For more information regarding QTAC, please visit their website: Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
Although a broad range of qualifications may be considered for gaining entry to tertiary courses, many courses have Minimum Entry Requirements that must be satisfied in order to be considered for entry into a certain course.
Minimum Entry Requirements can include auditions, subject prerequisites such as English (4,SA) or Maths B (4,SA), portfolios, satisfying English language proficiency, interviews and are summarised in the course entry in the QTAC Guide.
Satisfying the Minimum Entry Requirements does not mean you will definitely receive an offer in a course or that you have a competitive Tertiary Selection Rank for entry. If you do not satisfy the minimum entry requirements for a course, your application for that particular course is not considered any further, irrespective of the strength of your Tertiary Selection Rank. Once you have satisfied the minimum entry requirements for a course you then compete for a place on the basis of merit. Merit is expressed as an Tertiary Selection Rank and is allocated based on the qualifications you present to QTAC.
Minimum Entry Requirements can fall into one of the two following categories:
Prerequisites are in place for courses that require a level of knowledge or the demonstrated ability to acquire a certain level of knowledge. This is done to maximise the chances of success in the course. Prerequisites can either be subject prerequisites or auditions, portfolios, interviews, application forms.
Subject prerequisites are expressed as achievement in specific Year 12 subjects, for example:
English (4, SA) indicates that the QCAA subject English (or equivalent) must have been studied over four semesters (i.e. Years 11 and 12) and an overall Exit Assessment of Sound Achievement or better obtained. Subject prerequisites, if not satisfied in Year 12, may be satisfied in a number of other ways, for example, successful results in the STAT, or completion of qualified bridging courses. Applicants should check with the tertiary institution concerned to establish acceptable ways of meeting any stated prerequisites.
Admissions rules vary by institution and can require that applicants can demonstrate their English language proficiency and may also require that applicants not be subject to quota management or affected by exclusion rules and minimum age requirements.
Institutions require applicants whose first language is not English, who have not previously undertaken a minimum amount of secondary or tertiary study where the medium of instruction was English, to demonstrate their English language proficiency.
An application for a quota place must be made through QTAC. Quota is the estimated number of places available in a course.
A student is excluded when their tertiary institution terminates their enrolment. Each institution differs with respect to their exclusion policies. Students can be excluded as a result of academic failure over a specified period of time, or because of non-academic reasons. If you are excluded, your eligibility for applying for future tertiary study at the same or other institutions could be affected.
Some institutions do not have specific requirements for entry into tertiary study. Instead, they may identify that it is assumed that applicants have knowledge in a particular area equivalent to QCAA subjects. This is usually identified as Assumed Knowledge or Recommended Study. For example, an institution may specify Assumed Knowledge: English (4,SA) or Recommended Study: English and Maths for entry into a particular tertiary course.
Unlike prerequisite subjects, applicants who do not have the Assumed Knowledge or Recommended Study will not be prevented from receiving an offer into the course. However, applicants should be aware that if they do not have the Assumed Knowledge or Recommended Study they may experience difficulty with some aspects of the course and be required to complete some bridging study to acquire this knowledge.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the institution(s) to which they are applying to ensure that they meet any Assumed Knowledge or Recommended Study expectations.