Tertiary updates

ANU

• Direct applications for ANU for students commencing 2025 will open on 1 March 2024 and close on 13 May 2024 with associated early offers released 2 September 2024.
• Tuckwell Scholarship applications open 7 March 2024 and close 8 April 2024. For further information regarding this scholarship, please visit the Tuckwell Scholarship Program website.

Change of Preference (COP) Resources and Support

See your Careers Pack (from Val), the attached COP Document or VTAC COP. If you are considering attending COP events, check the institution website, as some require/recommend registering.

Careers and Pathways Support: A reminder if you need some help with your options and next step…?Careers Support will be available as follows:

• Results and Change of Preference Period: Monday 11 December – Wednesday 13 December in person, Jericho 9
• December Offers and COP: 21 – 22 December via email emartin@mscw.vic.edu.au or leave a message on my school phone 0356226246 and I will call you back as soon as practical.
• January Offers: 12 January via email or phone, and checking these at intervals following January and February Offers release.

2024 Good University Guide

Students seeking concise information on tertiary study or struggling to decide on their preferred tertiary institution might like to check out the long-standing annual publication, 2024 Good University Guide (attached).

Monash

• For Year 11s and 12s going into 2024, Monash will also be offering the fantastic MySci program from April 3-5, 2024. Details and register here MYSci (monash.edu)
• Science as a pathway to Medicine. Monash is often asked “Can you study Science to enter Medicine?” The answer is "Yes!" Click here to find out more.

Pathways to university study

October Career Newsletter focus was on pathways. So this is just a reminder, that it is well worth building a range of options into your career plan for both the best and worst case scenarios.

Students considering university study in 2024 are encouraged to check the attached document relating to some of the Victorian university pathways programs.

Results and ATAR Service

If you haven't already, Year 12 students are encouraged to register now for the VCE Results and ATAR service by creating a secure password which they will use to access their results and ATAR from 7am, Monday 11 December.

Students in lower year levels who are completing a Unit 3&4 study can also register for the service to access their study score at the end of the year.

RMIT

• New pathways to the Bachelor of Science: from 2024 the new Undergraduate Certificate in Applied Science & Undergraduate Certificate in Biomedical Science will serve as a pathway to the Bachelor of Science. No ATAR is required and both certificates are guaranteed pathways to the Bachelor of Science. Read more here.
• Starting from 2024, Geospatial Science will now be available as part of our Bachelor of Science program as a Major. This change presents a valuable opportunity for students to expand their knowledge and skills in this captivating field without the need to pursue a separate degree. 

Scholarships resources

• SWG Scholarships resource (attached)
• Compass Career News Scholarships resource (attached)
• VTAC Scholarships webpage
• Institution scholarship webpages
• The Country Education Foundation has developed a resource to assist Year 12 students to find and apply for university scholarships. To access the resource, go to http://bit.ly/2yGMSGX 
• The Women of STEM Scholarship is a national program and provides women aged 18-20 who are entering their first year of a STEM degree at university with financial grants of $5,000 per year for the life of their degree (to a maximum of 5 years). Applications open Friday 15 December 2023 and close Friday 16 February 2024. Learn more here.

TAFE Gippsland Cert IV Engineering

From 2024 TAFE Gippsland will offer the Certificate IV in Engineering. This qualification does not require any applicants to have a trade and is suitable for school leavers (especially Year 12) who have an interest in engineering related roles and have good maths capacity.  The qualification combines units from CII up to CIV level which is great as it prepares the students for those higher-level units.

This qualification does not provide a trade certification, but it does provide high level skills in engineering and also is a pathway to the Bachelor of Engineering. See the attached flyer for more information.

Tax File Number

Year 12 students are reminded yet again that they cannot enrol in a CSP (Commonwealth Supported Place) university course next year without a Tax File Number (TFN). Students who do not have one can use: the ATO link to for instructions to apply.

Students without a passport may need to have their identity verified through an interview at a participating Australia Post office. To find out about participating Post Offices, visit TFN Application.

Teacher Education in Victoria

Students are advised the Victorian Government currently has a significant scholarship program (up to $18,000) available for those hoping to pursue secondary education – you can find out more about this here.

More generally, to be eligible for initial teacher education courses in Victoria, you will need to do the following:

• Meet academic admission requirements, including a minimum ATAR and course prerequisites (NB: Alternatives like the Diploma of Teacher Education Preparation might exist, so chat to Careers if you do, or are likely to, fall short of this requirement).
• Complete and pass a test designed to assess your suitability to be a teacher (measures personal competencies such as ethics, empathy, and communication skills).

Test options include:

• Casper test: Sit this test to be eligible for all Victorian universities, https://acuityinsights.app/casper/ Students wanting to be eligible for December round teacher education course offers need to do this no later than 12 November. Please note that Deakin Uni and RMIT have recently announced that they will reimburse/refund the Casper Test. 
• Australian Catholic University (ACU): Students applying to ACU in Victoria for initial teacher education courses can complete the free ACU Teacher Selector Statement. This is can only be used for entry into ACU initial teacher education courses. It can be used as an alternative to the Casper test, or in addition to it, https://bit.ly/3rAvGTq 
• Monash University: Has just introduced the Monash Teaching Suitability Test (see below). This is a free online test and can only be used for entry into Monash initial teacher education courses. It can be used as an alternative to the Casper test, or in addition to it, https://bit.ly/3tgzrhl 

Useful links to Victorian University Clubs and Societies

Useful links to Victorian University Student Support Services

UAC ATAR Compass

https://www.uac.edu.au/atar-compass/ 

Just like all ATAR calculators, which should be used with caution, the UAC ATAR Compass, which is based on HSC (NSW), will produce a reliable estimate but should only be used as a guide. 

A students’ ATAR is a rank that measures their overall performance compared to their year group, and is the number used by universities to select which school-leavers they allow entry to courses.

VTAC Key dates and reminders

For a full list of cancelled, amended, and new courses, visit VTAC Course Updates 

The VTAC website is www.vtac.edu.au

December and January will be the bigger offer rounds 

It is anticipated that the majority of course offers will be made in the December and January offer rounds.  Some courses, particularly those that take low numbers, or are otherwise competitive to get into, may fill up during these two rounds.  It is important that students understand the need to decide on their ideal course and get their preferences in order in time for December round to maximise their chance of getting an offer.  All courses will make offers in the January round, but these may be limited if there is a large uptake of their December offers. Students can access up-to-date information on Offers via VTAC in the Offers Section via the Factsheet.  

Change of preference windows are brief 

As students will hopefully be aware, change of preference closes for eligible applicants on 13 December at 4pm for December round offers. Please check the dates for all change of preference deadlines. 

Please note also the brief change of preference period after December round. Change of preference reopens when offers are released on 21 December, and then closes 22 December at 4pm.  Once again, students will need to think clearly and act quickly if they wish to change preferences in time for the January offer round.  They should also be aware that this might be the final chance to get into their course of choice. 

Students should be encouraged to consider their options if they achieve higher or lower results than expected so they are ready to change their preferences for the December and January offer rounds. 

Support for students and parents

VTAC is introducing new webinars to support students in preparing for their results, making informed course decisions and understanding the tight turnaround for accepting December offers. 

Year 12 students (and their supporters) may like to consider attending one of VTACs upcoming webinars Get Ready for your Results on 12 December at 6pm.

There are also a range of explainers and videos on the VTAC YouTube channel.

Year 11 Students

Any 2024 Year 12s considering further study at University of Melbourne or Australian National University is encouraged to check their eligibility and the application timeline for the UoM Hansen Scholarship and the ANU Tuckwell Scholarship. Please book a follow up career appointment with Mrs Martin if you are interested in applying.