Bray Park High School Captain Liz Bennett knows that she is not defined by an ATAR number. That’s why she is among more than 1000 school leavers who have unlocked an alternative path to tertiary study through early offers from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
What I liked about the early offer was the relief it gave me. Knowing that I am into university without all the stress of externals,” says Liz, who has already accepted an offer into UniSC’s Biomedical Science degree next year, hoping to use it as a pathway to a career as a doctor.
“It is just super stressful relying on an ATAR, just knowing that it might not go the way that you want, and you’ll have to figure out a new plan, even though your heart is set on plan A.”
Since applications opened in August, UniSC has made more than 1000 early offers to students seeking to study more than 80 eligible UniSC undergraduate degrees.
UniSC Vice Chancellor Professor Helen Bartlett said it was not surprising that increasing numbers of students were taking advantage of having the certainty of a place at university, before they finished their schooling.
“It’s an extraordinary experience for Year 12 students to have a clear path into their chosen studies the following year. They can lock in their study plans almost immediately as they start their final semester of study,” Professor Bartlett said.
“There are several key benefits of UniSC’s early offer guarantee. It helps relieve some of the pressure that schools and students are under to achieve high scores in the external exams.
“When it comes to entry requirements, it recognises the importance of evaluating the whole student – their overall ability, skills, potential and commitment to study – and not just their final ATAR results.
“We believe UniSC’s early offer program can offer a fairer measure of a student’s capacity to succeed at university.”
Under the scheme, students who meet certain criteria are offered an early place at UniSC, based on the recommendations of their school principals.
Applicants do not need to be ATAR-eligible, however all early offers are conditional on students completing Year 12. All normal course prerequisites and other program specific requirements also apply.
As soon as students receive an early offer, they can start accessing USC’s support services, including pre-semester academic skills and career advice.
UniSC was the first Queensland university to provide an early offer program, after it was established as a pilot with Gympie schools in 2014. It was expanded the following year to help raise the aspirations of the students and remove some of the barriers to higher education.
The scheme is becoming increasingly popular across UniSC’s campus network, from Moreton Bay to Fraser Coast.
Principal of Bray Park State Hight School Peter Turner said it was a priority for the region to have more students go through to tertiary education. “UniSC is certainly filling that need for our students,” he said.
“There have been lots of students knocking on my door considering an early offer guarantee. That’s because they are seeing their former school friends from previous years go through successfully to study at UniSC.”
For more information, visit UniSC's Early Offer Guarantee.
Media enquiries: Please contact the Media Team media@usc.edu.au