Why do students apply for early offers?

High-performing students apply for early offers because it gives them certainty about their futures.

How do universities determine eligible students?

Using a predicted Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) or school results, universities will assess a student’s application for a particular course against a range of criteria.

Criteria varies across different universities, but can broadly include academic results to date, school endorsements, evidence of exceptional leadership and life skills developed outside the classroom.

Depending on student circumstances, some universities may also use other criteria as part of the assessment process – like whether a student has been disadvantaged in their school studies, for example.

Does this mean students don’t need to worry about the ATAR?

Early offers do not diminish the importance of the ATAR.

Most early offers made are conditional on a student finishing Year 12 and achieving a reasonable ATAR, placing the onus firmly on the student to keep working hard to the very end of school.

It is not a free pass. Early offers are not available for all courses.