time service and family commitments was the most significant challenge. However, the flexibility of online learning and structured trimesters helped me stay on track.

The sense of accomplishment upon graduation was a career highlight. Receiving a Letter of Commendation from the university affirmed that the effort invested alongside service obligations was worthwhile. I would strongly encourage other members to consider ATEP if they are looking to upskill."

WO2 Matthew Jackson, Bachelor of Organisational Leadership, UNE

"I was looking to leverage being a SNCO and move towards ASWOC, and realised this would be enhanced by having a degree. It was by far the best thing I have ever done. It was easy to apply for and manage throughout the trimesters. Most CoCs should strongly encourage this and therefore getting time for exams for approval should be pretty straight forward. The ATEP team is really only one person, but she is in contact and very helpful and approachable. It took me two and a half years to complete my degree. I only studied 2 subjects a trimester once, and I won’t make that mistake again. They were hard subjects with lots of writing tasks; while I still got a distinction, I enjoyed the course most completing just one subject per trimester instead of two. It was a lot easier than I thought: one hour lecture at night and a tutorial. In general, it’s study at your own pace so you can read the text book in the holidays and when the subject opens you can make a start on your assessments. Also, all of the lectures are recorded, so you can listen whenever and as many times as you require. My recommendation is to use time wisely: my lunch was for writing, the gym was for listening to lectures and I used SIRI to read my textbooks on the drive to work. A challenge was that the units of leadership, managing change, training development, management, etc… were teaching and operating differently from how the Army does these things. As a final thought: SNCOs with kids and work commitments will be scared to study, but once they start they will see how flexible it is and realise that there is nothing to worry about."