Qld uni admissions soar as 14k offers made in major QTAC round
Nearly 14,000 offers have been made by Queensland universities in Thursday’s major offer round. See the most popular courses here.
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Nearly 14,000 offers would be made in Thursday’s major university offer round, as the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre reported a spike in students awaiting offers.
13,778 offers were made across 1,333 courses from Queensland’s leading institutions. Of these, 8,453 offers were made to recent graduates, while 5,325 were issued to adult applicants.
The number of offers increased by 8.8 per cent compared to the same period last year, with demand for tertiary education in Queensland growing.
Similarly to the December round, the University of Queensland nabbed the top four courses offered on Thursday, with James Cook University bumping the Queensland University of Technology out of the fifth spot.
Health remained the favourite field for recent graduates with 5,838 offers made on Thursday.
Engineering and Arts was also a top pick, specifically for the Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).
QTAC Interim CEO Chris Veraa said while the December offer round set a new benchmark for applications, the momentum was bound to continue on Thursday.
“It’s inspiring to see the diverse ambitions of Queenslanders taking shape through this admissions cycle. With multiple opportunities to start study in both Semester 1 and Semester 2, applicants still have time to take advantage of the support available to them,” Mr Veraa said.
“If you need support — whether it’s refining your preferences, exploring alternative pathways, or leveraging adjustment schemes — we’re here to help.
“QTAC recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to tertiary education. Many applicants have benefited from adjustments through the Educational Access Scheme (EAS), supporting their educational journey and aspirations. We encourage all applicants to respond to their offers by Monday, 20 January 2025, to secure their place.
“We’re committed to supporting applicants in making informed decisions, exploring the right pathways, and maximising their success. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Contact Centre for personalised advice — whether you’re refining preferences or considering alternative pathways.”
Among the eager year 12 graduates was Jackie Grist, 17, who was excited to be the first in her family to attend university.
The Bremer State High School graduate was offered early entry into the Bachelor of Arts / Education (Secondary) at the University of Queensland beginning semester 1 of this year.
“I had a lot of support and many teachers and staff that were really great. It has inspired me to become a teacher so I can be like that for other kids,” she said.
“My advice for other students is to take every opportunity with both hands and hold onto it as you’ll never know where it can lead you. Doing that really led me to uni.
“Right now, I’m just really excited to get into it and start attending classes.”
Ms Grist was offered early entry after joining the University of Queensland’s Young Achievers Program in year 10, a program helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their study and career aspirations.
“The YAP program provided me with guidance and financial support throughout my senior years which drove me to try my best and get an offer for my first preference,” she said.
The University of Queensland
Joining Ms Grist was another 4,300 students who had secured a place at The University of Queensland in Thursday’s major offer round.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AC said UQ continued to be a top choice for school leavers attracting almost one third of all first preferences across the state, with their total number of offers reaching 10,700 for Semester 1, 2025 on Thursday.
“We are excited to welcome the next generation of engineers, scientists, health professionals, teachers and future leaders to our vibrant community,” Professor Terry said.
“We’ve seen demand jump for business and law programs this year, and engineering continues to grow in popularity.
“Demand for education, nursing and a range of allied health disciplines has also grown, helping to build future skilled professionals in these fields.
“In the case of nursing, we’ve made 100 additional offers this year compared to last year.”
Professor Terry said more than 2,600 students from regional areas or low socio-economic backgrounds had received offers to study at UQ in 2025.
“Through The Queensland Commitment, we are on a mission to make education accessible for all Queenslanders with school partnerships, scholarships, and pathways to empower students to transform their futures,” Professor Terry said.
“The Young Achievers Program has supported close to 2,000 under-represented students on their education journey with mentoring, financial support, and pathways.”
The university would continue to release offers through to Semester 1 so prospective students shouldn’t be disheartened if they haven’t received one.
Bond University
Bond University saw their largest offer growth in their Bachelor of International Relations/Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Laws.
A Bond University spokesman said the campus was a “flurry of activity”, with the institutions’s orientation week already in full swing.
“We welcome new students to campus as they begin their accelerated degrees. We wish them – and our returning students – all the best for 2025,” they said.
Top 10 undergraduate year 12 offers for 2025:
Bachelor of Biomedical Science
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science
Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Psychological Science
Bachelor of Actuarial Science
Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of International Relations/Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Health Sciences
Queensland University of Technology
The Queensland University of Technology made 2671 offers on Thursday, bringing their total number to 11,036 for semester 1, 2025.
Much like the December offer round, business, engineering, and health-related fields remained the top picks for the institution.
Top 10 courses in order:
Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours)
Bachelor of Nursing
Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Bachelor of Paramedic Science
Bachelor of Education (Primary)
Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
Bachelor of Information Technology
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)
University of Southern Queensland
At UniSQ, engineering has had the largest year-on-year increase for school leaver first preferences.
Other areas that had considerable interest and have experienced increases in first preference numbers of 10 per cent or more include Education and Society and Culture.
Health remained steady with school leaver first preferences, which was slightly ahead of the same time last year.
At the program level, UniSQ saw a sizeable increase in first preferences for the Bachelor of Surveying (Honours) program.
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Bachelor of Aviation, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours), and Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Honours) rounded out the top five for increases in raw first preference numbers.
Similar to the sector trend, UniSQ experienced an increase in school leaver applications compared to the same time last year. The majority of study areas have experienced increases in first preference numbers.
Top 5 for UniSQ by first preferences among school leavers:
Bachelor of Nursing
Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
Bachelor of Education (Primary)
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Bachelor of Paramedicine
Torrens University
A Torrens University spokesman said the institution did not consider an ATAR as the key admission criteria for applicants, giving students the benefit of enrolling in their chosen degrees straight after high school.
By end of January 2025, 88 per cent of their offers were expected to be for Bachelor degrees, with 12 per cent of offers for Diplomas.
The university saw a clear trend in more students applying for online courses compared to last year, with 38 per cent of offers being for online only courses in December 2024 compared to 27 per cent in December 2023.
More online offers were expected on Thursday.
“This trend aligns with our focus on providing learners greater flexibility when pursuing higher education, including more choice in how or where students study,” the spokesman said.
“Torrens offers courses on campuses across Australia, online and hybrid.
“Torrens University saw a 27 per cent increase in December round offers in Queensland, compared to the previous year. Our most popular courses in Queensland include our Business, Design (Fashion Marketing & Enterprise), Psychology and Sports Management courses.”
University of the Sunshine Coast
UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett said school-leavers were choosing University of the Sunshine Coast as their first-preference university at the highest level in five years.
Domestic applications to study at UniSC were up 10.6 per cent on this time last year, with 68 per cent of applications coming through QTAC.
“Many bachelor programs have seen an increase in applications, particularly Engineering (Mechanical) with a 67 per cent increase, Social Work with a 30 per cent increase and Paramedicine with a 15 per cent increase,” Professor Bartlett said.
“Our new Physiotherapy and Law programs starting in 2025 are also proving popular. The most in-demand courses for school leavers are Nursing, Primary Education, Occupational Therapy, Paramedicine and Business.
“When we look at the demand for next year, students are putting UniSC down as their first preference in much higher numbers than previously so that is a very strong indicator of how our popularity is growing.
“It also reflects an important stage of evolution for the university, that we are now increasingly recognised and respected locally and beyond.
“This growing reputation has led to us doubling in size over the last 10 years to around 19,000 students and we are well positioned for further sustained growth across our campuses from Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast to Fraser Coast, as well as online.”
Central Queensland University
Similar trends were seen for this round as the last round in terms of popular courses for Central Queensland University.
“A key point though would be that this round is the main round where places are offered in CQU's Bachelor Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine) course,” a CQU spokesman said.
“The course is part of the Regional Medical Pathway. Demand for the course has been high with only 20 places on offer in Bundaberg and Rockhampton (40 places in total).
“Due to this strong demand, it is expected that all places will be filled in both regions.”
James Cook University
James Cook University was experiencing strong demand from school leavers who planned to study at JCU in 2025 with nearly 3000 offers expected to be made to prospective students by Thursday.
JCU already made 1973 offers to prospective students, and expected to make a further 1008 offers in Thursday’s QTAC major offer round.
This brought the total offers to 2981 so far for 2025, up more than 10 per cent on the previous year.
Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery applications remained a growth area and were up almost 10 per cent from the same time last year.
Bachelor of Dental Surgery application numbers spiked 23 per cent over the same period, while the Bachelor of Business (23 per cent) also saw very strong growth.
For the Townsville campus, the Bachelor of Physiotherapy has enjoyed the largest growth of applications for the first semester in 2025, up 33 per cent on last year’s figures. Numbers for Psychology (28 per cent) and Medicine/Surgery (3 per cent) are also trending up.
Meanwhile in Cairns, Bachelor of Business application numbers have shot up by 127 per cent, while Dentistry (23 per cent) is also experiencing strong growth.
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Julie Cogin said their Brisbane campus saw an upsurge in enrolments for 2025.
“The number of students enrolled to begin a teaching degree is up by 100 on last year. Primary teaching is the most popular specialisation, followed by Early Childhood teaching,” Professor Cogin said.
“Nursing and Midwifery are also attracting large numbers of applicants, as is the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.
“ACU is the preferred university for Australian Defence Force veterans because of our dedicated programs that help veterans broaden their skill sets and transition to civilian life.
“We have seen a sizeable increase in veteran applications for 2025, particularly in the fields of Paramedicine and Nursing.
“These trends reflect one of our biggest strengths – we are internationally recognised for preparing industry-ready graduates who give back to their communities and fill critical skill shortages across priority areas like education and healthcare.”
Griffith University
At Griffith University, the Bachelor of Medical Science took the lead for top preferences, reflecting a strong inclination towards health sciences.
This was closely followed by the Bachelor of Nursing. Education also remained popular with the Bachelor of Education.
Moving into more specialised fields, the Bachelor of Business proved that commerce continues to be a significant draw, while creative industries were well represented with degrees in Film and Screen Media Production, Music, and Musical Theatre.
Forensic Science combined with Criminology and Criminal Justice also appealed to those interested in law enforcement and scientific investigation.
Lastly, health-related honours degrees like Physiotherapy and Psychology were in high demand, showcasing a trend towards professional qualifications in allied health services.
There was a noticeable trend where school leavers were gravitating towards industries with clear career pathways and resilience against economic fluctuations.
Health sciences, business, and IT were seeing a surge in applications, possibly driven by new degree offerings, like the Bachelor of Digital Marketing.
Top offers for 2025:
Bachelor of Nursing
Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons)
Bachelor of Biomedical Science
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Psychology (Hons)
Originally published as Qld uni admissions soar as 14k offers made in major QTAC round
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