For 5 years, the U@Uni Academy – UTS’s non-ATAR entry pathway – has paved the way for underrepresented groups of students to study at university. In 2025, students from the Academy’s pilot year will graduate from UTS, demonstrating that potential can and should be measured by more than a number, and that students can thrive when given the opportunity.
Omar Moussa is your average, happy-go-lucky university student. He’s charismatic and funny, he loves football, and one day hopes to be a capable and inspiring leader.
But Omar’s journey to UTS was anything but ordinary. He was a Year 10 student at Birrong Boys High School in Sydney’s South West when he was presented with what he calls ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’ – a guaranteed place at university through the UTS U@Uni Academy.
‘I remember my teachers telling me about the Academy and UTS and I was like “What’s UTS?” so I did some research and was so excited by what the program offered,” Omar says.
Before that I was so nervous about whether my HSC marks would be good enough to get me into university. But then there was this program that said, 'we’re going to support you to develop and learn these new skills, and if you successfully complete the tasks we assign, you have a guaranteed place at our university, regardless of your marks.' I couldn’t believe my luck.
Omar Moussa. Image supplied.
Launched in 2019, the U@Uni Academy is a non-ATAR entry pathway for high school students from UTS partner schools in South West Sydney. Over 2 years, students (in years 11 and 12) participate in on-campus experiences, mentoring and tutoring, develop 21st century skills, meet new people and get a taste of what university life is like. Upon successful completion of the program they are offered a place at UTS, regardless of their ATAR.
Since its launch, more than 840 students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds have been offered a place to study at UTS via the U@Uni Academy.
Sarah Ellis, Manager (Success and Strategy) at the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion (CSJI), says the program has helped historically underrepresented students to shine at university.
‘These students have significant potential but are often overlooked because of inequitable admissions systems.
‘It’s not fair to measure a person’s potential based off one number. The ATAR doesn’t fully reflect a person’s background or the circumstances they have been presented with, nor does it consider their strengths outside of the classroom in terms of leadership skills or participation in their community.
‘We needed to find a way to shine a light on the potential of students that were, for want of a better term, flying under the radar, and that’s when the Academy was born,' she said.
The Australian Government’s Universities Accord is clear on the need to make our universities more equitable places, and that greater participation of groups previously excluded from higher education is key to meeting our future skills needs.
But it isn’t just supporting students to get to university that is vital, you need to keep it going once they’re there.
Many students that experience disadvantage aren’t afforded the same resources and opportunities as other students to access and navigate the university environment. Removing barriers and having support mechanisms in place is pivotal to ensure a smooth and successful transition from high school to university, and that’s what the Academy aims to do with our students. – Sarah Ellis.
Students commencing at UTS through alternate pathways (including the U@Uni Academy, the Humanitarian Scholarship Program and Schools Recommendation Scheme) are offered wrap-around support in a First Year Success (FYS) Program. It aims to nurture confidence, academic preparedness, connection and belonging for students by:
assessing students’ needs and preparedness through pre-commencement academic and study skills workshops.
assessing students’ needs and preparedness and offering formative feedback on students' academic progress and additional support needs.
Providing access to informed advice and timely referral to academic or other support.
Developing processes that support early intervention and ensuring specific supports are implemented across all courses of study.
‘While the students were excited to be starting at UTS, the jump from high school to higher education is a big one. The change can be overwhelming and the FYS initiative has proved successful in helping our students navigate through the complexities of starting at uni,’ says Moana Tago, Student Equity Program Officer (First Year Success Program) at the UTS CSJI.
For Omar, peer mentors from the FYS Program were a huge help when it came to understanding university systems and campus life.
‘The peer mentors made me feel supported the whole way along. They sorted us right out of the gate. They would email us, and we were put into a WhatsApp group, and we always had a checkup once a week. It was such a good opportunity to get someone else’s reassurance and to wrap my head around how universities work as a whole.’
The success is in the stats
The U@Uni Academy has shown students from an underrepresented background can bring a wide skillset of 21st century capabilities to bear when completing higher education.
U@Uni Academy students on the UTS Alumni Green.
For Melissa Ronca, Student Equity Program Manager (Research and Evaluation) at the UTS CSJI, the truth is in the stats.
‘In 2023, our Academy students achieved a success rate* on par with comparable student cohorts nation-wide – 82.6% vs. 82.5% for low SES students**. It shows that the right systems and support can help to facilitate student success at university,’ she said.
‘The government is signaling that Australia needs more students in higher education, and that means the sector needs to change its approach and support students, especially those who experience intersectional disadvantage.
Support is key to success. The students coming through our alternate pathway programs are fantastic, and the support simply boosts them and ensures their success despite the challenges they may be facing in their lives outside of uni. As a sector we must be doing that to be equitable and ensure students can thrive. – Melissa Ronca
Nurturing Australia’s future leaders
In 2025, students from the U@Uni Academy’s pilot cohort – including Omar – will be graduating from UTS. It’s a full circle moment for Sarah and her team.
‘It feels like just yesterday that we launched the program, and now we’re about to witness those first students who came through the Academy graduate from UTS. While it’s such a proud moment for us, it’s even more so for these students and their families. They’ve worked so hard and grown into incredibly capable young adults, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things they go on to do post-university,’ she says,
For Omar, once he graduates from his Business degree, he wants to pursue a Master of Teaching (Secondary) at UTS.
‘I've had an interest in teaching since I graduated from Year 12. You know, I'm one of those COVID kids who did the HSC during lockdown, and I saw how hard the teachers worked to help us. I’m now working as a Student Learning Support Officer at my old high school [Birrong Boys] and am really enjoying it. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.’
* Success rate: The success rate for a nominated period of time is the proportion of actual student load (EFTSL) for units of study that are passed divided by all units of study attempted (passed + failed + withdrawn).The Commonwealth Department of Education reports a number of attrition, retention and success rate calculations – all are explained at the Tertiary Collection of Student Information website.
** Department of Education, Section 11 Equity groups (2022, latest available). This figure includes all domestic commencing and continuing undergraduate students considered low SES based on the Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) that their home address is within across all Table A and Table B providers Australia-wide.