Welcome and introduction to VTAC

Hello everybody, and thank you for joining me today. My name is Luke, and today I'll be talking about how to apply for courses through VTAC. Today we'll discuss researching courses and checking that you're eligible, applying through VTAC and structuring your preferences, getting your course offers, the ATAR and subject scaling, and I'll pepper the presentation with some handy hints.

Before we go through all of that, what is VTAC? VTAC stands for Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. We are the central point for applications to Victorian universities, TAFEs, and private colleges. So instead of applying to each institution, you'll apply once through VTAC for up to eight different courses. We also calculate the ATAR for Victorian Year 12 students, as it's used for tertiary entry.

Key dates for 2027 intake

Some key dates before we really get started. Applications will open for 2027 intake on 3 August. We then have the timely application deadline of 28 September, so you can apply and submit your preferences after that date -- however, it's going to cost you a lot more. The application fee will double after 5 p.m. on the 28th of September. All you need to do is submit your application and pay your application fee by that time, and you'll lock in that lower cost. You can make changes to your application afterwards -- you can change your preferences, and if you need to update any of your details, you can do so at no additional cost. You just need to submit and pay by that time.

There are a small number of courses which have application deadlines tied to this date. These are mainly Medicine at Monash University and the various performing arts courses at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts.

The next deadline is 9 October, when the equity schemes and scholarships applications close. That's the special consideration application, and it's combined with the scholarships application as well. VCE results and ATARs will be released on 10 December. Change of preference closes for the December offer round a couple of days later, on 12 December. I'll note that interstate December participation and change of preference dates are yet to be confirmed -- last year we had several states participate in the December round, although it does depend on each state's results release schedule and whether we can get the results in time. Keep an eye on the VTAC website for confirmation. December offers will be released on 23 December, and then change of preference closes for January Round 1 on the 24th. January Round 1 offers will be released on 12 January, with further change of preference and offer rounds throughout January and February.

Resources to help with your application

There are a range of resources to help you with your application and get you started. The first and largest is the VTAC website -- it's the primary source for all VTAC information and policies. You'll find details regarding the preference and offer system, special consideration, scholarships, guides on applying for tertiary study, and detailed course listings via VTAC Course Search, which I'll discuss in more detail shortly.

For technical information about the ATAR and subject scaling, go to the ATAR and Scaling Guide. It explains what the ATAR is, why we scale subjects, and outlines the various rules and restrictions. We have a range of guides available for different age groups and year levels, designed to assist with the process of applying for tertiary study, with resources on making decisions, researching courses, and explaining the process. We also have downloadable PDF guides and fact sheets available on our website at vtac.edu.au/factsheets. These guides and fact sheets cover all aspects of the application process -- how to apply, what to consider when choosing courses, and they're free to download. You don't need to register or provide an email address. Lastly, we post on tertiary study, VTAC application hints and advice, and deadline reminders, so it's a good idea to follow our social media. It's a great resource to help you navigate applications for 2026 and 2027.

Types of courses available through VTAC

In terms of choosing courses, deciding what to study is a pretty big decision. It can shape your adult life, your employment prospects, how much you'll earn, your career, and the people you'll meet. There's also a financial aspect, because, as you probably know, studying at university isn't free.

In terms of your options for study, we can split the types of courses into three. The first are certificates, diplomas, and advanced diplomas, which tend to be your TAFE courses. They range from six months to two years in length. This style of teaching is similar to high school, in that it's class-based and you progress through the qualification with the same group of people. It's a hands-on approach focused on practical skills for a particular career -- for example, nursing or IT. They make excellent pathways into bachelor degrees. For example, you could do a diploma or advanced diploma in nursing and then get into possibly second year of a nursing bachelor degree, coming out with two qualifications and that hands-on practical foundation in the career.

Next we have bachelor degrees. These are usually the type of courses offered by universities and range from 3 to 5 years. It's a more independent style of learning -- while you'll have lectures and tutorials, the research, project work, and assignments are self-driven. This means that you won't have teachers or staff hounding you to hand in your assignments or to study for exams. It's all up to you and how motivated you are to succeed. They offer generalist courses such as Arts, Science, and Business/Commerce, but also career-specific ones such as nursing and engineering. Degrees offered at the major public universities can be put on HECS-HELP, meaning you can defer the fees through the taxation system once you start earning around $55,000 a year.

Lastly, we have private tertiary college qualifications -- courses offered by private institutions. They offer courses from certificate right through to degrees, and these institutions will often specialise in a particular field. For example, the Australian Institute of Music (you can probably guess the courses they offer), and LCCI, which has a design and fashion focus. These courses are full fee, but there is the FEE-HELP program which can assist.

How to research courses using VTAC Course Search

Where do you find these courses? Head to the VTAC website and use our Course Search page. VTAC Course Search lists all of the undergraduate university courses available in the state, and most of the TAFE and private college offerings as well. It's a basic keyword search which you can then filter by institution, ATAR, qualification level, and more. I'll just note that the main course search page on the VTAC website is currently displaying our current-year courses, but on the home page you can find the Course Search archive -- use that to access the list of courses available at the start of the year.

When you click on a course, you'll see a brief overview of the course, its major studies, career opportunities, and any professional accreditations. All of the information within each course listing is directly provided by the institution offering it -- they enter our system and input the details themselves, so you can trust that it's both accurate and comprehensive. Lower down in each course entry, you'll find the entry requirements and criteria, answering the question: what do I need to get into this course? That includes what the prerequisites are, whether it considers the ATAR, and whether it requires an interview or some sort of supplementary form. Course Search is free to use -- just head to our website and begin. No sign-up or email address necessary.

The VTAC application process: registration, profile, and preferences

Onto the application process. The VTAC application process can be distilled into three steps. Step one is registering your account and creating your profile, which is a relatively quick process -- you're just providing basic contact details. Your profile is where you detail your current or previous education and any relevant tests you've taken. VCE students will need their student number or VCE number. Interstate students will need their relevant student number -- New South Wales students will need their NESA number, Queensland students will need their LUI number, and so on. Each applicant will also need their Unique Student Identifier (USI). If you don't have yours, head to the USI website and retrieve it there -- it takes about five minutes.

Step two is submitting your preferences. On the preferences page, you can search for courses and add them to your list, filtering by institution, qualification level, and keyword. You can list up to eight courses -- you don't need to list eight, it's a maximum of eight and a minimum of one.

Equity schemes (SEAS) and scholarships

Step three is applying for equity schemes and scholarships. By equity schemes I'm referring to special consideration. SEAS -- which stands for Special Entry Access Scheme -- is VTAC's special consideration application. If circumstances beyond your control have impacted on your ability to perform at your best during your studies, you should apply through the equity scheme SEAS. It's primarily about circumstances or life events that have disadvantaged your education and prevented you from reaching your potential. It compensates for educational disadvantage by increasing your selection rank for courses, which makes your application more competitive. It won't increase your ATAR -- your ATAR will be calculated purely on your scaled study scores -- but it can increase your ranking for selection. Your selection rank for courses begins with your ATAR and goes up from there to include adjustments such as the equity scheme SEAS. It is not a separate pool of places -- you're still applying for the same spots as everyone else -- nor does it exempt you from meeting course requirements. If a course has prerequisites, you need to satisfy them. If it requires an interview, you still need to show up on the day.

The equity scheme can have one of two effects on your application: it can either benefit you by improving your ranking for selection, or it can do nothing. So SEAS can never work against you or disadvantage your application. What does it consider? We have a few examples: injury, illness, or mental health diagnosis; financial hardship; bullying and discrimination; refugee or asylum seeker status; illness or death of a friend or family member; natural disasters; living or school location; and lots more. This is by no means exhaustive.

You should also apply for scholarships. Scholarships are a very broad area -- they are awarded on a wide range of criteria, not just academic merit. Broadly, we can put scholarships into two categories: merit scholarships, which are usually for high-achieving students, and equity scholarships, which exist to assist people to access tertiary study when they would otherwise not be able to afford it. Institutions have various pools of scholarship funding that they'd like to award -- some of it comes from government grants or philanthropic trusts -- but they often struggle to award it because they don't get enough applicants. So it's always a good idea to make yourself eligible and apply for these opportunities.

VTAC runs a combined scholarship and equity schemes application. Many of the scholarships available through VTAC are awarded on an equity basis, but they're also awarded for leadership and community service. By completing the equity schemes application and answering the questions at the bottom regarding how a scholarship would benefit you and any community service and leadership experience, you're making yourself eligible for a broad range of opportunities. If you meet the requirements, you may be offered one of these opportunities by the participating institutions.

To summarise the potential outcomes: you can either receive a bump upwards in your selection rank for courses, receive financial assistance, possibly both -- or receive nothing. There are only benefits or no effect.

How preferences and offers work

Onto preferences. You can list up to eight courses on your preference list, ordered from the course you most want to get into down to the course you least prefer. This is because on each offer date you will be eligible for one offer only, and the offer you are made will be from the highest preference that made you an offer. So if you've been made an offer for preference number three, that means preferences one and two didn't make you an offer. After you save or submit your preferences, you can change them as many times as necessary while change of preference is open.

Also, no institution will consider where you've placed their course on your preference list. You can't be penalised for placing a course at the bottom of your list, or bumped up the rankings for placing it at the top. Each course on your preference list will be assessed on the published selection criteria -- examples of which are ATAR, prerequisites, and interview requirements. It is never preference placement.

How will you receive your offer? Offers are made on specific offer dates, which we call offer rounds. We will first email you your offer notification. Then the institution making the offer will follow up with their own email, which will contain instructions on how to accept it and the deadline for doing so. If you don't accept the offer by the set deadline, the offer will lapse and the place will go to somebody else in the next offer round.

It's a good idea to always accept your offer -- that way, you'll secure at least one option for study in 2027. Accepting will have zero impact on your eligibility for offers from higher preferences in the next round. So if you receive an offer for preference number three and you accept it, you've secured that place, and your higher preferences -- in this example, preferences one and two -- will automatically be considered in the next offer round. When change of preference opens, you can move other courses higher for consideration. The key messages are: accept your offer and secure the place. Any course you want to be considered for in the next offer round needs to be placed higher than whatever you've been offered. Should you receive a preferred offer in the next round, accept that -- but you'll need to withdraw from the other course.

Understanding the ATAR and how it is calculated

What is the ATAR? ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. It is a rank and not a score. This means a person with an ATAR of, say, 60 has performed better than 60% of the Year 12 age group for that year. It is nationally equivalent, meaning an ATAR calculated in Victoria will apply equally across the country. It has one use, and that's to get you into your course -- it has no other function.

Why do institutions use it? Because most courses will receive more applicants than they have spaces, so they need a way to rank their applicants. The ATAR allows courses to make offers based purely on academic merit, efficiently, transparently, and without any bias or arbitrary decision-making. It is not a score for life, and most importantly, it is not a measure of your worth or a reflection of you as a person.

Accessing your results and next steps

For students joining us, how will you get your results? Free online access will be available at ResultsVIC.edu.au and also via the Joint Results app. To access your results, you will first need to register a secure password, which can be done from August at ResultsVIC.edu.au. So it's a very good idea for students to register their password in advance of the results release date. Results will be released on 10 December -- register your password before then so there are no needless delays on the big day. Paid VTAC applicants will also receive digital access to their ATAR through the My Equals platform, which is used by all of the major universities in the country. You'll be emailed a registration link to access your certified digital document.

In terms of your next steps, now is a great time to begin your course research. Head to our Course Search page on the VTAC website -- and remember to use the archive, which lists all of the courses available at the beginning of the year. A few institutions are beginning to host their open days around this time of year, but most will host open days in late July or August, sometimes right through to September. They are a great opportunity to experience a campus, take in the culture, and speak to faculty, staff, and current students.

If you have any questions about applying through VTAC, or about special consideration or scholarships, don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach us by phone on (03) 9926 1020, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by email through your VTAC account (which you can register now), or by direct message through our social media channels. We also have resources at vtac.edu.au/factsheets. When you do apply, it's important to follow up on any VTAC emails or texts -- sometimes we'll be emailing you about things you need to complete or upcoming deadlines. Thank you very much for joining me today. Best of luck with your application for 2027.