Admissions - frequently asked questions

See below for answers to our frequently asked questions.

Applying to UTS

When is the first offer round for current school leavers?

December Round 2 is the first offer round for current school leavers. To be considered for December Round 2, please ensure you check the UAC Key Dates on the last date for application to be considered for the respective offer round.

I have seen on the UTS website the lowest selection rank that a recent school leaver needed to get an offer last year but I’m applying as a non-recent school leaver, where can I see the information that’s relevant to me?

The ATAR/Selection Ranks published on the UTS website, on UAC and the Course Seeker website are for the recent secondary education group of students only (those who completed Year 12 in the two years prior to intake but have not entered into higher education) as this is a TEQSA requirement.

As a non-recent school leaver, you will be assessed based on any eligible study you have completed for the course you are applying to at UTS.

As a general rule, we say that if you have a credit average in any eligible tertiary study, your application is considered competitive but this is dependent on the course you are applying for (as some are more competitive than others) and your competitiveness in relation to all other applicants applying to that course in that year.

I finished my high school overseas but I am an Australian citizen/permanent resident and will be applying via UAC as a domestic student. How do I know what score I need to get for the course that I want to study at UTS?

Your overseas qualification will be assessed as part of your admission application by UAC. If you’d like to know in advance what selection rank your results will give you, you can consider using UAC’s qualification assessment service (fee applies) and then compare that rank to those published on the UTS website for the course you are interested in.

I will be applying as a non-recent school leaver and have done some study since finishing Year 12. My ATAR was not that good, can you assess my application only on my tertiary study?

Firstly, keep in mind that you must declare all study you’ve already completed in your UAC application, even if you think it may not be important or the result may not be good enough.

Any eligible qualification you hold will be considered, but you will compete for an offer based on your best result.

So, if:

you performed better in the HSC than in your tertiary studies, you’ll compete based on your ATAR
you performed better in your tertiary studies than the HSC, you’ll compete based on your tertiary studies.

If you’ve been excluded from tertiary study at UTS or another institution, we recommend that you also submit a statement of exclusion form with your application.

Can I submit a portfolio and/or personal statement in support of my UAC application?

There is no facility to upload additional supporting documents to your UAC application for UTS courses (e.g. portfolio, personal statement) other than those required by UAC but be sure to check the admissions schemes we offer which might help you get an offer to study at UTS. You may need to submit documents direct to UTS as part of the process for these admissions schemes.

Do I need to do certain subjects in my HSC to study specific courses at UTS?

UTS has no HSC subject prerequisites for our courses with the exception of teacher education courses. However, each faculty identifies assumed knowledge which you are encouraged to have before commencing your course. UTS offer bridging courses in chemistry, mathematics and physics that may give you the assumed knowledge you need for the course you want to study at UTS.

I am finishing Year 12 this year and have added UTS preferences to my UAC application but there is a note saying that I'm not eligible - decision pending, what does that mean?

You will be eligible for consideration for UTS offers once your ATAR has been released (17 December 2019) and provided you meet all other entry criteria for the course that you want to study. UTS offers to current school leavers will be made from December Round 2 (the first offer round after ATAR release).

Admissions schemes

What admissions schemes am I eligible for?

Please check out UTS admissions schemes to see what schemes are on offer.

I received a conditional offer as part of the Schools Recommendation Scheme, when will I get my full offer?

In order to receive a full offer, you must meet the conditions within your conditional offer letter. If you do, then you should expect to receive your offer in the first offer round after ATAR release.

Remember that UAC work with a preferential based system which means that even if you are eligible for an SRS offer, if it is a lower preference in your application and you are eligible for an offer to a course higher on your list, you will receive the offer to the course higher in your list and not the SRS offer, even though you have met the conditions.

Offers

What if I don't get an offer to study at UTS? What can I do?

If you meet matriculation and English language proficiency and were therefore eligible for consideration, but did not receive an offer, unfortunately your application was not competitive enough in relation to other applicants.

You can check the lowest selection ranks required to receive an offer to UTS courses for 2020 in the December Round 2/January Round 1 offer rounds on the admissions requirements page.

You can also check the admissions pathways which may help make your application more competitive in the future. This may include completing tertiary study at UTS in another course, at another institution or at TAFE. You can see what qualifications can be considered for the courses you are interested in through the course requirements page.

I got an ATAR below 69 but with adjustment points my selection rank is above 69, can I still be considered for UTS offers?

Unfortunately not, to be eligible to receive adjustment points under any UTS admission scheme, you need to have a minimum ATAR (or equivalent) of 69.00. Check out our admission pathways so that you can reapply in the future with a more competitive application.

Does UTS make early offers?

If you’re a current school leaver (finishing Year 12 in the year prior to intake), you’ll be considered on your ATAR plus any adjustment points you may be eligible for. Offers for this group of applicants will be made in the first round after ATAR release which is December Round 2.

If you’re a non-current school leaver, it’s likely you’ll already have a qualification that we can assess your application on so you may receive an offer in an earlier round if you’re eligible. Check the offer rounds we participate in through UAC (opens in an external site).

I didn’t get an offer to the course I wanted at UTS so I’ve enrolled in a course at another university and hope to reapply next year. How much study do I need to do in that course before reapplying?

All UTS courses will consider one year of full time study from a Bachelor degree. Some courses will accept less than this provided you meet matriculation. Check the course requirements page for more info.

I want to apply to start studying at UTS in Spring/Summer (mid-year), it says on the UTS website that the course has a Spring/Summer intake but the course is not showing on UAC, is it available?

There are a limited number of courses that have a mid-year and Summer intake (usually courses from the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Science). If the course you're interested in studying shows on our website as having a Spring intake but isn't on UAC, it's likely that the course is only open to a specific group of applicants for that session (e.g. pathway students from UTS College).

Courses do sometimes open later than others if more spaces become available, so we encourage you to check the UAC website regularly for updates.

Deferring your offer

I accidentally accepted my offer when I meant to defer, can I still defer it?

You will need to submit your request to defer via an online enquiry through Ask UTS if you have already accepted your offer. These requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The same applies if you deferred your offer and would now like to commence study.

If you have a question that’s not listed above, ask us at Ask UTS. You can also check out the UAC FAQ page for more help.

How your ATAR works

Watch this video to find out how your ATAR works when applying for uni