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Australian Year 12 qualifications

All Australian school Year 12 qualifications

You can be considered for admission if you have qualified for the award of a senior secondary qualification, and you have also qualified for an overall result, such as the UAI, the ATAR, or an interstate equivalent. Your application would be considered on the basis of your overall result (eg, your ATAR), as well as your performance in any additional selection criteria that there are for your course of choice.

There is no age limit for Year 12 qualifications, so even if you completed your high school qualification many years ago, you could still use it to qualify for entry if your overall result is competitive. If you have done other study since completing high school, the results from that study may also be taken into account. Students who have more than one Year 12 qualification are generally considered on the basis of their overall result in the most recently completed qualification.

As a year 12 applicant, when you apply, your application would normally be ranked on the basis of your overall result (ATAR or equivalent). The University selects Year 12 applicants for each of its courses by moving down that course's ranking list and making offers until no more places are available. This process establishes the cut-offs for our courses. It is not possible to predict what course cut-offs are before the offers are made, because the cut-offs are largely determined by the number and quality of applicants, which change from year to year. However in most cases, the cut-off for a particular course will be quite similar to what it was the year before.

The cut-off, is the minimum ATAR required by a current Year 12 applicant to be offered a place. The cut-offs advertised by the University usually refer to the overall result required to get an offer in UAC's Main Round, which is when the majority of offers are made. The cut-offs for the later offer rounds are usually different to those from the Main Round; sometimes they are lower, but they can also be higher.

The cut-off for a course does not indicate how difficult it will be. Some courses with medium level cut-offs can be very challenging, and those courses may also have special options for students who are very academically talented.

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New South Wales Higher School Certificate

If you are applying as a Year 12 student from NSW, you must normally complete the Higher School Certificate and qualify for an ATAR to be considered for a place in an undergraduate course. The University may also consider applicants, such as home-schooled students, who are able to qualify for an ATAR but do not meet the requirements for the HSC.

The University offers special entry schemes which can assist students in qualifying for entry into the course of their choice. If you think your UAI will be just below the standard for your course of choice, you should consider applying for consideration under one of these schemes. Please note that most special entry schemes close before the ATARs are released, so do not wait until you know your ATAR before applying for these schemes.

Interstate Year 12 qualifications

Your application can be considered if you are eligible to be awarded the standard senior secondary qualification offered in your state as well as an overall result which is equivalent to the ATAR.

As an interstate applicant, you have the same chance of being selected as a student from NSW with an equivalent overall result. The University does not prefer home state students over interstate students when offering places in its undergraduate courses. As an interstate applicant, you are eligible to apply for consideration under the University's special entry schemes.

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International Baccalaureate

The University will consider applicants who have completed the International Baccalaureate and have qualified for the award of the Diploma. Students who sit the IB but do not qualify for the Diploma cannot be considered.

Applicants with the IB Diploma are considered on the basis of their aggregate result, after it has been converted into a rank which is comparable to the ATAR. IB students are also eligible to be considered under some of the University’s special entry schemes.

Prerequisites and assumed knowledge

There are no HSC course prerequisites for admission into the majority of the University’s courses. Instead, there are levels of assumed knowledge and recommended studies listed in the course information in Courses Online.

The assumed knowledge levels are what the University expects enrolled students to have studied or to know before completing high school. Recommended studies are courses that may assist the student in their degree if they have previous knowledge of the subject area.

Levels of assumed knowledge are advertised in the University’s publications, such as the prospectus and in the UAC Guide. You will not be prevented from enrolling in your course of choice if you haven't completed assumed knowledge subjects, but you may find it difficult to manage the work. Bridging courses are also available to help you get up to speed.

Further information

You are welcome to contact the Admissions Office for further information.

Admissions Office
Level 3, Jane Foss Russell Building (G02)
University of Sydney NSW 2006
Phone: + 61 2 8627 8210 / 8209 (General inquiries, including those about overseas qualifications)
Phone: + 61 2 8627 8207 (Special admission)
Fax: +61 2 8627 8278
Email: (General inquiries)
Email: (Special admission)

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