UTS more popular than UNSW in 2020 as 38,000 students receive university offers

The University of Sydney has remained the top preference for school-leavers beginning tertiary studies next year, while the University of Technology Sydney has overtaken UNSW Sydney as the second-most popular university for school leavers in NSW.

More than 38,000 students on Monday received university offers for study in 2020. The University of Sydney made 6156 of these, a figure that a spokesperson said included 740 more places than last year due to its increased share of preferences.

This included almost tripling the number of offers made for its space engineering degree, and introducing up to 80 per cent more places in some of its combined Advanced Studies courses, which began in 2018.

"In the last few years we’ve undertaken an ambitious reform program to transform our undergraduate offering and create closer ties with industry," vice chancellor Michael Spence said. "It’s pleasing that our continued focus on improvement has also led to this increased demand from the highest achieving students in the country."

The lowest selection rank, or course cut-off, for most degrees at the University of Sydney has stayed the same as last year. Students with a selection rank of 80 will be eligible for its arts and science degrees, while students will need a rank of 85 for a primary education degree, 92 for most engineering courses, 95 for a commerce degree, and 99.5 for a combined law degree.

The University of Technology Sydney has overtaken UNSW Sydney as the second-most popular university.Credit: James Brickwood, Louie Douvis

What is the 'lowest selection rank'?

The lowest selection rank for a university degree was formerly known as its 'ATAR cut-off'.  A student's selection rank includes their raw Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) as well as adjustment factors considered by specific universities, which used to be called 'bonus points'. The lowest selection rank for a course is calculated based on the number of places available, the number of applicants, and their ranks.

At UTS, which surpassed UNSW this year in receiving the second-highest number of first and total preferences, the lowest selection rank for the most popular course, the Bachelor of Business, remained 88, while the cut-off for the second most popular course, the Bachelor of Nursing, rose from 82.10 to 82.20.

The selection rank for the Bachelor of Construction Project Management, which received the third-highest number of first preferences at UTS, rose from 87.05 to 90.45. Of the university's other most in-demand courses, the cut-off for the combined business and law degree rose slightly from 96.1 to 96.25, while the cut-off for its sport and exercise science degree dropped from 82.05 to 81.75.

The state's most in-demand degree was the combined Bachelor of Medical Studies and Doctor of Medicine at UNSW for the third consecutive year. There was increased demand for UNSW's Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics, offered for the first time last year, with the lowest selection rank rising from 94 to 96.40.

The selection ranks for other popular courses at UNSW have dropped slightly. The cut-off for its Bachelor of Commerce dropped from 97 to 96, the Bachelor of Economics from 94 to 93, the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) from 96 to 95, and the Bachelor of Arts from 82 to 80.20.

The Melbourne Institute of Technology's Sydney campus accepted the lowest ATAR of all institutions, with a rank of 18.60 accepted for its Bachelor of Business and 24.40 for its Bachelor of Networking.

The lowest raw ATAR admitted at the University of Sydney was 61.20 for its liberal arts and science degree, UTS accepted a raw ATAR of 69.05 for its music and sound design degree, and UNSW accepted 70 for its environmental management and arts degree.

Macquarie University increased its share of first and overall preferences based on last year, while Western Sydney University declined.