Graduate Program Eligibility Criteria: The First Filters Fonterra, DuluxGroup and Mondelez Publish

Graduate program eligibility criteria are the first filter in any intake, and several named employers publish theirs in plain view. Fonterra, DuluxGroup and Mondelez each say who can apply before an applicant fills in a form, and Asahi and P&G add rules on timing and residency.

This article lays those published rules side by side. It is a benchmark of what the pages say, not a judgement of those employers. Automated screening is covered in a separate guide to automated graduate screening, so the focus here is the rules themselves: what each one tells a hiring team, and how to write a first filter of your own.

Key Takeaways

• Fonterra's graduate page publishes a credit average of 65 or higher and also says it wants fresh thinkers instead of specific degrees, so a grade rule and an open-degree rule can sit on the same page.
• DuluxGroup puts an eligibility form before its motivation application form, and both DuluxGroup and Mondelez ask for a transcript with the application.
• Every page in this comparison states a work-rights or residency condition, and the wording differs from one employer to the next, so write yours out in full.
• A grade, a date window, a work-rights status and a transcript each answer a narrow question; none of them shows how a graduate does the work.
• Write each rule with its reason, mark it essential or preferred, apply it to everyone, and follow it with a short task-based step.

What the published pages say about who can apply

The table sets out each first-filter rule as the employer's page states it. A cell reads "Not published" where that page is silent on the point. Asahi's page currently shows "Applications closed", so its row is a published rule set, not a live intake.

• Fonterra - Grade rule: Credit average of 65 or higher; Timing rule: Final year of undergraduate studies or within 2 years after graduating; Work-rights rule: Australian or NZ resident or citizen; Documents asked for: Not published
• DuluxGroup - Grade rule: Not published; Timing rule: Not published; Work-rights rule: Full Australian or New Zealand working rights; Documents asked for: Eligibility form first; CV and academic transcript submitted with the application
• Mondelez - Grade rule: Not published; Timing rule: Not published; Work-rights rule: Permanent residency or full time work rights in Australia or New Zealand; Documents asked for: CV, cover letter and transcript
• Asahi Beverages - Grade rule: Not published; Timing rule: Graduated within the last two years; Work-rights rule: Australian or New Zealand citizen, or permanent residency; Documents asked for: Tailored CV and cover letter
• P&G Australia - Grade rule: Not published; Timing rule: Not published; Work-rights rule: Generally Australian or New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents; no sponsorship for employment-based visas; Documents asked for: Legal documents of citizenship or permanent residency must be official

Fonterra

According to Fonterra's graduate page, applicants should be in the final year of undergraduate studies or within 2 years after graduating, hold a credit average of 65 or higher, and be an Australian or NZ resident or citizen. That graduate credit average requirement is the only numeric grade rule among the five employers here. The same page says that instead of specific degrees from particular disciplines, Fonterra is looking for fresh thinkers.

DuluxGroup

On DuluxGroup's graduate page, the process begins with a graduate eligibility form. Applicants who are eligible are then asked for a motivation application form. The eligibility list asks for full Australian or New Zealand working rights, a CV and an academic transcript submitted with the application. The page states that applications are currently open.

Mondelez

According to Mondelez's early careers page for Australia and New Zealand, applications must include a CV, cover letter and transcript. The page also says the program is only open to candidates with permanent residency or full time work rights in Australia or New Zealand.

Asahi and P&G

On the Asahi Beverages graduate page, the program is described as being for Australian or New Zealand citizens, or people with permanent residency, who graduated within the last two years. The page shows "Applications closed" today. On P&G's Australia careers page, which is a general hiring page and not a graduate one, the FAQ says P&G Australia generally considers Australian or New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents eligible for hire, does not sponsor candidates for employment-based visas, and asks that legal documents of citizenship or permanent residency be official before an application proceeds.

What each rule does and does not tell you

Every rule in the table is quick to apply and easy to explain, which is why employers use it first. Each also answers only a narrow question.

A grade average

A credit average of 65 or higher records how a person performed in assessed study. It says little about the tasks of the job, such as planning a production run, handling a customer complaint or counting stock accurately. Fonterra's page, for example, sets a grade rule beside wording that it wants fresh thinkers rather than particular degrees, so the grade is one filter among several. Treat a grade rule as a study result, and let other steps judge the work.

A timing window

Fonterra's window (final year, or within 2 years after graduating) and Asahi's "graduated within the last two years" define an intake. They describe when someone finished study, not what that person can do. The window is a business decision about which cohort you are hiring. A final year student eligibility rule for a graduate program names the group you recruit from, nothing more.

A work-rights status

All five pages state a condition on residency or work rights, and the wording differs from page to page. A graduate working rights requirement checks whether someone is able to take the job, not whether they can do it. DuluxGroup says "full" working rights, while Asahi and P&G name citizens and permanent residents, and those may not mean the same thing, so do not copy one without confirming what it means for your own roles.

Documents

A transcript, which DuluxGroup and Mondelez ask for, is evidence of study: units taken, results, completion. A graduate transcript requirement therefore settles what someone studied and how they went, not how they work. CVs and cover letters are easy to polish, and a post on resume skill inflation in entry-level testing covers testing junior candidates on software skills early, rather than relying on what a CV claims.

Writing your own first filter

Start with a table of your own, one row per rule. For each rule, write the rule in plain words, the reason you have it, and whether it is essential or preferred. A work-rights condition for a role that needs a legal right to work is essential. A minimum grade deserves a harder question: does the job need it, or is it a habit?

Apply every rule to every applicant, in the same order, and keep a record of who was filtered out and by which rule. That lets you explain a decision later. A short graduate eligibility form, as DuluxGroup uses, keeps the rule check apart from the longer application.

Fair selection also means watching what your filter leans on. Righteo's guide to unbiased campus recruitment covers university prestige and blind hiring, both relevant if your filter relies heavily on where someone studied.

Rules about citizenship, work rights and grades can raise legal questions. Check current guidance from the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman before you finalise your rules, and take advice if your situation is unusual.

Pairing the filter with a task-based step

Once an applicant passes eligibility, a short task-based step stops a grade carrying the whole decision. The published pages show the pattern: Asahi, Mondelez and DuluxGroup each follow the application with online testing and a case study stage.

A smaller employer does not need all of that. One short check built around a task from the job is enough to start, such as a stock count or a customer email. One practical option is Righteo's AI skills assessment, which its product page describes as a way to test candidates on technical, personality and cognitive skills before you make an offer, using pre-built assessments or ones you build yourself.

Whatever tool you use, set the pass mark before you read any results, give every applicant the same task, and mark it the same way.

Related Resources

• AI skills assessment
• Automated graduate screening
• Unbiased campus recruitment
• Resume skill inflation in entry-level testing
• Fonterra's graduate page
• Human Rights Commission
• Fair Work Ombudsman

Common Questions About Graduate Program Eligibility Criteria

1. What credit average do graduate programs ask for?

Among the five employers in this comparison, only Fonterra publishes a number: a credit average of 65 or higher. DuluxGroup, Mondelez, Asahi and P&G state no grade cut-off on the pages. These five pages show no common standard, so decide from the job and the study results you can reasonably tie to it.

2. Do graduate programs ask for a transcript?

Some do. DuluxGroup asks for a CV and an academic transcript, and Mondelez says applications must include a CV, cover letter and transcript. Asahi's application step lists a tailored CV and cover letter. A transcript is evidence of study, so use it that way and not as evidence of work.

3. What work rights do graduate programs require?

Each page states a condition, and the wording differs. Fonterra says Australian or NZ resident or citizen, DuluxGroup says full Australian or New Zealand working rights, and Mondelez says permanent residency or full time work rights. Asahi says citizen or permanent residency. Write your own condition in full for each role.

4. Who counts as eligible under a final year rule?

Fonterra's page says final year of undergraduate studies or within 2 years after graduating, and Asahi's says graduated within the last two years. Neither defines the edges, such as part-time study or a deferred final year. If you copy a rule like this, define those cases yourself and apply the definition to everyone in the same way.

5. Can an eligibility form replace screening?

No. An eligibility form checks the rules you have written down, such as timing, work rights and documents. It does not show how a person works. Follow it with a short task-based step, so that eligibility decides who can be considered and the task decides who is shortlisted.

Write Your Rules in One Table

Published eligibility rules are a first filter, and each one answers a narrow question about study, timing or work rights. Writing your own means stating the rule, the reason and whether it is essential or preferred. Check the current human rights and Fair Work guidance before you finalise it. Before you open applications for your next intake, put your eligibility rules in one table and agree each row with the people who will apply it.