For principals

Applications for the E12 scheme are now closed. Thank you for your support.

The E12 scheme identifies NSW Year 12 high school students who have the potential to succeed at the University of Sydney and provides an alternative pathway for their next step to lifelong learning.

Through E12 you can nominate up to 10 of your students to receive an early conditional offer for one of 16 degrees, along with financial, practical and mentoring support during their first year at the University of Sydney. To see the list of courses on offer through E12, see Study areas.

We encourage you to identify eligible students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who you think meet the selection criteria and would succeed at the University of Sydney.

The benefits of the E12 scheme include:

• an early conditional offer to the University of Sydney before final HSC exams start
• specific ATAR cut-offs for successful candidates and a UAC offer in the early January round
• a $5000 first-year scholarship
• support through the transition from school to university, including a guided enrolment process, orientation, mentoring and additional assistance
• an Apple iPad to help them in their studies
• and a University of Sydney Union Access card that gives discounts on and off the campus with major retailers, and access to over 200 clubs and societies.

Which students are eligible?

To be eligible to apply for the E12 scheme students need to:

• be a current Year 12 student who will be ready to enrol at university in Semester 1, 2013, and
• meet the E12 ATAR and the selection criteria of their selected course, and
• have your support for their application, and
• meet at least one of the following criteria:
  (A) be attending a government-identified low socioeconomic high school that is eligible for E12. To see if your school is eligible download list of E12 eligible schools (PDF 60KB), and/or
  (B) experiencing financial hardship at the time the student applies, as evidenced by being in receipt of a means-tested Centrelink benefit, for example: Youth Allowance, Abstudy or Disability Support Pension. Please note, students will not be eligible on the basis of Family Tax Benefit alone (whether Part A, Part B or a combination of these). Students will also need to complete an Educational Access Scheme (EAS) application with UAC.

Information about Identified Schools

These schools are identified by the state and federal government as disadvantaged schools, not by the University of Sydney or UAC. The programs include the National Partnership (low SES communities), NSW Priority Schools, and the NSW Country Area Program.

How does it work?

Successful applicants will receive an early conditional offer of a place in their preferred course before they sit their HSC exams. This offer will be confirmed by a UAC offer in the early January round if the applicant’s ATAR meets the E12 cut-off and they have met the eligibility criteria.

How to apply – principals

Step 1

If a student from your school approaches you about the E12 scheme, check whether they are eligible to apply, and assess whether you think they will meet the selection criteria and ATAR cut-offs for their chosen university course. This will help you determine whether to support their application.

Step 2

Advise the student whether or not you support their application. If you are in support, encourage them to proceed by applying online for the E12 scheme, the application form is found on the How to apply page. Students will need their UAC number to submit their application.

Once they have applied, you will receive an automated email notifying you of their application, with a link to view their application and any attachments they have submitted. Then you can submit the principal's supporting application, this cannot be undertaken prior to the student submitting their application.

Step 3

In the email you will receive a link that takes you to the log-in page for the principal's support applications. After creating your username and password, you can log in and view a full list of the students from your school who have applied for the E12 scheme, and read their completed applications. First you will be asked to enter 'yes' or 'no' in support of the student. If you choose 'yes', you will then need to complete the rest of your support application, which should take around five to ten minutes.

Step 4

Begin filling out the principal's supporting application form for the student. The student's personal details, UAC number, and the E12 course they have selected will be automatically filled in. If you don’t support their application, you can select this option at the beginning of the process, and there will be no further requirements for you.

Step 5

Using a scale you will assess the student in the following areas: study skills, academic skills, resilience, preparedness for university, community /school participation. To do this you may want to discuss the student's application with their teachers or year adviser.

Step 6

Carefully check all the information you have provided on the form and submit it. Once the form has been submitted, you will not be able to make further changes or resubmissions. Please note that students who recieve a principals recommendation will not be guarantee an E12 conditional offer.

Step 7

At any time you can log-in to view the list of students who have applied and if you have an a student who applies just before the closing date, you have an additional day to complete the supporting application. You will receive a reminder email on 6 September to complete any outstanding principal's supporting applications, you have until the 7 September to submit these.