12 August 2021
Combined Tertiary Information Evening
The Combined South Australian Tertiary Information Evening planned for Tuesday 3 August at Wilderness School had to be cancelled due to the need to minimise the number of people visiting schools. While it is unfortunate that students and parents will miss this opportunity for one to one discussions with key advisers, we hope to be able to distribute some presentations in the next week which will cover some of the key aspects of what was going to be communicated during the evening. Hopefully, if restrictions continue to ease, institutions will be running their Open Days in mid-August, and this will provide a very good opportunity for students and parents to engage individually with admissions and advisory staff.
Year 12 Tertiary applications
Applications for university entry in most States of Australia open on Monday August 2nd close on 30 September. All Year 12 boys will be provided with resources to support their applications and the Careers Counsellor will be conducting sessions with all the Year 12s commencing in late Week 2 to explain the application processes and to provide advice as needed. Any boys wishing to discuss their plans for 2022 and beyond or need any assistance with their applications can arrange to meet with the Careers Counsellor.
Uni SA Guaranteed Entry
The University is now offering two forms of guaranteed entry. One is by the applicant achieving a pre-determined selection rank (ATAR), an arrangement that has been in place for several years. For 2022 entry, the University will be offering guaranteed entry into courses based on the results of the best three Stage 2 SACE (and IB equivalent) subjects. No additional application requirements are necessary for students to gain entry by this arrangement, it is managed as a part of the normal SATAC application process. To be considered for this arrangement, applicants must list a Uni SA course as their first preference. For more details, including access to a guaranteed calculator, please go to Uni SA guaranteed.
University of Adelaide. Alternative Entry based on Year 11 subject results
The University has now released the details of this scheme. There have been a few changes in the processes being used for selection this year:
- The number of degrees that can be applied for via this entry pathway has been expanded.
- This entry pathway is now available to current Year 12 students from all schools in the Northern Territory.
- Students must have achieved at least A or B (or IB-equivalent grades) Year 11 grades to be considered for entry via this pathway.
The process:
- Applicants who wish to be a part of this scheme must submit their details directly to the University via an online portal: by 5pm, Tuesday 24 August. Please go to the following link Registration portal Yr 11 subject result entry. Applicants can register now.
- Applicants must also lodge their SATAC application (when it opens in early August) with an eligible University of Adelaide degree as their first preference by 5pm Tuesday, 24 August 2021. Please note: applicants can change their preferences/courses/universities after this date and still be considered for this scheme for the course listed as preference 1 on 24 August.
- The University of Adelaide will then contact the School to seek our applicant’s official Year 11 results after 24 August.
- The University will make conditional offers based on the Year 11 subject results in late September, 2021
Eligibility criteria for courses:
The following link lists the courses available under this arrangement and the grade bands required to gain entry into the courses. Courses and grades required. The best four Year 11 grades from 2020 are used for this scheme, but also including the Research Project. Further information from the University about the arrangements can be found at Year 11 subject results entry pathway. The Year 12 boys have been provided with this information along with some additional advice on the process. This scheme can be used in addition to the normal SATAC application, and students considering tertiary study in SA should consider using all possible application options to maximize their opportunities.
Flinders University Year 11 Grades Pathway
Flinders University has recently decided to resume the Year 11 Grades Admission Pathway for 2022 entry which will enable students to apply for an eligible Flinders course based on their Year 11 grades. This pathway will allow current Year 12 students to gain entry to Flinders based on their Year 11 grades and gain an early conditional offer to start their studies. Students will need to successfully complete the SACE or equivalent to confirm the admission. Please note: A minimum ATAR of 70 will be required for all Education/Teaching courses. To participate in the pathway, students must register with Flinders University at Yr 11 grades pathway and have listed an eligible Flinders University as their 1st preference in their SATAC application by 30 September. The Year 11 Grades Pathway brochure lists the courses available and the Year 11 grades required for entry. The best 50 credits at Stage 1 are considered for this pathway.
Tertiary Open Days
Students and families are strongly encouraged to engage in the Tertiary Open Day programs to enable effective planning and good decisions on post school options to be made.
University of SA Open Days – programs
Uni SA is running a number of activities to help potential students and families to assist with exploring study options at the University. These are a combination of online activities and in person visits to their campuses, commencing on August 2. The University is aiming to be flexible due to the current challenges with lockdowns and isolating, so people wishing to attend online can do so on any day and at various times from 2 August. For details and registration, please go to Uni SA Open Day options.
Flinders University Open Day
Flinders is running online and in person events for their Open Days from 12 to 26 August. For details and registration (required), please go to Flinders Open Day Events.
University of Adelaide Open Days
Adelaide is conducting a series of events as a part of their Open Day program. These commence on 11 August and continue until 15 August. For details and registration, please go to https://www.adelaide.edu.au/openday/. There is also an early offers and scholarships webinar being held on the 17 August and details can be found at Sydney offers scholarships.
Tabor Open Day
Tabor (Adelaide) will be running an in person Open Day on Saturday 14 August from 10am to 3pm. For more information, please go to Open Day.
Torrens University Open Day
Torrens University will holding their Open Day on 17 August online. Participants can tune in to webinars, chat live with course and careers advisors, learn about our courses, take virtual campus tours, and hear from industry leaders, expert academics and students past and present. For more details and to register, please go to Torrens Open Day
AIE (Adelaide)
AIE is a specialist games and visual effects educator and will be conducting Open Days and a number of other events, commencing on 15 August. For details, please go to AIE events.
University of Sydney Open Day
Sydney’s Open Day will be an online event on 28 August. For details of events and to register, please go to Sydney Open Day.
UNSW Open Day
UNSW is conducting an online Open Day on Saturday 4 September. For program details and registration, please go to UNSW Open Day.
University of Melbourne Residential Colleges Virtual Open Day
The residential colleges are running a virtual open day on 29 August but still hope to be able to conduct personal tours in September. For details and registration, please go to Colleges Open Day.
IB Recognition Scheme at the University of Adelaide
This scheme will recognise the academic achievements of IB graduates by granting credit or exemptions for some first year courses based on curriculum equivalency and academic performance in the IB subject. This program is available for most degrees, but not all. Credit and/or exemption will be offered as part of the scheme. Exemptions recognise that certain IB subjects and their related University course are substantially similar, and allow students to commence their studies at the appropriate learning level. Exemptions do not reduce the number of units required to complete a student’s program, but allows the IB subject to be recognised as a substitute for a course or courses listed in the program requirements. More details can be found at IB recognition.
Monash University Information Evening
Monash will be conducting an information evening (webinar) on Thursday 19 August from 6 to 7.30pm (SA time). The webinar is aimed at Year 10-12 students living in South Australia or Northern Territory and who are contemplating studying at Monash University in Melbourne. The Interstate Monash Information Evening will highlight all the things potential students need to know about undergraduate study at Monash as well providing information on scholarships and accommodation opportunities. At the conclusion of the formal seminar, students will have the opportunity to join a break out room and hear from the Faculty of their choice. For more details and to register, please go to Monash information.
UniTEST – Flinders University
uniTEST is an aptitude test that has been designed by ACER to assess the kinds of generic reasoning and thinking skills that are needed for students to achieve success in tertiary education. uniTEST assesses this reasoning and thinking across the broad domains of mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences. At Flinders, uniTEST is available for school leavers and has the potential to effectively improve an applicant’s selection rank as the uniTEST result is weighted at 40% and considered alongside the applicant’s ATAR (weighted at 60%) during the selection processes for Flinders Uni courses. For details about the test, go to uniTEST.
Bond University – early applications
Bond is now accepting Year 12 applications via an early application process. Students can start their Bond application now and finalise it once they have received their semester 1 results from year 12. Bond will then release conditional offers for these students should they be on-track to meet entry requirements for their chosen program. Applications can be commenced here.
Australian Defence Force Academy – ADFA
Year 12 students considering applying for ADFA are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure sufficient time for the application process. Year 11 students can also apply now. ADFA develops and educates the future leaders of the Navy, Army and Air Force. The program at ADFA combines military and leadership training with a recognised degree from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). There are a range of degrees available at ADFA: Arts, Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Science and Technology. For more information, go to ADFA
Studying in the UK
Applications for most UK universities can be commenced now and submitted from the beginning of September 2021. Applications for Oxford, Cambridge and for courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Science close on the 15 October. Other key dates can be found at UCAS key dates. Students wishing to apply for a full-time undergraduate course at university or college must use the UCAS online service called ‘Apply’. Apply is a secure, web-based application system which is available 24 hours a day. The UCAS application process is outlined at UCAS applications. Students considering tertiary study in the UK will benefit from registering for the UCAS Hub, which will allow students to easily explore tertiary options, commence planning their Personal Statement and provides a ‘to – do’ list.
The School is a registered UCAS Centre. Consequently, the Careers Counsellor will need to guide the applicant for the initial set up of their UCAS application, which includes the issuing of a buzzword to the applicant. This buzzword will allow them to apply and link their applications to the Centre. While the deadline for most UCAS applications is in early January, to guarantee that the all the documentation can be submitted by the School, the UCAS application must be completed by the student by the last day of the school year – Friday 3 December 2021. The British Council provides information and advice on studying in the UK, go to Study UK for this information. There are also numerous resources available to prospective students and their parents on Keystone – learning resource ID of 8WPSZ9.
TAFE SA – pathway to Higher Education
TAFE SA is well known for its vocational education and training, but also offers a range of specialised higher education courses. Some of the higher education degrees are offered directly by TAFE SA and some are offered in partnership with universities. TAFE SA is a dual-sector VET/Higher Education provider, thereby offering benefits to higher education students. For more information, go to Higher Education
Western Sydney University (WSU)
WSU has introduced a ‘True Reward’ program. This program is a unique pathway that offers early entry to university by being judged on the subjects a student loves studying. Early offers are based on Year 11 or Year 12 results in the subjects that are relevant to their desired course. Students need to apply directly to WSU to be considered in this program. For more details and to apply, please go to Reward.
University of Tasmania – Schools Recommendation Program
Applications for the Schools Recommendation Program are now open. Applications via this pathway gives students early offers for the 2022 courses. Applications will be open until 31 October. For more details and to apply, please go to Schools recommendation.
Lincoln University – Christchurch NZ
The University offers a wide range of courses including agribusiness, landscape architecture, viticulture, oenology and tourism. Australian students studying at Lincoln pay the same low domestic fees as the New Zealand students do. For more information, go to Lincoln University.
Law Admission Test – Registrations now open
For students considering studying Law at UNSW will need to sit the Law Admission Test (LAT). LAT is a written test that is used to demonstrate a student’s aptitude and suitability for studying undergraduate Law at UNSW. A LAT score, in addition to academic results (e.g. ATAR + additional points) will be used in the selection process to allow us to better differentiate between the many high achieving applicants to Law. For more details, go to LAT at UNSW. Applications close on 13 August. The test will be held on Thursday 30 September. Applications are now open.
Mark Colsey
Careers Counsellor