Charles Darwin University

• Children's Services

Flinders University

• Government and Public Management (TAFE/VET pathway)

The University of Adelaide

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship

University of South Australia

• Early Childhood Education (External)
• Policing
• UniSA Foundation Studies

This page can help you understand: 

• your eligibility to compete in a year 12 subquota;
  
  
• the minimum year 12 qualifications accepted;
  
  
• how applicants are ranked in a year 12 subquota.
   

ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE IN A YEAR 12 SUBQUOTA

In this section, the term 'higher education level' means study at diploma level or above at a university or equivalent eg a college of advanced education, institute of technology, institute of higher education. It also includes bachelor degree courses undertaken at TAFE or other registered training organisations provided that the degree course is listed on the AQF higher education register of qualifications for the relevant period of accreditation.

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a national system of classification of tertiary awards offered by tertiary institutions ie universities, TAFE and other registered training organisations.

All universities

If you hold year 12 qualifications as described under 'Minimum year 12 level qualifications accepted' below and you have never studied at higher education level, you are eligible to compete in a year 12 subquota for all undergraduate courses at all four universities.

If however, you hold year 12 qualifications and you have also studied at higher education level, whether you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota for a given course normally depends on the length of your previous study and varies between institutions and from course to course - see below for details.

In all cases below, 'one year' in relation to length of study means the equivalent of one full-time year, eg 80 credit points at Charles Darwin University; 36 units at Flinders University or at the University of South Australia; 24 points at the University of Adelaide; or the interstate equivalent.

Charles Darwin University

For all undergraduate courses:
If you have studied at higher education level for a total of one year or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than one year, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

Flinders University

For Medicine/Surgery:
If you have studied at higher education level for any period of time, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

For Nutrition and Dietetics:
If however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of one semester or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If, however you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than one semester, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

For all other undergraduate courses:
If you have studied at higher education level for a total of two years or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than two years, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

The University of Adelaide

For Medicine/Surgery:
If you have studied at higher education level for any period of time, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

For Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering programs:
If you have studied at higher education level for a total of four years or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than four years, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

For all other undergraduate programs:
If you have studied at higher education level for a total of two years or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than two years, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

University of South Australia

For all undergraduate programs:
If you have studied at higher education level for a total of two years or less, you are still eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

If, however, you have studied at higher education level for a total of more than two years, you are not eligible to compete in the year 12 subquota.

MINIMUM YEAR 12 QUALIFICATIONS ACCEPTED

SA and NT year 12 2011

If you are completing the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) or the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET) in 2011, in order to be eligible to compete in a year 12 subquota for undergraduate courses at all four universities, you must:

• qualify for the SACE/NTCET
  
  
• obtain a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
  
  
• fulfil any prerequisite subject requirements for the course.
  
  

Information about prerequisites and assumed knowledge are shown in the table of undergraduate courses.

Detailed information about tertiary entrance requirements under SACE/NTCET are contained in the booklet Tertiary Entrance 2012, 2013, 2014 which is published by SATAC on behalf of its member institutions and distributed to all South Australian and Northern Territory schools for students in years 10, 11 and 12.

SA and NT year 12 1993 to 2010

If you completed the SACE or NTCE in the period 1993 to 2010, in order to be eligible to compete in a year 12 subquota, you must have:

• qualified for the SACE/NTCE
   
• obtained a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) (formerly Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER))
   
• fulfilled the Higher Education Selection Subject (HESS) requirements for the course
   
• fulfilled any prerequisite subject requirements for the course

Note that, for the years 1993 to 1996, the meeting of HESS requirements is determined by the possession of an appropriate 'all courses' or 'some courses' aggregate.

SA and NT year 12 in 1992 or earlier

If you sat year 12 in any year(s) from 1954 to 1992, in order to be eligible to compete in a year 12 subquota, you must have completed a minimum of five year 12 subjects in any two attempts (or any three if you were an adult at the time). In order to be eligible for HESS General courses, you must have a minimum of five Publicly Examined Subjects (PES). You must also fulfil any prerequisite subject requirements for the course.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

If you have undertaken (or are undertaking) the IB Diploma Program, in order to be eligible to compete in a year 12 subquota you must have completed the IB Diploma. You must also fulfil any prerequisite subject requirements for the course.

Detailed information about tertiary entrance requirements under the IB is in the booklet IB and Tertiary Entrance in SA and NT 2012, 2013, 2014 which is published by SATAC on behalf of its member institutions and distributed to all Australian schools which offer the IB Diploma Program.

Interstate year 12

If you sat (or are sitting) an Australian year 12 interstate (except Queensland), you must receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). If you sat (or are sitting) in Queensland, you must receive an OP. You must also fulfil any prerequisite subject requirements for the course. 

Australian non-standard year 12 programs

If you sat (or are sitting) a non-standard year 12 program anywhere in Australia (eg Waldorf, School of Tomorrow), SATAC will use the guidelines agreed to by its member institutions to assess the qualification and determine your eligibility to compete in a year 12 subquota, whether you have met either HESS General or HESS Restricted requirements and whether you have fulfilled any prerequisite requirements for the course.

Overseas year 12 level qualifications

NZ National Certificate of Educational Achievement (Level 3)
If you have undertaken (or are undertaking) the NZ NCEA (Level 3), in order to compete in a year 12 subquota, you must fulfil all the requirements for entrance to a university in New Zealand as stipulated by the board of the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority). For details, go to www.nzqa.govt.nz. You must also fulfil any prerequisite subject requirements for the course.

New Zealand Bursaries Examination
If you have sat the NZ Bursaries Examination, in order to compete in a year 12 subquota, you must have either:

• qualified for an 'A' or 'B' Bursary, or
  
  
• achieved at least a Grade C in a minimum of three Bursary subjects and gained the Higher School Certificate.

RANKING APPLICANTS IN A YEAR 12 SUBQUOTA

The cutoff ranks shown in the table of undergraduate courses are for the year 12 subquota only. Note that ranks obtained from SA, IB or interstate year 12 qualifications may be augmented by bonus points if you are eligible for consideration under any of the universities' access or bonus schemes.

SA and NT year 12 2011

If you are completing the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) or the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET) in 2011, your rank in a year 12 subquota will be based on your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

SA and NT year 12 1997 to 2010

If you completed the SACE or NTCE in the period 1997 to 2010, your rank in the year 12 subquota will be based on your ATAR (2010) or TER (1997 to 2009) as ATARs and TERs obtained in these years are directly comparable with an ATAR obtained in 2011.

SA and NT year 12 1993 to 1996

If you completed the SACE in the period 1993 to 1996, your rank in the year 12 subquota will be based on your 'some courses' aggregate which SATAC will convert to an ATAR using a statistical table based on percentile rankings.

SA and NT year 12 in 1992 or earlier

If you sat year 12 in any year(s) from 1954 to 1992, your rank in the year 12 subquota will be based on the aggregate of your best five scaled scores from any two attempts (or from any three if you were an adult at the time). SATAC will convert this aggregate to an ATAR using a statistical table based on percentile rankings.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

If you have completed the IB Diploma Program, your rank will be based on your IB points total (in the range 24-45) which SATAC will convert to an ATAR according to the conversion table below. The table was developed by SATAC and has been approved by its member institutions.

IB to ATAR conversion table

*IB points total (in the range 24-45), derived from the results gained in both Higher Level and Standard Level subjects and possibly augmented by bonus points based on the standard achieved in the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge.

Interstate year 12 2010 to 2011

If you completed or are completing an Australian year 12 program interstate (except Queensland) in 2010 or 2011, your rank will be based on your ATAR. If your year 12 is from Queensland, your rank will be based on your OP which SATAC will convert to an ATAR using a common index agreed to by all states and territories.

Interstate year 12 1996 to 2009

If you completed an Australian year 12 program interstate in the period 1996 to 2009 your rank will be based on your home state rank (TER, ENTER, UAI, OP etc) which SATAC will convert to an ATAR using a common index agreed to by all states and territories.

Interstate year 12 in 1995 or earlier

If you completed a year 12 program interstate in 1995 or earlier, SATAC will convert your home state score to an ATAR using a statistical table based on percentile rankings.

Overseas year 12 level qualifications

NZ National Certificate of Educational Achievement (Level 3)
If you undertook (or will be undertaking) the NZ NCEA (Level 3) in 2004 or later and you apply for admission to a university in Australia, the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) will calculate an NCEA (Level 3) aggregated mark and will convert this aggregated mark to an ATAR using a common index agreed to by the NZQA and all tertiary admissions centres in Australia.

New Zealand Bursaries Examination
If you undertook the NZ Bursaries Examination in the period 1996 to 2003, your rank will be based on your NZ Bursaries aggregated mark from a minimum of three and a maximum of five Bursary subjects. SATAC will convert your aggregated mark to an ATAR using a common index agreed to by the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) and all tertiary admissions centres in Australia.

If you undertook the NZ Bursaries Examination prior to 1996, SATAC will convert your aggregated mark to an ATAR using a statistical table based on percentile rankings.

British 'A' Levels
If you have completed British 'A' Levels, your rank will be based on the aggregate of your grades from a minimum of two 'A' Levels. Each A level grade and AS level grade is converted to a numeric score using the table below.

An aggregate is calculated using the results from not fewer than two A Level subjects and not more than two AS Level subjects undertaken in the final year. SATAC will convert the aggregate to an ATAR according to the conversion table below. The tables were developed by SATAC and have been approved by its participating institutions.

Scottish Highers
If you have completed Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers, your rank will be based on the aggregate of your grades from a minimum of three Higher Level subjects. Each Highers grade or Advanced Highers grade is converted to a numeric score using the table below.

An aggregate is calculated using the results from not fewer than three Higher subjects or not fewer than two Advanced Higher subjects undertaken in the final year. SATAC will convert the aggregate to an ATAR according to the conversion table below. The tables were developed by SATAC and have been approved by its participating institutions.

Other overseas year 12 level qualifications
If your overseas year 12 level qualification is not one of the qualifications listed above, SATAC will use the guidelines agreed to by its participating institutions to assess the qualification and if applicable, convert your results to an ATAR.