UACUniversities Admissions

Centre (NSW & ACT) Pty Ltd

2010 admissions

What is UAC?

UAC stands for Universities Admissions Centre

UAC is the central office that receives and processes applications for participating institutions (all unis in NSW and the ACT, La Trobe uni in VIC, Griffith uni in QLD and AMC in Tas).

Institutions, not UAC, decide on offers UAC notifies HSC students of their ATAR Each year UAC publishes the UAC Guide

(and the UAC International Booklet for international students)

UAC 2010 Guide Free copies of the UAC 2010 Guide

were sent to schools in the last week of July 2009

The Guide contains – course descriptions– instructions on how to apply– information about participating institutions – an areas of study index

Application dates for 2010

Applications open 9.30am 6 August 2009 On-time closing date is

Wednesday 30 September 2009 UAC will process late applications until

Wednesday 4 February 2010 Late fees (up to $135) apply after

Wednesday 30 September 2009 Some courses have early closing dates

- check the UAC Guide for details

How to apply All applicants must apply online using

Apply-By-Web You must supply an email address when

you apply Processing charge of $24 for Year 12

students Can pay by credit card (MasterCard or Visa),

PayPal, BPay and Australia Post’s BillPay PayPal allows you to transfer funds safely

over the internet from your bank account to UAC

What you need to apply

Your Board of Studies student number Your UAC PIN – for NSW and ACT

students this will be posted to you by UAC on Friday 7 August (note that it is separate to your Board of Studies PIN)

You will receive your 9 digit UAC application number when you apply – for NSW students your UAC application number will be a ‘1’ followed by your Board of Studies student number

What courses are available?

Table 1 in the UAC 2010 Guide lists all the courses available

Courses for 2010 are Commonwealth-supported place (CSP) courses

Commonwealth-supported place (CSP)

courses Previously known as HECS courses Students pay only a student

contribution, which is part of the cost of the course (the Australian Government pays the rest of the cost)

Only available to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents

HECS-HELP loan may be used to pay student contribution

How to list your course preferences

Use the ATAR cut-offs from 2009 as a guide to making your selections

Apply for courses which interest you, and put them in the order that you want them considered

If you change your mind you can change your course preferences – but remember each offer round has a closing date

Most students change course preferences after the ATAR is released

Changing your course preferences

Via UAC’s website Closing dates:

For Main Round – Wednesday 6 January 2010

For Early Feb Round – Tuesday 26 January 2010

For Final Round – Thursday 4 February 2010

Online applicant services

www.uac.edu.au Apply-By-Web

Check your application

Change your contact details

Change your UAC PIN

Change your course preferences

View/print your confirmation of application

View and download correspondence from UAC

View your ATAR View your offer/s

HSC and ATAR 2009 NSW HSC results released by

Board of Studies on Wednesday 16 December 2009

ATAR released by UAC (on UAC’s website) on Thursday 17 December 2009

Both scheduled to arrive at your postal address on Friday 18 December 2009

What happened to the UAI?

In June 2009 the UAI was replaced by the ATAR - the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank

a number between 0.00 and 99.95(only ATARs above 30 will be reported)

indicates student’s position relative to all students who entered Year 7 with them

a rank, not a mark used by universities to rank applicants

WHAT is the difference?

UAI100

top 0.025%

ATAR99.95

top 0.05%

91.00

compared against

Year 10 cohort

→Most ATARs will be higher, for example

91.75

compared against

Year 7 cohort

→

→

WHY the change? National consistency

- common name

- equivalence of top rank (99.95)(Qld retains OP ranks – conversion table in UAC Guide p98)

Foreshadowing change to NSW school leaving age

UAIScaling

Rank order

Rank achieved

Uni application & choice of courses

Cut-offs

Chance of getting an offer

ATARNo change

No change

Slightly higher for most students

No change

Adjusted

No change

Impact on students

Offer rounds e-release

Available on UAC’s website

Early Jan Round 9am Tues 5 January 2010

Main Round 9pm Wed 20 January 2010

Early Feb Round 9pm Wed 3 February 2010

Final Round 9am Wed 10 February 2010

Most offers are made in the Main Round

Accepting your offer

Accept your offer by the due date (stated in the offer letter) otherwise it could lapse

If you receive another offer in a subsequent offer round and wish to proceed with that offer, you will have to accept your second offer and withdraw from your first

Travelling interstate/overseas

Take your UAC 2010 Guide, your UAC application number and your UAC PIN with you

You can retrieve your ATAR and offer/s,

change course preferences and your contact details through UAC’s website only

www.uac.edu.au

Deferment Each institution has its own policy Follow instructions in offer letter Deferred place is guaranteed Usually apply the following year

through UAC Can list other courses above deferred

course If an offer is made to a higher

preference, deferred course will lapse

Transferring to another course

Typical example transferring to a more competitive course

Transfers such as these are possible but very competitive, usually requiring you to achieve excellent results in your first year of university study

Each institution has its own requirements for transfer and you should check with the relevant institution for more information before you enrol

Usually apply through UAC

Educational Access Schemes (EAS)

For students who have suffered long-term educational disadvantage

Students must demonstrate that performance during Years 11 and 12 has been seriously affected by circumstances beyond their control

EAS booklets (with application forms) distributed early August 2009, can also be downloaded from UAC’s website - www.uac.edu.au

Educational Access Schemes (EAS)

On-time closing date - Wednesday 30 September 2009

Late applications accepted by UAC until Monday 30 November 2009 - but not guaranteed to be considered in time for the Main Round of offers

Applications are detailed and require supporting documentation so allow plenty of time to prepare and complete your EAS application

Educational Access Schemes (EAS)

Examples of disadvantage: Disrupted schooling Financial hardship Home environment/responsibilities English language Personal illness/disability Refugee status School environment Unable to live at home

Bonus points Universities allocate bonus points on

certain criteria (see next slide) Bonus points are not ATAR points Bonus points do not change a

student’s ATAR Bonus points change a student’s

selection rank

Bonus points Universities allocate bonus points for

different circumstances

Examples include: strong performance in HSC subjects Students who attend a school in an

area defined by the university Students who have applied for

consideration through EAS

Bonus points For most Year 12 applicants their

selection rank is their ATAR

However, if universities allocate bonus points then:

the student’s selection rank =ATAR + bonus points

Equity Scholarships

Equity Scholarships assist students who experience financial hardshipwith higher education costs

Equity Scholarships

2 categories of Equity Scholarships…

Commonwealth Scholarships

and

Institution Equity Scholarships Information about 2010 Equity

Scholarships on UAC’s website – www.uac.edu.au

Commonwealth Scholarships

Student Start-up Scholarships Relocation Scholarships Both are administered by Centrelink and

paid automatically to all eligible students (receiving Youth Allowance, Austudy, Abstudy)

Commonwealth Scholarships for Indigenous students – applications through UAC open early September

Institution Equity Scholarships (IES)

Each institution has its own scheme Aim is to maximise participation in

higher education by students from certain target groups

The value and duration of the scholarships differ depending on the institution

IES applications for most UAC institutions will be submitted online through UAC’s website at www.uac.edu.au from early September

UAC International

You are an international student if you are NOT:

an Australian citizen a New Zealand citizen an Australian permanent resident

You must apply through UAC if you are an international student undertaking:

a 2009 Australian Year 12 in Australia a 2009 Australian Year 12 overseas an International Baccalaureate in Australia in 2009 a New Zealand Certificate of Educational Achievement

level 3 in 2009

Free copies of the UAC 2010 International Booklet willbe sent to schools in August 2009

Finally, remember to …..

Read course descriptions in UAC 2010 Guide

Attend uni open days, talk to uni students

Use last year’s ATAR cut-offs only as an indication of possible cut-offs for 2010

Include up to 9 course preferences - check for additional selection criteria, early closing dates

Place course choices in the order of your preference

Have realistic expectations of your academic ability