Tertiary News
Year 12 Tertiary Application Information
Don’t stress, your ATAR isn’t the final call. There are many ways to get into university
The Conversation reports that in a recent nation-wide survey by online tutoring company Cluey Learning, 75% of Australian senior students said their ATAR score would impact on the rest of their life. More than 80% said a score under 60 would be detrimental to their life. Here’s something students who are anxious about their senior exams might be surprised to know. More students are accepted into university without an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) – a number that indicates a student’s position relative to all students in their age group – than with one. In 2019, around 330,608 people were made an offer to study at a higher education institution. Of those, more than half (around 166,251 or 61%) were accepted on criteria other than an ATAR. Click here to read more.
QTAC FAQs
Q Will I get an offer for all the courses I applied for through QTAC?
A No. You will only receive one offer for your highest eligible course. Therefore, it is essential to order your courses according to your preference, putting the course you most want first.
Q Will I get a letter in the mail from QTAC with my offer on it?
A No. If you have an offer, QTAC will notify you by email or SMS. You need to log on to your application on the QTAC website for details of your offer and to respond to your offer. Because there are numerous offer-round dates (see Course offer dates), you must check your emails regularly.
Q Is there anything I can do if I don’t respond to an offer by the due date?
A Yes. Contact QTAC immediately. QTAC may be able to reinstate your offer.
Q What happens after I have accepted an offer of a course place?
A You enrol at your institution by the due date. Most institutions will have an ‘Enrol here’ link on the QTAC website. If there's no enrolment link, your university will contact you directly.
Q I have applied for courses that start in Semester One and Semester Two 2021 on my QTAC application. Is this OK?
A Yes, if the Semester One courses are listed before the Semester Two courses. However, a better strategy is to put only Semester One courses on your application in the first instance. After the major offer-round for Semester One courses on 14 January 2021 (see page 26 in QTAC book), you can put Semester Two courses on your application if you have not received your preferred offer.
Q What should I do if I don’t get an offer?
A First check your application on the QTAC website. You may be ineligible for the courses you applied for. This will be indicated on the Preferences page of your application beside each course preference. Reasons for not receiving an offer may include:
- Quota restrictions (that is, your ATAR/rank did not meet the minimum threshold)
- Failure to satisfy minimum entry requirements (prerequisite subjects, audition, etc.)
- Failure to pay QTAC processing fee
- Preferencing your courses incorrectly (e.g. putting semester two courses before semester one courses; not including a ‘good’ pathways option for your 5th and 6th preferences)
- Applying after the due date for the offer-round
- Not submitting required documents
- Not responding to an earlier offer.
Q What do I have to do when I receive an offer?
A You must respond to QTAC by the due date. You usually have four days to respond. If you don’t respond by the due date, your offer will lapse and your application will become inactive. When you respond to your offer, you have two main options:
Make an outright acceptance, deferment or rejection OR
Conditionally accept your offer so you can be considered for higher preferences in future offer rounds. If you choose this option you must go back into your QTAC application and put your preferences back into your application.
See more information about responding on the Offers page on the QTAC website.
If you were ineligible for the courses you applied for, you can change your course preferences for consideration in any subsequent offer-round if further offers are made. QTAC usually publishes remaining course vacancies on its website after a major offer-round. You can also contact QTAC by phone, email or Facebook for advice.
Tertiary application reminders
Have you put important dates in your phone or diary? Including:
- Scholarship application due dates (see the scholarship page on institution websites)
- QTAC offer-round dates (check the Course Offer Dates on the QTAC website)
- When Year 12 results are uploaded to your Student Portal account so you can access them through your Student Portal
- When QTAC will be emailing you or you can log into your QTAC ATAR account to find out your ATAR
- The last date you can change preferences for the offer rounds on 20 November, 23 December 2020 and 14 January 2021 (see Key Dates and Fees on the QTAC website or Page 26 in your QTAC book).
- Date that you have to have submitted any required documentation for each offer round (Page 26 in you QTAC book)
Do you have all QTAC documents and numbers in a safe place? Including:
- Your 2021 Year 12 Guide
- A copy of your QTAC preferences
- Your QTAC password
- Your QTAC reference number
- Your LUI and Learning Account password.
If you are going on holidays over Christmas, you should take these with you.
Year 12 - Monitor your emails and SMS
From 20 November 2020 (your last day at school) until you accept an offer of a course place, you must monitor your emails and SMS as QTAC will use these to inform you of an offer
You then must respond to QTAC by the due date (which may be only four days from your offer date). If you don’t respond by the due date, your offer will lapse and you will not be considered for any other offer rounds. If, for some reason, your offer does lapse, contact QTAC ASAP. QTAC may be able to reinstate your offer.
University of the Sunshine Coast
Medical Science offered at the University of the Sunshine Coast
USC is offering B Medical Science. It is a three-year program that will provide provisional direct entry into Griffith University’s planned Doctor of Medicine program at the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital at Birtinya. An overview of the program can be read here.
University of Southern Queensland
Entry options into a bachelor’s degree
USQ offer a range of associate degrees that allow direct entry into bachelor degrees upon completion. USQ offer associate degrees in:
Business and commerce
Construction
Engineering,
Biomedical science,
Medical laboratory science, and
Spatial science.
Diplomas are also available in
human services and development, science and university studies.
The University of Queensland
Community Engagement Program
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Community Engagement Program (Non-Award Access Program) provides an opportunity for members of the community to access individual subjects without undertaking a whole degree or applying through QTAC. To apply you need to be at least 18 years or have completed Year 12. You could explore this program as an alternative pathway to university.
Melbourne University
Exam prep suggestions from Melbourne Uni
Melbourne Uni has put together some tips and strategies to help you manage your study and exam preparation. You can explore their resources and download templates from the Academic Skills Unit. You can find information about:
- Exam prep resources - Make the most of the time you have to exam prep with helpful tips and resources from the Academic Skills Unit.
- Creating a revision program - Keep track of what you've revised so you don't waste time going over some topics too often at the expense of others.
- Learning online - Six top tips from our students to help you engage with online recordings and how to adjust your study strategies.
- Weekly planner - Stay organised and keep track of how you want to spend your time with a weekly planner.
- Using punctuation correctly - Improve your sentence structure and communication more effectively.
- Improving cohesion - Find out how to maximise your marks by making your academic writing more cohesive.
University information sessions after you receive your ATAR or QCE results
Most universities hold information sessions in December for students who have received their Year 12 results and /or ATAR to review their QTAC preferences and/or deciding on their future direction. The following are a selection of these sessions in 2020:
Australian Catholic University – Know Your Options
online webinar from 6pm – 7 pm on Wednesday, 16 December 2020. You must register.
Queensland University of Technology – Real Decisions
is an online webinar from 12pm – 1 pm on Saturday 19 December 2020.
University of Queensland – ATAR Advice Event
from 10am – 1 pm on 20 December 2020 online. You must register.
Griffith University – Chat with us online from Monday to Friday from 3 - 5pm.
TAFE Queensland offers more than trade courses
See where TAFE can take you by getting the qualifications that you need. TAFE offer a wide range of qualifications from Certificates, to Diplomas, to Degrees, to trade qualifications and across many different industry areas. Click here to read more about the different pathways that TAFE offer.
Employment Opportunity for Year 12 School Leaver
Fuji Xerox is globally recognised as the pioneer in business machines and continues to set the pace for the industry.
Telemarketer/ Appointment setter
Our business to business clients are generally located in the suburbs so although you are confident dealing with gatekeepers you are more likely to be forming relationships with business owners.
In this role you will be:
· Cold calling
· Calling cold and warm prospects
· Booking sales appointments for industry leading sales professionals
· Managing diaries and appointments for your team
· Calling existing clients promoting new services and renewal of existing services
· Achieving set targets and providing regular management reports
We provide:
· Great base pay- $22.00 per hour
· Outstanding uncapped bonus structure
· Professional and fun team culture
· Recognition and validation for a job well done.
If you are outgoing, personable and professional, if you want to be a valued member of a growing team, if you have the drive and discipline to be successful and enjoy being well financially rewarded…this is the role for you.
If you are straight out of school or want to work while studying at University then this role is for you.
The Ipswich office is based at: Shop 2, 71 Blackstone Rd, Eastern Heights
For further information, contact Sarah Adams sarah.adams@fujixeroxsales.com.au
Mr Mark Currie, Careers Guidance Officer/Adviser