Career Planning Guide #09: Applying for University, TAFE or Private College TABLE OF CONTENTS Each entry is hyperlinked; just hold down the ctrl key while pointing and click mouse on the entry 1. University Application... 2 a. When & how do I apply?... 2 b. What do CSP, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP refer to?... 2 c. Is entry to university straight from school based only on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)?... 3 d. UAC Application Number and PIN... 3 e. Attention International students... 4 f. Authorising someone to act on my behalf for the application process... 4 g. University Educational Access Schemes (EAS) apply through UAC... 4 h. Do I need to complete the UMAT test for Medicine & Health Sciences?... 4 i. Is it worth sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)?... 4 j. What about university preferences?... 5 2. TAFE Application... 7 3. Private Provider/College Application... 7 1. This document is a general guide only and should be used in conjunction with the fuller and more detailed and up-to-date information and requirements for the application process provided by: a. For universities: the UAC Guide distributed to all Year 12 students in early Term 3 (3 copies are available in the Reference Section of the High School Library); b. For TAFE: TAFE NSW, TAFE Institutes/Colleges, or the TAFE website www.tafensw.edu.au; and c. For Private Providers/Colleges: the individual providers/colleges and their websites. 2. For help with career planning and decision-making in general, see the Career Planning Guides available for download as a single document or as individual documents from the Career Guidance Documents folder via the St Paul s Careers Blog http://stpaulscareers.blogspot.com 3. For help with employability skills, résumé writing, job interview hints, see the Employability Guide available for download from the Career Guidance Documents folder via the St Paul s Careers Blog http://stpaulscareers.blogspot.com St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 1 of 7
1. University Application DISCLAIMER: Full details of the application process and requirements are contained in the Universities Admissions Centre Guide (UAC Guide). You must read this Guide carefully. The following notes should not be considered a replacement for the information in the UAC Guide. a. When & how do I apply? PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES (CSP with HECS-HELP) Closing date for on-time application through UAC (Universities Admissions Centre): 12midnight on 30 September. Online application only: Apply-by-Web @ www.uac.edu.au (see website or UAC Guide for details.) (1) The initial registration on the UAC website is the hardest part, so do it earlier than later well before 30 September. You only need to include one (1) university course preference when you register. You can add the other eight (8) preferences later you can have a total of nine (9) preferences (see next point). (2) Once registered you can log onto the UAC website to add or change your preferences as often as you like. It is much easier to get onto the UAC website once you ve completed the laborious task of registering. If you wish, you can change preferences every day from when you register up to a date in the first week of January (check UAC Guide for actual date). PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES (fee-paying with FEE-HELP) * NOTRE DAME in Sydney * BOND on the Gold Coast On time application 30 September. Direct Application to the universities. b. What do CSP, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP refer to? CSP HECS-HELP Commonwealth-supported place (that is, you pay HECS) only available to students who are Australian citizens Higher Education Contribution Scheme Higher Education Loan Program: a St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 2 of 7
Commonwealth Government loan to cover student contributions towards cost of a Commonwealth-supported place in a university course FEE-HELP VET FEE-HELP A Commonwealth Government loan provided for fee-paying university and other tertiary (Diploma/Advanced Diploma) courses up to a maximum total of approx$100,000. A Commonwealth Government loan provided for fee-paying tertiary level (Diploma/Advanced Diploma) Vocational Education and Training courses. Only available for students undertaking VET Diploma or Advanced Diploma courses with a Private College or other Private Provider. 1. FEE-HELP / VET FEE-HELP includes a one-off 20% administration fee for example, a loan of $20,000 would incur a $4,000 administration fee, making the total loan $24,000. 2. Re-payment of HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP/VET FEE-HELP can be deferred until you are earning a taxable income above the minimum annual income set by the Commonwealth government currently approximately $36,000 per year or more. 3. Re-payments are made as part of your taxation deductions from your salary or wage. c. Is entry to university straight from school based only on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)? YES, for most courses. HOWEVER, some courses use Additional Selection Criteria indicated, usually, by ATAR+C as the ATAR Cut-Off in course entries. Additional Selection Criteria appears in the course entry, or in the general information at the start of a university s entry, in the UAC Guide. d. UAC Application Number and PIN HSC STUDENTS PLEASE You are a New South Wales Higher School Certificate student. Your type of application is Year 12. Your UAC application number adds a 1 in front of your 8-digit Board of Studies student number, or a 10 in front of it if it is a 7-digit number. UAC issue you (by post) with a 4-digit PIN in August. IB STUDENTS PLEASE You are a Year 12 student studying an International Baccalaureate at an Australian school. CHECK a Year 12 type of application NOT a full application Your IB Personal Code (Alpha-numeric number) is your student number. Your PIN is the first 4 digits of your birth-date, for example, if born on 1 st January, your PIN would be 0101. LEAVE BLANK the State when asked for this. St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 3 of 7
e. Attention International students Use the UAC website portal UAC International AND the hard copy of the UAC International Booklet. f. Authorising someone to act on my behalf for the application process If you will be away overseas or unable to process university change of preferences and/or offers in January, you can authorise someone to act on your behalf. Complete the appropriate section in UAC Apply-by-Web OR Submit a letter of authority to UAC* 1. See the UAC Guide in the Applying section for details of what must be included in the letter of authority. 2. Contact the relevant institution if you wish to authorise someone to accept an offer on your behalf. g. University Educational Access Schemes (EAS) apply through UAC If you have educational disadvantage of one or more of the following: disrupted schooling in Years 11 and/or 12 financial hardship home environment and responsibilities English language difficulty personal illness/disability school environment Closing date 30 September. Applications available from mid-august from the UAC website. h. Do I need to complete the UMAT test for Medicine & Health Sciences? UMAT Undergraduate Medicine & Health Sciences Admission Test Yes, always for medicine and also for a range of related health sciences. For a list of which university undergraduate Medicine & Health Science courses require the UMAT, check out this website www.acer.edu.au/tests/university/umat For closing dates & application details check out umat.acer.edu.au i. Is it worth sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)? IB Diploma students Yes as students may fail the Diploma and so not receive an ATAR equivalent, IB students may benefit from sitting the STAT, which provides an alternative score equivalent to the ATAR. St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 4 of 7
And see the information under HSC students. HSC students STAT dates, times, locations & costs Only if you intend applying to: University of Newcastle Southern Cross University (but only if 18 years or over on 1 March of your first year enrolment in university) Charles Sturt University (provided that the STAT is not the sole basis of application University of New England (current Year 12 applicants must contact UNE Admissions Unit) Pharmacy at University of Sydney (part of Additional Selection Criteria) See latest UAC Guide or UAC s website www.uac.edu.au for details. j. What about university preferences? When applying for university courses you list up to 9 courses in the order of your preference. These are simply referred to as preferences. When do I record my preferences? When can I change my preferences? When are ATAR Cut-Offs published? KEY question: Should I change my preferences if my ATAR is a few points lower than the advertised ATAR Cut-Off for my 1 st (or 2 nd, 3 rd, etc) Preference? Record at least one (1) of your (nine (9) preferences online between early August and midnight (12am) on 30 September. Preferences can be changed online anytime from the date your first register with UAC and midnight (12am) on a date in the first week of January (see UAC Guide for actual date). ATAR Cut-Offs are released a couple of days before the Main Round Offers in mid-january each year. NO, leave it (them) in the list in order. You should do this for 3 reasons: 1. Universities may lower the ATAR Cut-Off from that published in the UAC Guide due to an increase in available places in a course 2. Universities may (and some do) choose to make offers to students with lower ATARs than the advertised Cut-Offs 3. Universities may (and some do) give bonus points for such things as high results in individual subjects directly relevant to the course applied for For students living in Western Sydney, or St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 5 of 7
attending a Western Sydney school, the University of Western Sydney automatically adds a regional bonus of 5 additional points to ATARs of 60 and above. Will I miss out on an offer if I do this? What should I do if I receive a Main Round Offer for a course other than my 1 st (or 2 nd, 3 rd, etc) Preference? Can I accept a later offer and withdraw a previously accepted offer? When should I change my preferences? No, the first course on your list for which your ATAR makes you eligible will be treated as if it is your 1 st preference. ALWAYS accept an offer in the Main Round AND, then, put in preferences for the Late and/or Final Rounds listing your 1 st (or 2 nd, 3 rd, etc) Preference in order (see UAC Guide for details) University Main Round Offers are the only guaranteed offers. Yes. If you have changed your mind as to which course you would prefer to list as 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, etc St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 6 of 7
2. TAFE Application Go to the TAFE website www.tafensw.edu.au and click the School to TAFE box, in particular Getting in in that box, to See a list of popular courses that require an application Find out the entry requirements Learn about the application process Download an application form. Application Closing date is, usually, the last Friday in October. IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. TAFE courses do not require an ATAR. 2. Diploma/Advanced Diploma courses may articulate into related university degrees. 3. VET FEE-HELP is not available for TAFE courses. 3. Private Provider/College Application Contact each Private Provider/College for an application form and details of the application process, including any application fee. IMPORTANT NOTES: 1. Private Provider/College courses, usually, do not require an ATAR. In most cases, however, they do require completion of a Year 12 qualification (HSC, IB Diploma, or an AQF Certificate IV. 2. Provider/College Diploma/Advanced Diploma courses may articulate into related university degrees. 3. Some Providers/Colleges offer their own accredited university degree courses or seamless access to accredited degree courses at Australian and/or overseas universities. 4. VET FEE-HELP and/or FEE-HELP may be available. St Paul s Grammar School Penrith Ltd #09 Applying for University, TAFE or Private College.docx Page 7 of 7