Feeling overwhelmed by uni applications? Here’s what year 12 students need to know

The final months of year 12 are stressful for many reasons, including the sometimes confusing process of applying for university. It can be a complicated process whether you are applying to study in your home state or interstate.

If you’re still thinking about which courses you might apply for – and where – check out the interactive course search tool on our higher education hub, Campus. You can look up courses in NSW, ACT, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia by university/college or ATAR band to help make your decision.

Choosing what to study at which university is a big decision for high school students.Credit: Marija Ercegovac

To make the uni application process a little less intimidating, here are your key questions answered:

When are the deadlines for early offers and main round offers?

Some specific courses and institutions will have different application deadlines and offer dates, so when you’re doing your research, be sure to note down any dates that are different from the general rounds listed below:

NSW & ACT

If you’re applying to uni in NSW or the ACT, and are in year 12, there are three rounds of early offers before the main rounds. They are November round 1, November round 2 and December round 1. The application and payment deadline for these early offer rounds are October 10, 24 and 31, respectively.

But the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) advises that “institutions decide when they will make offers to their courses”, so there “may be a significant amount of time between when you apply for a course and when the institution makes offers to that course”.

Most offers to 2025 semester 1 courses will be made in the two main offer rounds in December and January.

There are nine different potential offer rounds for year 12 students starting university in semester 1, 2025, with each round having different deadlines for application and payment, document upload and preference change, so be sure to check the key dates carefully here.

The other key date is the early bird processing charge deadline on September 30, 2024. If you’re planning to apply, be sure to make your UAC account and pay the $80 early bird processing fee before October 1 to avoid paying the larger standard fee of $215.

Victoria

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) doesn’t have an early offer round for year 12 students, only what they call “timely applications”. VTAC applications open from July 29, with the timely application deadline of 5pm, September 30, 2024. The application fee increases from $60 to $150 after this date.

To avoid higher fees, you need to create a VTAC account and submit a course application by September 28. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to change your preferences after that date.

There are then two further deadlines for late (November 1) and very late (December 6) applications, which both have even higher fees.

VCE students and select interstate students will receive the first round of offers on December 23. The second offer round for all domestic students takes place on 10 January 2025.

Queensland

Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) is yet to confirm the key dates for year 12 applicants for semester 1 2025 but, based on previous years, it is expected applications will open in early August 2024.

The early offer rounds usually commence in the second half of August, while the main offer round is in early to mid-January 2025.

QTAC generally release specific dates in mid-July, so check back then for more details.

Western Australia

In WA, the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) applications are already open. There are five conditional early offer days for WA year 12s on September 2 and 24, October 14, November 18 and December 2.

TISC suggests you submit your applications at least two weeks before the offer day to be considered in that round. This type of offer is only made on first preferences and can be confirmed in the main round if all conditions have been met with actual results and if the course has been retained as the first preference. Not all courses are part of the conditional early offer schemes and such offers are non-binding, so you can change your mind.

Wednesday, December 11 at 11.59pm is the final date to upload transcripts and documents to be considered for the main round of offers, which are made on December 21.

How do you apply for early entry?

Early entry applications are generally the same as main round applications and require you to fill in your details and order your preference. You’ll need to go to the website of the relevant authorities for the state you want to apply in – UAC for NSW and the ACT, VTAC for Victoria, QTAC for Queensland and TISC for WA — make an account and follow the prompts to submit your preferences.

What kinds of courses follow a different timeline?

Generally speaking, courses such as veterinary sciences and direct-entry pathways to Medicine often have different application requirements, but no matter your interest, it’s important to check the deadlines for your specific course preferences in case they follow a different timeline.

How many uni courses can I apply for?

Every state allows applicants to enter a series of preferences. That means you place the courses you want to be considered for in order of your preference. Each state allows a different number of preferences to be entered. In Victoria, you can enter eight courses, in NSW and the ACT it’s five courses, and in WA and Queensland, you can list six courses.

You’ll only receive one offer per round, so make sure the course you want to be accepted into most is listed first.

How do I change my preferences?

Once you have submitted your application, you can log back in and change or reorder your preference as many times as you like before the deadlines. You can also reorder your preference after each offer round if you change your mind and want to be considered in a different order or for different courses.

How do the preferences work?

In most states, you can only receive one offer in each offer round, and institutions will consider your course preferences according to the order in which you list them. So your courses must be listed in order of how keen you are.

All preferences are given equal consideration, so it doesn’t matter if it’s your fourth preference and someone else’s first preference, you’ll be offered the highest preference on your list that you are qualified for.

It works a bit differently in WA. Applicants there will only receive one formal offer of study, as all early offers are conditional. Only your first preference will be considered in those early rounds. But for the main and second round of offers, it’s the same as in other states: preferences are considered equally and, if you receive an offer, it will be for the highest preferences course you are qualified for.

Can I defer my study?

Deferral is generally an option, but it’s decided by the individual institution so be sure to check with the individual unis you’re applying for if you are planning to defer your acceptance.

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