A Queensland student who started university at the age of 12 will graduate tomorrow with an honours degree.

Michael Kelly, now 17, has completed a Bachelor of Photonics and Nanoscience from Griffith University on the Gold Coast and plans to go straight into a PhD program.

He is believed to be the youngest Australian to have been accepted to study at university.

He says there have been few dramas with being so young.

"The only thing is because I'm under 18 I can't go to pubs or anything, so especially after a hard exam - it'll be like, 'that was a hard exam - let's go to the pub to celebrate' and then they realise and not go because they'll realise that I can't go with them," he said.

Michael's father, Joseph, says he is very proud of his son's achievements.

"His mother and I never studied at university, so we’re very happy that he's achieved so much at such a young age," he said.

Michael Kelly will now start his PhD, which he plans to finish by the age of 20.

"Next year I'm going to start my PhD and from there on I'll continue and eventually become a professor and hopefully one day win a Nobel prize for helping the world in some way," he said.

"At least when I graduate now, there will not be such a height difference. When I commenced uni back then, even the shortest girl was taller than me and everyone thought I was someone's little brother."