Entry requirements

ATAR will be used for Year 12 students seeking admission into the University of Southern Queensland undergraduate degrees. The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) will remain as Queensland's senior secondary school qualification.

If you haven’t got an ATAR we can derive a rank based on your prior study, work experience or professional qualifications. You may be eligible for a number of ranks depending on your experience or qualifications however; UniSQ will use your highest rank for entry.

UniSQ revises its ATAR/Rank entry requirements at least on an annual basis depending on the demand for individual programs.

Many of UniSQ’s undergraduate degrees have subject pre-requisites. The most common subject pre-requisites are English (Units 3 & 4, C), General Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C), Mathematical Methods (Units 3 & 4, C) and Physics (Units 3 & 4, C).

This means that you must have successfully completed that subject, i.e. English, and achieved a grade of C or higher in Units 3 & 4 (typically studied in Year 12). Completion of Units 1 and/ or 2 only (typically studied in Year 11) will not be sufficient to meet entry requirements.

Assumed knowledge and recommended prior study are included in the entry requirements. Unlike subject pre-requisites however; they are not formally assessed by UniSQ. While we don’t assess for these we believe your chance of success is much higher if you have them.

Some of our creative arts degrees require applicants to attend an interview or an audition and provide a folio of previous work to determine your suitability to the degree.

We use GPA calculations from previous studies to assess entry into some of our graduate entry and postgraduate degrees. We use a GPA calculation to manage demand in popular degrees and to ensure you have the best chance of success.

Some of our Psychology degrees have referee report requirements so that UniSQ can assess your suitability for a degree. Remember when submitting we may contact your referees for more information.

Your previous work experience can be converted to an entry rank. Your employment experience does not always have to relate to the degree you’d like to study. You don’t have to provide your work experience but you can use it if you don’t think you have the other means of meeting entry.

All of UniSQ’s degrees have an English Language Proficiency requirement and all applicants must provide evidence of this. If you don't meet these English language requirements there are pathway courses available to improve your English language skills.

Inherent requirements are fundamental skills, capabilities and knowledge that students must be able to demonstrate in order to achieve the essential learning outcomes of some degrees, while maintaining the academic integrity of the degree. If you think you may experience any problems meeting inherent requirements, you can talk to a Student Equity Officer about reasonable adjustments that may be put in place to assist you.

If you did not receive an ATAR score upon completion of Year 12, or if the ATAR score that you received is insufficient for entry, UniSQ can convert other qualifications, work and life experience, admission tests, and some alternate forms of schooling into a Selection Rank for consideration. 

Non-standard Australian Year 12 qualifications

If you have received an equivalent Year 12 qualification through an alternative education program, it is recommended that you contact us for detailed guidance on the assessment process. You will need to provide evidence of successfully completing an accredited Year 12 program and official Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) results. 

Further information about Admission Criteria can be found on the QTAC website.  

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is recognised as an equivalent to an Australian Year 12 Qualification. A ‘combined rank’ is determined by your IB score and is then converted to a QTAC selection rank.

Detailed information about International Baccalaureate (IB) studies is available on the QTAC website.

Completed competency-based training

This training allows you to demonstrate your ability to complete certain tasks. Your completed competency-based course can be given a QTAC selection rank based on the level and duration of your study. If you complete a competency-based qualification while at school, this can be given its own rank, separate from, and in addition to, your ATAR. The following table shows the maximum ranks attainable for competency-based and graded certificate-level study.

Note: The above refers to Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications that are competency-based.