tertiary education
Tertiary Entrance Requirements
It is essential that students consult the booklet “TERTIARY ENTRANCE 2016, 2017, 2018” published on behalf of the four universities (now including Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory) and the institutes of TAFE in South Australia.
This booklet
It is vital students check each individual tertiary course they intend to apply for and select appropriate Stage 2 subjects.
For entry to tertiary courses offered by the universities and by TAFE, students must apply through the SATAC process. Other entry requirements to these courses must be checked via the SATAC Guides or the booklet “TERTIARY ENTRANCE 2016, 2017, 2018”
TAFE Certificate Courses
It is an advantage to have qualified for the SACE, but it is not always necessary to have done so. There are quotas for most courses and there will often be selection criteria such as knowledge of the industry or a contract of training. The minimum entry requirements for Certificate courses vary.
For details, check the TAFE website (www.tafe.sa.edu.au) for Course Admission Requirements (MER) detailed in every course summary.
Further information can be obtained by contacting the TAFE Information Centre, Shop 4 Da Costa Arcade, 68 Grenfell St. Adelaide, Phone 1800 882 661 or by contacting individual TAFE institutes direct. The website is www.tafe.sa.edu.au.
Private Training Providers
Recognised qualifications are available through a number of training organisations (at cost). Generally private providers accept Stage 1 or 2 of SACE. These providers include business colleges and training centres and can be found in the Yellow Pages.
University Entrance Requirements
Selection to university courses is based on both eligibility and rank. Eligibility allows you to be considered for selection; rank determines whether you are competitive enough to be selected. To be eligible for selection into a university course/program you must:
Your competitiveness in relation to other applicants is based on your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) which is a rank given to students on a range from 0 to 99.95. Your ATAR is calculated from your university aggregate.
Your ATAR
To obtain a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) you must:
Normally 10 credit subjects do not count towards this requirement but some 10 credit subjects in the same area, when studied in pairs, can substitute for a 20 credit subject. These are called valid pairs. The university aggregate is calculated from the best scaled scores from three 20 credit TAS plus the best outcome from flexible options:
All stage 2 subjects (except Community Studies and locally developed programs) may now be used for calculation of the ATAR. Whilst there are no grouping restrictions, there may be pre-requisite and / or assumed knowledge requirements for some tertiary courses.
Students and parents are advised to check the SATAC (South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre) guide or the SATAC website (www.satac.edu.aufor details of pre-requisite requirements, assumed knowledge, precluded combinations of subjects, counting restrictions and further details of application procedures and timelines for TAFE and University entrance.
Tertiary institutions also provide their own information about courses and selection requirements in printed form and via their websites, as well as during open days in term 3.
Scaling
All results for SACE subjects contributing to a student’s ATAR are scaled. Scaling is a process which converts students’ subject scores into tertiary admission points in each of their SACE Stage 2 (Year 12) subjects.
SATAC (www.satac.edu.au) has more information on scaling.
TAFE Entrance Requirements
Completion of the SACE can meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for most of TAFE SA’s courses. TAFE also considers a variety of other qualifications in its entry and selection processes, including relevant work experience and portfolios. The MER differs according to the level of the TAFE course. For full details go to www.tafe.sa.edu.au/selectionguide
Further Information
Information can also be gathered from the Internet:
It is essential that students consult the booklet “TERTIARY ENTRANCE 2016, 2017, 2018” published on behalf of the four universities (now including Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory) and the institutes of TAFE in South Australia.
This booklet
- states the entry requirements for students wishing to enter South Australian tertiary courses in the three years - 2016, 2017 and 2018.
- gives details of SACE Stage 2 (Year 12) subject entry requirements by course for the three universities in South Australia and the Charles Darwin University.
- gives details of entry requirements and selection criteria for all TAFE courses.
It is vital students check each individual tertiary course they intend to apply for and select appropriate Stage 2 subjects.
For entry to tertiary courses offered by the universities and by TAFE, students must apply through the SATAC process. Other entry requirements to these courses must be checked via the SATAC Guides or the booklet “TERTIARY ENTRANCE 2016, 2017, 2018”
TAFE Certificate Courses
It is an advantage to have qualified for the SACE, but it is not always necessary to have done so. There are quotas for most courses and there will often be selection criteria such as knowledge of the industry or a contract of training. The minimum entry requirements for Certificate courses vary.
For details, check the TAFE website (www.tafe.sa.edu.au) for Course Admission Requirements (MER) detailed in every course summary.
Further information can be obtained by contacting the TAFE Information Centre, Shop 4 Da Costa Arcade, 68 Grenfell St. Adelaide, Phone 1800 882 661 or by contacting individual TAFE institutes direct. The website is www.tafe.sa.edu.au.
Private Training Providers
Recognised qualifications are available through a number of training organisations (at cost). Generally private providers accept Stage 1 or 2 of SACE. These providers include business colleges and training centres and can be found in the Yellow Pages.
University Entrance Requirements
Selection to university courses is based on both eligibility and rank. Eligibility allows you to be considered for selection; rank determines whether you are competitive enough to be selected. To be eligible for selection into a university course/program you must:
- qualify for the SACE
- obtain a Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
- meet any prerequisite subject requirements for the course/ Program
Your competitiveness in relation to other applicants is based on your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) which is a rank given to students on a range from 0 to 99.95. Your ATAR is calculated from your university aggregate.
Your ATAR
To obtain a university aggregate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) you must:
- comply with the rules regarding precluded combinations
- comply with the rules regarding counting restrictions
- complete at least 90 credits of study at Stage 2 of which 60 credits of study must be 20 credits Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) from a maximum of three attempts which need not be in consecutive years.
- The remaining 30 credits come from ‘flexible options’
Normally 10 credit subjects do not count towards this requirement but some 10 credit subjects in the same area, when studied in pairs, can substitute for a 20 credit subject. These are called valid pairs. The university aggregate is calculated from the best scaled scores from three 20 credit TAS plus the best outcome from flexible options:
- The scaled score of a 20 credit TAS
- half the score of one or more 20 credit TAS
- the score of a one or more 10 credit TAS
- scaled score equivalents for Recognised Studies to the value of 10 credit or the maximum of 20 credits.
All stage 2 subjects (except Community Studies and locally developed programs) may now be used for calculation of the ATAR. Whilst there are no grouping restrictions, there may be pre-requisite and / or assumed knowledge requirements for some tertiary courses.
Students and parents are advised to check the SATAC (South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre) guide or the SATAC website (www.satac.edu.aufor details of pre-requisite requirements, assumed knowledge, precluded combinations of subjects, counting restrictions and further details of application procedures and timelines for TAFE and University entrance.
Tertiary institutions also provide their own information about courses and selection requirements in printed form and via their websites, as well as during open days in term 3.
Scaling
All results for SACE subjects contributing to a student’s ATAR are scaled. Scaling is a process which converts students’ subject scores into tertiary admission points in each of their SACE Stage 2 (Year 12) subjects.
SATAC (www.satac.edu.au) has more information on scaling.
TAFE Entrance Requirements
Completion of the SACE can meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for most of TAFE SA’s courses. TAFE also considers a variety of other qualifications in its entry and selection processes, including relevant work experience and portfolios. The MER differs according to the level of the TAFE course. For full details go to www.tafe.sa.edu.au/selectionguide
Further Information
Information can also be gathered from the Internet:
- Adelaide University www.adelaide.edu.au
- Australian National Training Authority www.anta.gov.au
- Department of Education and Children’s Services www.decs.sa.gov.au
- Flinders University www.flinders.edu.au
- Job and Course information www.myfuture.edu.au
- SATAC www.satac.edu.au
- TAFE www.tafe.sa.edu.au
- Traineeships or apprenticeships www.newapprenticeships.com.au
- University of South Australia www.unisa.edu.au