August 3, 2017

UOW celebrates personalised approach to student admissions

Prospective university students from across New South Wales and the ACT will this week take advantage of long-standing and successful early admissions schemes to secure their place in higher education.

University applications for 2018 admissions through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) opened this week (Wednesday 2 August).

Students currently in Year 12 and completing the HSC can take advantage of UOW’s Early Admissions program and earn a place in a UOW degree based on more than their ATAR.

In line with changes recommended by the Higher Education Standards Panel (HESP), UOW is presenting clear and simple information to prospective students about admissions pathways and processes, including ATARs.

The University has been putting the student at the centre of the admissions process for almost two decades and has pioneered a successful Early Admissions program that is enabling thousands of students to benefit from higher education.

Approximately 40 per cent of UOW’s annual domestic undergraduate enrolments first receive an offer on a non-ATAR basis, indicating that students value a more personalised admissions process based on individual merit.

International Bachelor of Science student Olivia Panozzo said being accepted to UOW was a confidence boost heading into her HSC, and though she still worried about grades, hoped the things she did outside of the classroom would also help her get into an International Bachelor of Science. 

“I think the reason I got in is because I had all this extracurricular stuff behind me," Olivia said. "I showed the interviewer that I was really interested in the course and that I really wanted to do it.

“I did lots of volunteering at school, I did debating, I was school captain and came to the HSC study days at UOW. I was also part of UOW’s Elevate program in Year 11 – so all those bits and pieces really do help.

“The benefit of the interview is that you’re able to show yourself as a whole person rather than just an academic number, or a result on a page.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Joe Chicharo said the University’s personalised admissions process continues to deliver outstanding achievements in student completion and graduate outcomes, particularly in graduate employability.

UOW’s completion rate is well above the national average (over nine years 2006-2014) is at 80.9 per cent, well above the national average of 73.5 per cent and higher than the OECD average of 70 per cent.

“We attribute this success to the approach we take in ensuring students are enrolled into the course best suited to them and UOW’s track record of prominence in national and international rankings for the quality of its teaching, student experience and outcomes.

“We welcome the recommendations for the way admissions pathways and process are presented and support any initiatives that will help students make more informed choices, leading to improved retention and completion rates.”

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) results, based on feedback from students themselves, demonstrates that students are more satisfied with their overall studies and student experience than most other university students in the country:

• UOW is first in NSW/ACT for overall satisfaction, teaching quality, learner engagement, learning resources, and skills scale
• UOW has the highest rank in Australian universities in three study areas and highest rank in NSW/ACT universities in nine study areas

Students are supported throughout university to maximise their prospects for success through initiatives such as the provision of Student Support Advisers, and UOW Wellbeing, which helps students maintain a happy, healthy life balance with workshops and services.

UOW’s annual Open Day, where prospective students can visit campus for information sessions, tours and to get a feel for student life on Saturday 19 August.

More: openday.uow.edu.au