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 2010 On-time closing date is
Wednesday 30 September 2010 UAC will process late applications until
Wednesday 4 February 2010 Late fees (up to $135) apply after
Wednesday 30 September 2010 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