ASIO Graduate Program 2027: Streams, Security Clearance and Selection Tests

ASIO, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, runs its own graduate programs; it is not one of the agencies listed for the AGGP Intelligence Stream on the APSJobs page we read. Its graduate page lists six programs: Finance, Graduate Lawyer, Human Resources, Strategic Policy, Governance and Communications, Project Management, and Technologist (which has five streams of its own). Each is a 12-month program. Another entry route is the Intelligence Development Program, the 12-month entry point to a career as an intelligence analyst, which needs no degree.

This guide is for people planning an application in 2027. None of the ASIO program pages we read gives an intake year or application dates, so we do not invent any: ASIO advertises its rounds on its current vacancies page.

To be eligible for employment with ASIO, you must be assessed as suitable to hold and maintain a TOP SECRET-Privileged Access (TS-PA) security clearance, and ASIO says everyone who joins will have an interview and go through the vetting process. This guide sets out each program, who can apply, the clearance in ASIO's own words, and each selection step ASIO publishes. ASIO does not describe what its tests contain, so neither do we. Independent practice – not affiliated with the APSC or any department. ProSyllabus is not affiliated with ASIO or any Australian Government agency.

ASIO: Graduate programs, program pages, Security vetting process.

One row per program, as each program page describes it. Where a page does not state something, the table says so.

Two things stand out. The degree window is short: you finish your degree before the program starts, or you graduated in the past 3 years (4 for the Graduate Lawyer Program). And the ASIO program pages that give a level give a classification and no salary; the Strategic Policy, Governance and Communications page gives neither. The Finance, Graduate Lawyer, Human Resources, Strategic Policy, Governance and Communications, and Technologist pages also say ASIO does not judge candidates by GPA alone, and that graduate programs are not only for people under a certain age.

Finance: placements across finance areas in ASIO's finance division. Graduate Lawyer: work across ASIO's Legal Services division, from legal advice on ASIO operations to legislative reform, administrative and corporate law, and criminal and civil litigation; if you have not completed practical legal training for admission, ASIO will sponsor and support it as part of the program. Human Resources: placements across HR areas in the People Branch. Strategic Policy, Governance and Communications: 3 placements, which may include national security policy and legislation reform, strategic communications, security and threat assessments, and ministerial and cabinet liaison. Project Management: specialist internal training in project management and on-the-job mentoring in capability management and ICT project delivery, across multiple placements.

The Technologist program assigns each graduate to one of five streams and runs 3 workplace rotations. The streams, as ASIO names them: Science and Engineering; Data and Analytics; Information and Cyber Security; Software Engineering and Development; and IT Platforms.

Examples of the work the page lists for the program as a whole: developing software with business users in an agile environment; data and AI lifecycle management; reducing the attack surface of IT infrastructure; supporting cyber security investigations; forensic analysis of digital media; reverse engineering; complex data analysis and visualisation to aid investigations; and engineering high-end mechanical and electrical solutions. The fields of study it names include software or computer systems engineering, cyber security, network engineering, cloud computing, computer science, digital forensics, electrical or electronic engineering, data science, mathematics or statistics, telecommunications, and project management or business analysis with an ICT focus.

The Intelligence Development Program (IDP) is listed with ASIO's intelligence careers, not with the six graduate programs, but it is the entry point to a career as an intelligence analyst and later an intelligence officer. ASIO describes it as 12 months of comprehensive training in intelligence assessment, analysis and advice, through which participants develop the skills and knowledge to gain an Intelligence Analyst licence.

ASIO says it looks for qualities such as good judgement, analysis, critical thinking, resilience, communication skills and interpersonal skills, and that you do not need military, police or intelligence experience.

The Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP) has an Intelligence Stream, but it is a different route. APSJobs says it is managed by the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), and the archived page lists four places you could work: the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Australian Signals Directorate, the Department of Home Affairs and ONI. ASIO is not on that list, and ASIO's own pages point applicants to its current vacancies page and Instagram for its programs. Applications for the Intelligence Stream are listed as opening on 1 March 2027. The page says shortlisted applicants move to an online testing stage whose assessments may include work preferences, cognitive tests and a one-way interview, and that graduates must obtain a "Top Secret Positive Vetting/Privileged Access" clearance, which can take 12 to 24 months. That stream's assessments are compared with the other AGGP streams in our APS graduate aptitude test guide, and the other agency programs are mapped in our APS graduate programs guide.

ASIO's selection process page says: "Obtaining a security clearance is a necessary requirement to work at ASIO." ASIO calls the TS-PA clearance Australia's highest-level security clearance; it is managed by the TS-PA Vetting Authority within ASIO, which ASIO describes as the sole vetting authority authorised to grant, deny, revoke and maintain TS-PA clearances. To be eligible you must be an Australian citizen and have a checkable background; to hold it, you must demonstrate trustworthiness and commitment to Australia.

The clearance applicants page calls the TS-PA vetting process "extensive and intrusive": you will go into detail about all aspects of your life, including your personal relationships, finances, travel, legal history, drug use, mental health and personal behaviours.

On getting through it, ASIO's own advice is short: "The most important thing about completing our security clearance process is honesty." Its clearance applicants page says people live full and varied lives and that decisions are made case by case. A note on names: APSJobs' Intelligence Stream page writes "Top Secret Positive Vetting/Privileged Access"; ASIO's own pages use "TOP SECRET-Privileged Access (TS-PA)", and this guide uses ASIO's wording.

ASIO says its selection process is "rigorous, extensive, comprises various assessment stages and can take some months to complete". The elements below are from its selection process, applying and Working at ASIO pages. ASIO does not publish a fixed order for the middle stages, and the process varies between roles; it does say everyone who joins has an interview and goes through vetting. The last column is our advice, not an ASIO rule.

ASIO says all applicants are assessed on their demonstrated ability to meet six capabilities: strategic thinking; achieves results; productive working relationships; personal drive and integrity; communicates with influence; and demonstrated skills and experience. The candidate pack for the role explains how they apply, and ASIO's Capability Framework sets out the behaviours expected at each level. ASIO recommends the STAR model (Situation, Task, Actions, Results) for both the pitch and the interview, and points to the APSC's "Cracking the Code" for addressing selection criteria.

ASIO is open that it will not describe its assessment activities: "We can’t give you details of what the activity will involve". What it does say: the activities are "typically strengths-based or behavioural based"; you should prepare contextual examples of what you may be assessed against; you are welcome to bring notes and refer to them; and "Relax and be yourself." For technical roles, it says the emphasis tends to be on your overall tech contribution, including tech leadership, your self-awareness of your own behaviours and abilities, and how you would enhance its workplace. ASIO asks you to tell it if you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process; these may include adjustments to assessment methods.

ASIO asks applicants not to discuss their application with others, "as doing so may adversely affect your potential employment". Most ASIO officers are undeclared, which means ASIO cannot reveal their identities, and staff must be discreet throughout and after their careers; ASIO says it supports staff in discussing their employment with people close to them. Staff cannot work from home because of the classified nature of the work, though ASIO offers flexible work arrangements. Its headquarters, the Ben Chifley Building, is in Canberra, and some positions may require travel, including frequent and last-minute notice. Employment is under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, with entitlements accrued under the Public Service Act 1999 recognised.

The program pages we read publish no opening or closing dates. The Graduate Lawyer, Strategic Policy, Governance and Communications, Technologist and Intelligence Development Program pages say: "To find out when recruitment is open, visit our current vacancies page or follow us on Instagram." ASIO's careers page also encourages you to submit your application well before the closing date and time, because of the high number of applications it receives. ASIO says the selection process can take some months, and that security clearance requirements make the time from applying to an offer longer than in other processes. Our advice: plan accordingly.

The box below starts a free sample of our APS and DFAT graduate program practice test in our test player, with a result page at the end. The full test is our independent APS-style practice: verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning sets and APS values judgement sets. Its questions are original ProSyllabus practice items, not ASIO, APSC or agency material, and not a copy of any ASIO test.