University Entry Requirements
Competitiveness
Selection to university courses is based on both eligibility and rank. Eligibility allows you to be considered for selection; rank determines whether you are competitive enough to be selected.
Eligibility
To be eligible for selection into a university course/program you must:
- qualify for the SACE/NTCET
- obtain an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
- meet any prerequisite subject requirements for the course/program
Your competitiveness in relation to other applicants is based on your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) which is a rank given to students on a range from 0 to 99.95. Your ATAR is calculated from your university aggregate.
To obtain a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) you must:
- comply with the rules regarding Precluded Combinations
- comply with the rules regarding Counting Restrictions
- complete at least 90 credits of study at Stage 2 of which 60 credits of study must be 20 credit Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) from a maximum of three attempts which need not be in consecutive years
- of the 90 credits of study, a minimum of 60 credits of study must be from 20 credit TAS.
The university aggregate and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
Your competitiveness in relation to other applicants for a given university course is based on your Selection Rank which is made up of your ATAR plus any bonuses for which the university deems you eligible. The ATAR is a rank given to students on a range from 0 to 99.95 and is calculated from your university aggregate.
To obtain a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) for entry you must:
- qualify for the SACE/NTCET
- comply with the rules regarding Precluded Combinations
- comply with the rules regarding Counting Restrictions
- complete at least 90 credits of study in Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) and Recognised Studies at Stage 2 in a maximum of three attempts
- of the 90 credits of study, a minimum of 60 credits of study must be from 20 credit Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS)* and a maximum of 20 credits can be Recognised Studies.
*Normally 10 credit subjects do not count towards this requirement but some 10 credit subjects in the same area, when studied in pairs, can substitute for a 20 credit subject.
Calculating the university aggregate
The university aggregate is calculated from scaled scores. These are the numeric measures of your performance in TAS which are derived from your grades, and are reported to you out of 20.0 for 20 credit subjects and out of 10.0 for 10 credit subjects. Please note that if you do not attempt the publicly assessed component of a TAS (eg an examination or final recital), you will be given a scaled score of 0.0.
The university aggregate is calculated from your best scaled scores from a maximum of three attempts, and from the following:
- three 20 credit TAS (including valid pairs); plus
- the best outcome from the flexible option, which is the best 30 credits of scaled scores or scaled score equivalents from:
- the scaled score of a 20 credit TAS;
- half the scaled score of one or more 20 credit TAS;
- the scaled score of one or more 10 credit TAS
- scaled score equivalents for Recognised Studies to the value of 10 or the maximum of 20 credits;
subject to Precluded Combination and Counting Restriction rules. Subjects with scaled scores of 0.0 can be used in the calculation of the university aggregate. The subjects used in the calculation can only come from a maximum of three attempts which need not be in consecutive years.
Reporting the university aggregate and ATAR
The university aggregate is reported to students on a score range of 0.90 with intervals of 0.1.
Converting the university aggregate to a Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
The university aggregate is converted to an ATAR. The ATAR is an indicator of how well a particular student has performed relative to other students. It is calculated as follows:
- The group of students who may qualify for a university aggregate is called the cohort.
- For each university aggregate score (in the range 0-90.0) obtained by the students in this cohort, the percentage of students who obtained that score or better is calculated. This is known as calculating the percentile distribution.
- The cohort may differ from that of other years in that it may represent a smaller or larger percentage of the population of the same age group. The percentage from the given year is known as the participation rate. It is calculated using population statistics obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and measuring these against the size of the cohort. If an allowance were not made for this, the final ATAR would not be comparable from one year to the next.
- The percentile rank is then adjusted to take account of the participation rate and the result is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
When the calculations are completed, a student’s relative position on the ATAR range is unchanged from the student’s relative position on the university aggregate range.
It is important to remember that a rank is not a score and an ATAR cannot be calculated arithmetically from a university aggregate.
Reporting the university aggregate and ATAR
The university aggregate is reported to students on a score range of 0-90.0 with intervals of 0.1.
The ATAR is reported to students on a percentile scale, ie on a range 0-99.95 with intervals of 0.05.
The university aggregate and ATAR are reported only to students who qualify for the SACE or NTCET.
Bonus Schemes
University entry
The three South Australian universities; Flinders University, The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia offer two bonus schemes.
The two schemes are the SA Universities Equity Scheme and the SA Language, Literacy and Mathematics Bonus Scheme. The SA Universities Equity Scheme will apply to all courses and programs offered by the universities. The SA Language, Literacy and Mathematics Bonus Scheme will apply to all courses except Medicine/Surgery at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.
The schemes are administered by SATAC based on rules provided by the universities.
Any bonuses applied by the universities will continue to be added to the university aggregate from which Selection Ranks are calculated (for SA/NT students, and using a complementary methodology for students from other Year 12 systems).
The SA Universities Equity Scheme
The SA Universities Equity Scheme will provide bonuses in two ways: bonuses for all students in certain specified schools and bonuses for individuals in other schools. Eligible students will receive five bonus points in the calculation of their Selection Ranks.
School-based bonuses
South Australian schools attracting equity bonuses will be identified using criteria agreed to by the universities which consider:
- schools’ averaged Index of Community SocioEducational Advantage;
- schools’ remoteness as defined under the Australian Standard Geographical Classification;
- the ‘participation rate’ (the averaged percentage of students gaining an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) who receive a SATAC offer);
- the average ATAR achieved in each school.
Schools attracting bonuses will be identified on an annual basis.
Students will not need to apply for a school-based bonus – any such bonuses will automatically be applied by SATAC in the calculation of students’ Selection Ranks.
Individual bonuses
All students in other schools will be able to make an application under the scheme to demonstrate their individual disadvantage. While the details are currently being finalised, students will be eligible under the scheme where, during the period of their Year 12 studies:
- they are the holder of a School Card; or
- they or their parents are in receipt of a Centrelink means-tested income support payment; or
- they are the holders of a Health Care Card.
It is anticipated students will be able to make an application for their disadvantage to be considered as part of their SATAC application.
The SA Language, Literacy and Mathematics Bonus Scheme
The scheme encourages students to strengthen their preparation for university studies by undertaking a language other than English, or specified English and Mathematics subjects.
In this scheme, candidates will be awarded two points, up to a total maximum of four points, for successfully completing a subject in any one of these four categories:
- 20 credits of a LOTE in the Languages Learning Area (not including the subject Language and Culture – two 10 credit Australian indigenous language subjects can be paired in lieu of a 20 credit LOTE);
- 2ELS20 English Literary Studies or 2EHS20 English;
- 2MHS20 Mathematical Methods;
- 2MCS20 Specialist Mathematics.
Successful completion is defined as gaining an overall grade of C- or better. Because the scheme is designed to encourage enrolments in these subjects rather than reward outcomes, no higher bonuses will be granted for higher achievement.
Alternate Pathways to University
While many students utilize the ATAR pathway to university, there are a number of other pathways to university which students can pursue.
Alternate pathways to university via:
- Year 11 Results
- The STAT Test
- The Flinders University Test
- Flinders Research Project B Pathway
- Foundation Studies Programmes
- University of Adelaide College
- UniSA College
Prerequisites
Some university courses/programs require students to have studied one or more specific Stage 2 subjects to a minimum standard in order to be eligible for selection into the course/program. These subjects are known as prerequisites.
In order to fulfil a prerequisite subject requirement, you must obtain a minimum grade of C- or better. The grade is used (rather than the scaled score) because the course/program administrators are interested in how well you performed in the subject itself as measured against the learning requirements of the Subject Outline.
Since prerequisites are used to determine eligibility, not rank, they do not have to contribute to the university aggregate.
Assumed knowledge
Many university courses/programs recommend commencing students have background knowledge in
one or more specified Stage 1 or Stage 2 subjects or have an identified skill which will enhance the student’s understanding of the course/program content. This is known as assumed knowledge.
Assumed knowledge is not compulsory and is not used in the selection process for entry to university courses/programs. Statements of assumed knowledge are intended purely to assist students in understanding course/program content and to allow them to make subject choices which may be of benefit to them in their future tertiary studies
Scholarships
All Universities offer scholarships to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
These scholarships, as well as many others are funded by industry and non-profit organisations. A scholarship not only provides financial assistance but they often include valuable work experience, mentoring opportunities and even overseas travel.
University of Adelaide:
www.adelaide.edu.au/scholarships/
UniSA:
Scholarships - Study at UniSA - Scholarships - Intranet - University of South Australia
Flinders University:
Scholarships - Flinders University Students
Charles Darwin University:
www.cdu.edu.au/scholarships
Australian Qualifications Framework
Students have the opportunity of gaining qualifications in three education sectors. The framework allows for students to follow different pathways to gain their preferred Certificate, Diploma or Degree.
AQF qualification by sector of accreditation
Schools
Selection into university courses/programs
Selection requirements for entry to university courses are based on both eligibility and rank. Eligibility allows you to be considered for selection; rank determines whether you are competitive enough to be selected.
To be eligible for selection into a university course/program you must:
- qualify for the SACE/NTCET
- obtain an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
- meet any prerequisite subject requirements for the course/program.
The ATAR is reported to students on a percentile scale, ie on a range 0-99.95 with intervals of 0.05.
The university aggregate and ATAR are reported only to students who qualify for the SACE or NTCET.
- the aggregate have been calculated.
- SACE/NTCET subjects which are not TAS cannot count in the aggregate.
- The NTCET does not require the completion of the Research Project to gain the Certificate.
- The eligibility for and rules regarding the calculation of the TAFE SA Selection Score.