Student registration and graduates

The Physiotherapy Board of Australia and Ahpra have a wide range of resources and information about being be a registered physiotherapist in Australia.

Student registration

Registration protects the public and increases confidence that health practitioners and students are providing safe services.

If you are enrolled in an approved program of study, you do not need to apply for student registration. Your education provider must give your details to the Board for registration as a student. No fees are needed.　

The Board will register you for the length of study or clinical training in physiotherapy, or until you are no longer enrolled.

Complaints, known as ‘notifications’, can be made about students.

Ahpra may receive a notification about a student for:

• a matter involving impairment¹
• a charge, conviction, or finding of guilt for a serious offence
• a contravention of a condition on registration or an undertaking given by the Student to the Board.

The Board may take regulatory action involving a physiotherapy student in response to these situations.

Ahpra’s Student registration page has more information.

Approved programs of study

The approved programs of study are on the Accreditation page.

Graduates

Information video for graduating students

This video has information for students near the end of their approved programs of study in Australia who will be seeking general registration as a physiotherapist.

Physiotherapy students can start the registration process in their final year of study in preparation for graduating.

You must be registered to practise as a physiotherapist. You will be eligible for registration if you have an approved qualification and meet requirements in the registration standards.

The resources below have more information for graduating students:

• Registration and Registration Standards
• Continuing Professional Development Guidelines
• Recency of Practice Guidelines
• Code of Conduct
• Graduate registration on the Ahpra website

Graduate Applications

Graduating soon? Apply for registration now.

Are your qualifications from overseas?

If you are a student or a graduate with overseas qualifications, visit the Australian Physiotherapy Council for more information.

¹ Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law), a person with impairment is a person who has a physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder, including substance abuse or dependence that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect, the student’s capacity to carry out clinical training. It is important to note that if you do have impairment, the threshold for reporting is high.