UAC Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) Pty Ltd

1. 2010 admissions UACUniversities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) Pty Ltd

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. WHAT is the difference? • → • → Most ATARs will be higher, for example • →

15. 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

16. Impact on students

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. Equity Scholarships Equity Scholarships assist students who experience financial hardshipwith higher education costs

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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 will be sent to schools in August 2009

33. 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