Mature-age Entry Scheme

You are eligible to apply for the Mature-age Entry Scheme if you fit all of the following criteria:

• you are 21 years of age or older on 1 March of the year you intend to commence tertiary study
• you do not have the required ATAR (or equivalent result in another secondary qualification) for admission to any course
• you do not have a record of tertiary study
• you have completed an approved preparation course. These usually run for one year, starting at the beginning of the first semester or TAFE academic year, but in some cases they can be completed in six months.

What constitutes tertiary study?

Tertiary qualifications include completion of at least one full-time year (or equivalent period part-time) of a recognised degree, associate diploma or diploma course. Applicants who have completed an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma or advanced diploma are also ineligible for consideration under mature-age entry.

If you do have tertiary qualifications, you can be considered on the basis of your existing qualifications, without needing to complete a preparation course.

Will I be eligible to apply for any course at the University after completing an approved preparation course?

Some undergraduate courses are not available to applicants seeking admission on the basis of a preparation course result. There is a list of these courses in the Mature-age Entry Scheme brochure (PDF 470KB). If you wish to study one of these courses, you may be able to start another degree course and then change after completing one full-time year of study.

If you are seeking admission through this scheme with the intention of moving to another degree course later on, we strongly advise you to discuss your plans with the Special Admissions Officer or another staff member of the Admissions Office before starting a preparation course or applying for admission.

Application process

As a mature-age applicant, you need only to apply through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to be considered. No other application is required, unless your preferred course specifies additional selection criteria in the UAC guide.

Further information

Please contact the Admissions Office for further information.

Admissions Office
Level 3, Jane Foss Russell Building (G02)
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006
T +61 2 8627 8210 / 8209 (general enquiries, including those about overseas qualifications)
T +61 2 8627 8207 (special admission)
F +61 2 8627 8278
E (general enquiries about admission)
E (special admission)