Course Changes
Please check the QTAC website - www.qtac.edu.au - throughout the admissions period for up-to-date information on course offerings. As a quick reference, a consolidated list of Course Changes is available on the QTAC website under ‘Courses’. This list highlights the major changes to course offerings since the QTAC Guide was published.
QIBT opens on Gold Coast in 2012
The Queensland Institute of Business and Technology will open on the Griffith University Gold Coast campus in February 2012, offering a range of diploma and diploma/degree-pathway programs including commerce and business, engineering, hotel management, foundation studies, and an associate degree.
International students
International students completing an Australian Year 12 qualification can apply through QTAC.
QTAC ensures that tertiary institutions are made aware of applications made by international students. Please note that offers to international students are made directly by the relevant institution, not QTAC. Further, entry requirements, study costs and offer dates for international students differ from those for domestic students. Prospective international applicants should contact the institution for more information.
Alternative ways to meet prerequisites
If you do not satisfy the minimum entry requirements for a course, your application for that course is generally not considered further, irrespective of the strength of your OP or QTAC selection rank. Commonly, minimum entry requirements include Year 12 subject prerequisites. (Prerequisites are listed against each course entry in the QTAC Guide and on the QTAC website.)
If you have not satisfied subject prerequisites for a course through your Year 12 studies, you should check with the institution offering the course for alternative ways to meet the prerequisite. A summary of alternative ways to meet the English subject prerequisite, including successful results in bridging subjects or the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT), is found on page 16 of the QTAC Guide and on the QTAC website.
Likewise, most institutions accept various ways to meet a maths prerequisite. For example:
• The ‘Maths B (4,SA)’ prerequisite may be satisfied by: a Sound Achievement in Maths Cover four semesters; or a combination of a Sound Achievement in Maths B over two semesters and a sound achievement in Maths Cover two semesters.
• The ‘Maths A (4,SA)’ prerequisite may be satisfied by a combination of Sound Achievements in Maths A and Low Achievements in Maths B and C.
• Maths prerequisites may also be satisfied by sitting the STAT or completing bridging subjects.
As institutions differ in regards to acceptable ways to satisfy prerequisites, applicants are always encouraged to seek advice directly from the institution.
Institution Specific Policy Changes
Australian Catholic University
QTAC Guide, page 33: Australian Catholic University will only accept AQF Certificate III qualifications from current Year 12 students.
James Cook University
QTAC Guide, page 17: To meet the English subject prerequisite, James Cook University will accept English Communication (4,HA). Please note, English Communication will not satisfy the English prerequisite for B Pharmacy, B Physiotherapy, B Dental Surgery, B Veterinary Science, and B Medicine/Surgery.
Southbank Institute of Technology
QTAC Guide, page 19: STAT results are only valid for 2 years, for the purpose of demonstrating English language proficiency.
TAFE Queensland
QTAC Guide, page 19: STAT results are only valid for 2 years, for the purpose of demonstrating English language proficiency.
University of Southern Queensland
QTAC Guide, page 38, 43: The age requirement of 18 years for USQ alternative entry no longer applies. USQ applicants can now sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) or submit a Personal Competencies Assessment (PCA) at any age. This change does not apply to current Year 12s who are unable to sit the STAT or complete a PCA.
Educational Access Scheme
QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme (EAS) replaces Special Consideration of Educational Disadvantage. QTAC’s EAS takes into account circumstances beyond your control that have affected your level of academic achievement when assessing an application for tertiary entrance. These circumstances may relate to: disrupted schooling; home environment and responsibilities; English language difficulties; personal illness/disability; refugee status; school environment; and financial hardship.
In the first instance you should seek compensation for these circumstances through your school. Because QTAC’s EAS can only increase your competitiveness for tertiary entrance, it will not change your OP or other school results.
You can apply for EAS via your QTAC tertiary study application. You will need to provide QTAC with documents that support your case, including an Educational Support Statement from your school. More information about the documentation required is available on the QTAC website.
Bonus rank schemes
There are Bonus Rank Schemes for current Year 12 students applying to commence tertiary study in 2012 at: Australian Catholic University; Griffith University; Queensland University of Technology; Southern Cross University; The University of Queensland; University of Southern Queensland.
Bonus ranks may be awarded for successful completion of specific Queensland Year 12 subjects such as Languages other than English (LOTE) and Maths C, and some university-level subjects.
• Australian Catholic University also awards bonus points for a range of other Queensland Year 12 subjects relevant to the course applied for.
• Queensland University of Technology also awards bonus ranks for successful completion of the Queensland Year 12 subject Engineering Technology, for applicants to QUT’s Bachelor of Engineering.
Applicants may be awarded a combination of bonus ranks. The maximum number of bonus ranks awarded depends on the institution.
There is no separate application process for these bonus rank schemes. The points are applied automatically to the student’s QTAC application. For more information, visit www.qtac.edu.au/Schools/BonusRankSchemes.html.
Scholarships
The Commonwealth Scholarships Program financially assists students on low incomes. Scholarships include:
• Student Start-up Scholarships and Relocation Scholarships. Centrelink will automatically pay these scholarships to eligible students.
• Indigenous Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships, Indigenous Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships, and Indigenous Access Scholarships. Applicants must apply through the university for these scholarships.
For more information, visit www.centrelink.gov.au or www.goingtouni.gov.au.
Institution scholarships
Many tertiary institutions offer sporting, academic and other equity scholarships. Applicants must apply through the tertiary institution for these scholarships. For more information, contact the institution you wish to attend.
QTAC may contact you about your application
QTAC may contact you for various reasons, for example, to advise that:
• further documentation is required to assess your application
• your preferences are not ordered correctly for consideration in an upcoming offer round
• an offer has been made to you
• you have not responded to an offer and as such the offer may lapse Each year problems arise when students move and do not notify QTAC of their current contact details. This is particularly the case where boarders use the school address in their application and then return home or go on vacation and forget to notify QTAC.
Likewise, email accounts that terminate at the end of the school year are not suitable. You should provide your personal email address for QTAC contact purposes. If you provide a mobile phone number, QTAC may also SMS you about your application.
If address and contact details change during the admissions period, you can update your details via the Current Applicant online service at www.qtac.edu.au.
