Dreams realised as 8000 school leavers receive first-round university offers to degree of choice

The dreams of a few thousand Queensland school leavers have been realised thanks to offers to study their chosen university courses, with competition proving fierce for three courses in particular.

THE dreams of more than 8000 school leavers were realised yesterday when they received an offer to study their chosen university course.

Medicine, nursing and business were the most in-demand degrees.

Demand for popular courses sets OP scores for Queensland universities soaring

Regional universities outperform Brisbane big names in graduate jobs and pay

QTAC admissions offers to be made to thousands of Queensland students

As part of the major round of offers, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre revealed the minimum OP score required for an invitation into each degree.

Among the successful applicants was Brisbane girl Orla Moore, 17, who was accepted into a Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the University of Queensland.

A degree in medicine is perhaps the most competitive course, requiring an OP1 and additional prerequisites. The course is in high demand and only a small group of unis offer it, including Griffith, UQ, James Cook University and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Miss Moore said being accepted into medicine was a dream come true.

“It’s a very challenging and stimulating career, and you get to work with and help people,” she said.

Orla Moore, 17, has been accepted into a medicine course at UQ.

Other in-demand courses for 2019 were nursing, business and education, with the OP cut-off varying depending on the university.

The minimum score to receive an offer into a Bachelor of Nursing at the Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland was seven, compared to nine at Griffith University or 13 at Southern Cross University.

QTAC data also revealed the top regions where applicants applied for a Bachelor of Nursing, with most coming from the Gold Coast (785), followed by Brisbane south (632) and Logan/Beaudesert (588).

Entry to another popular course, Bachelor of Business, was more difficult at QUT, with an OP minimum of nine, compared to 15 at Griffith or 18 at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

A Bachelor of Education, for primary and secondary, was also a popular choice, with the minimum OP ranging between 11 and 15.

As of yesterday, 49,727 offers had been made for students attending university in semester one this year. QTAC urges those who missed out to not despair.

A QTAC spokeswoman said applicants who missed out on an offer yesterday should check the course vacancy information to find out if their course was still making offers.

“Further semester 1 offers will be made on 25 January,” she said.

“Applicants can also change their preferences if they want to apply for a different course.”