APS Graduate Programs 2027: The AGGP, Agency Programs, Dates and Stages

"APS graduate programs 2027" can mean two different things: application dates and program start years differ. For the 2027 programs, the AGGP Generalist Stream took applications from 2 to 31 March 2026, applications for DFAT's February 2027 program opened in March 2026 and closed in April 2026, and DFAT and Finance now say their 2027 rounds have closed. The next rounds are being called 2028 programs where the agency names a year: Finance says recruitment for its 2028 program starts in March 2027, the Productivity Commission says its 2028 intake opens in early 2027, and DFAT invites you to register your interest for 2028. The Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP) lists every one of its ten streams as opening on 1 March 2027; its list page gives no start date for that cohort.

This page maps the programs we could confirm on an official page: the AGGP as one application route, and the programs that DFAT, Finance, Defence, Treasury, the Productivity Commission, the Department of Social Services (DSS) and Services Australia advertise themselves. For each one: who runs it, the next dates if they are published, and what each agency's page says it assesses. ProSyllabus is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with the Australian Public Service Commission, DFAT or any Australian Government agency.

APSJobs Career Pathways: Graduate Programs; Department of Finance Graduate Program; agency pages listed under Sources.

The table separates published application dates from program start dates, using what the official pages give.

Our advice: use the published opening dates to plan ahead, then check your chosen program's degree completion window before you apply.

One row per program. "Next round" gives only what the agency's own page says; a blank in the official record is marked as not published. The AGGP row stands for ten streams; they are listed in the next section.

The AGGP is not one program but one way in: you apply to a stream once and are considered for graduate roles across the departments and agencies taking part in it. The list page gives every stream the same opening date and names the relevant degrees. The baseline rules on that page: Australian citizenship, a degree completed (or to be completed) within the last five years, and willingness to undergo police, character, health or other checks. Each stream's stages, salary range and degree window are compared in our APS graduate aptitude test guide, so we don't repeat them here.

The list page gives the general five-year degree rule, but no closing dates and no dated degree completion windows for the applications opening in March 2027. In the 2026 round, the Generalist Stream ran from 2 to 31 March; use the dates on your stream page when it opens.

DFAT advertises its own graduate program, with its own application; it is not one of the ten AGGP streams on the APSJobs list. Its page now says the 2027 program has closed and invites you to register your interest in the 2028 program. The 2027 program is 18 months long, in two streams, Corporate and Policy, starting at APS 4 (A$84,115 plus 15.4% super) and moving to APS 5 (A$92,753 plus 15.4% super) on completion. The 2027 round opened in March 2026, closed in April 2026, ran selection from April to July, and starts in February 2027. The full DFAT timeline, eligibility and stages are in our DFAT Graduate Program guide; the first two stages each have their own page: the DFAT online assessment guide and the DFAT video interview guide.

Finance runs its own program and also takes graduates through the AGGP. If you apply through the AGGP, its page asks you to select the Department of Finance as your first preference; the streams it names include Accounting and Financial Management, Digital, Human Resources, Data, STEM, Economist and Legal. Its page is the only one we found with a full 2028 timeline:

Graduates join as ongoing APS3 employees, can apply for advancement to APS4 at six months and may be considered for APS5 at the end of the program, across two 5-month rotations in Canberra. You must have completed your undergraduate degree within the past five years, be an Australian citizen with a checkable background going back 10 years, and obtain an NV1 security clearance before you start. For the 2027 program, Finance's news item advertised a 13 April 2026 deadline; its program page confirms the round has closed.

Defence's program is 12 months long with two 6-month placements within your chosen pathway, out of 10 pathways. Graduates start as graduate APS employees at APS level 4 equivalent and, after successful completion of the program requirements, may progress to the top salary of APS level 4; those who have undertaken a competency-based assessment may be considered for the base salary of APS level 5. Positions are across Australia, and most Intelligence Pathway roles are in Canberra. You apply through the Apply now link on your chosen pathway's page, by its advertised deadline. The archived application process page says that after applications close, shortlisted candidates may be invited to an online written activity, a group assessment and an interview, and reference checks may be undertaken (the Indigenous Graduate pathway and the AGGP have different processes). That page was written for earlier cohorts: it mentions extra suitability assessments for Intelligence pathway candidates in the 2026 program, so it does not settle the 2028 process. For 2027, the Intelligence Pathway was open to students in their final two years of study, starting in February 2027, and the How to apply page said the other pathways would open in February 2026. The pages we read give no date for the 2028 round.

Treasury describes its Graduate Development Program as open to university students who have graduated in the last five years, with an affirmative measure for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants. Treasury also hires graduates through the AGGP Economist Stream and other AGGP streams. The page we read gives no dates for the next round and no list of assessment stages.

The Productivity Commission says applications for its 2028 intake will open in early 2027. The archived page lists a starting salary of A$79,125 plus 15.4% superannuation, offices in Melbourne and Canberra, and hybrid work. It takes a cohort of graduates each year from different academic backgrounds.

The Department of Social Services announced that applications for its 2027 Graduate Development Program were open in a news item archived on 12 April 2026. The program starts in February 2027, with graduates based in Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney and relocation costs covered. That news item says applicants must be Australian citizens who have completed their degree in the last five years, up to December 2026. No 2028 date was published on the page we read.

Services Australia runs its own National Graduate Program, for recent graduates and students in their final year, with a five-step application. It is also a participating agency in five AGGP streams: data, digital, finance and accounting, human resources and legal. If you apply through one of those streams, its page asks you to preference Services Australia. The archived page (last updated 9 April 2025) gives no dates for the next round.

Agencies word their stages differently, but the published stages fall into a handful of kinds. The first two columns are our grouping of what the official pages say; the last column is our advice, not an agency rule.

Our suggestion: the APS Values are a useful lens for choosing your examples. See our APS Values guide.

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. Its questions are original ProSyllabus practice items, not APSC or agency material.