Is the Professional Year still worth 5 points? Keep the closure rumours, accounting PY, and points test reform separate
The Home Affairs points table still lists Professional Year at 5 points; but the accounting Professional Year has stopped new enrolments, and IT and engineering should be checked separately via the official ACS and EEA entry points.
Editorial Principles
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In One Sentence
Whether the Professional Year can still be planned for cannot be summed up with a single "it's closed." The current points table still has Professional Year at 5 points, but the accounting PY has stopped new enrolments; IT and engineering should still be checked against the official ACS and EEA pages for courses and providers. Discussion of points test reform does not mean the current points have already been removed.
Key Takeaways
- Professional Year is still a 5-point item in the Home Affairs points table.
- New enrolments for the accounting Professional Year have stopped, so it cannot be planned as a new 5-point option for 2026.
- For IT and engineering, check the current course offerings, fees, and completion evidence separately against ACS, EEA, and approved providers.
- People already working are not necessarily barred from doing a PY, but they must confirm their visa, attendance, placement, and completion time window.
First, distinguish: the points rule remains, some programs are closed
The Home Affairs points table still lists Professional Year as a 5-point item, so you cannot simply say the Professional Year 5 points have been removed.
But that does not mean every direction still accepts new enrolments. The accounting Professional Year has stopped new enrolments, and the relevant bodies state that program activities end on 1 May 2026. For accounting applicants, the Professional Year should no longer be planned as a new points pathway.
IT and engineering should use their own official entry points
The IT Professional Year should be checked via the ACS Professional Year page or the ACS approved provider pathway. Focus on entry requirements, course length, campus, fees, the internship or workplace component, and the timing of completion evidence.
The engineering Professional Year should be checked via Engineering Education Australia or the official pathway it points to. Engineering graduates should not apply the accounting PY closure information, nor rely only on training-provider advertising.
Can you still do it if you're already working?
Having a job is usually not an automatic barrier. What really affects whether you can do it are the visa conditions, course attendance, the internship or placement arrangement, whether you meet the professional direction, and whether the completion date can still be used for the EOI 5-point time window.
If you are already working full time, the things most likely to cause problems are scheduling and the evidence chain: whether the course allows part-time study, whether the placement can fit around your existing job, and whether the completion letter can be obtained before the expected invitation.
On points test reform and closure rumours
The Australian government has indeed discussed points test reform in the past, but reform discussion, the closing of a consultation, and the removal of current rules are not the same thing. Site content should keep "the official points table currently still lists 5 points" and "reform may happen in the future" separate.
So this site recommends: accounting applicants should no longer rely on a new PY; IT and engineering applicants should treat the PY only as a 5-point option that needs budget and time verification; and everyone should ultimately rely on the current pages of Home Affairs, ACS, EEA, and the provider.
Can the Professional Year still add 5 points in Australia in 2026?
The Home Affairs points table still lists Professional Year at 5 points, but it cannot be generalised. New enrolments for the accounting Professional Year have stopped, while IT and engineering must be checked separately against the official ACS and Engineering Education Australia pages for courses, providers, fees, and completion evidence.