Graduate diploma · university
Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning
A Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning covers the knowledge behind personal financial advice: investments, superannuation, insurance, tax, estate planning and the law and ethics that govern advice.
- How long it takes
- 12 to 18 months
- full time
- Level
- Graduate diploma
- University
- Leads on to
- Financial Planner
- $134,300 median pay
- Taught by
- 3 providers
- NSW, SA
Is this course right for you?
What the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning asks of you, and what you might want to check first.
Before you start
Each provider sets its own entry requirements, so check the ones you are considering.
Where this course can take you
Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.
Jobs you can do with it
Financial Planner
Financial planners help people work out what their money is for, then build a plan covering super, investments, insurance and retirement.
What else you need
Only approved courses count, so check the specific course is on the approved list. You also need the professional year, the exam and registration as a relevant provider; the qualification alone does not confer registration. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Median pay$134,300
Paraplanner
A paraplanner researches a client's financial situation and drafts the plans and recommendations a financial planner then reviews and presents.
What else you need
Suits paraplanning roles that support advisers with research and advice documents. Employer requirements vary.
Median pay$68,600 (estimate)
Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure.
Where you can study this course
There are 3 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.
Adelaide University
Adelaide University, Adelaide City, SA
4.5from 1,262 Google reviews
What students like
- Lecturers and staff are helpful and professional
What to weigh up
- Enrolment and admin can be slow
- Website for University of Technology Sydney (opens in a new tab)
University of Technology Sydney
University of Technology Sydney (City Campus), NSW
4.2from 906 Google reviews
What students like
- Lecturers and support staff are approachable and helpful
What to weigh up
- Admin replies can be slow
The University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales, NSW
What you’ll learn
The main topics covered in the Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.
- Investment and portfolio planning
- Superannuation and retirement
- Insurance and risk management
- Tax and estate planning
- Advice ethics and regulation
Questions to ask before you enrol
Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.
- When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
- What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
- Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
- Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?