Parents and Supporters

Applications for university are made when students are in their final year of high school. Although programs such as Western’s HSC True Reward and UAC’s Schools Recommendation Scheme provide offers based on year 11 results, your child will need to wait until they are in year 12 to create their application and receive offers.

HSC True Reward is our main early offer program that will give Year 12 students much needed peace of mind by providing an early offer into most university courses based on their Year 11 or Year 12 subject band results. Those students that apply using their Year 11 results will still need to successfully complete the HSC.

Depending on the undergraduate degree your child is interested in applying for, they will need to achieve a minimum result or subject band in the specified Year 11 or Year 12 subjects. In addition, they are also required to make a free, direct application to Western Sydney University. We have a few offer rounds and some testimonials that you can check out here.

Here at Western, we have $20 million worth of scholarships on offer each year, which provide unlimited opportunities. It is possible to hold up to three different types of scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. Scholarships are offered in a variety of categories, these include

1.     Indigenous - Scholarships dedicated to providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

2.     High Potential - Scholarships recognising excellence, engaged leaders, elite athletes, Western program participants.

3.     Equity - Scholarships to assist students who have experienced disadvantages.

4.     Humanitarian - Scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers.

Our scholarships are available for students based on several different eligibility requirements which can include merit based, superior leadership, outstanding academic ability and more. You can apply for more than one scholarship; we encourage you to head over to our scholarships page to see what we have on offer.

We also have specific International Student Scholarships available, and the information can be found here.

If your child is eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), this means that university costs will be subsidised, by the Commonwealth Government, who will pay part of the fees towards your course.

At Western, all Undergraduate courses offer CSP’s to Domestic Students (i.e. Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents and Humanitarian Visa holders). These are offered at point of admission. The Australian Government is responsible for determining the amount of subsidy that they will contribute to an Undergraduate course according to the National Priorities and by The Fields of Education (TFE).

The TFE is grouped into Student Contribution Bands (levels 1-4). You can find the Student Contribution Bands here.

To work out the exact cost of Student Contributions for the semester or year go to the Student contribution calculations page.

We use the term ‘Advanced Standing’ to recognise prior learning, for both experience and/or studies an individual may have previously done. When you apply for Advanced Standing, we will assess your prior learning and may award you Advanced Standing in the course in which you are currently studying in recognition of what you have achieved.

At Western Sydney University, we have two types of credit for previous study:

• Pathway's credit – if you have completed a Diploma or Advanced Diploma that is listed as an approved Western Sydney University Tertiary Education Pathway, you may be eligible to claim Pathway's credit. Find out if you are in a Western Sydney University Tertiary Education Pathway and claim your pathways credit online.
  
  
• Advanced Standing – if you have completed any previous study (Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Degree level) which is not a recognised pathway as above.

To find out more information on what your child may be eligible for, follow this link. 

There are several Alternative Entry options available.Our main early offer program, HSC True Reward, provides offers to Western degrees based on your child’s achievement in their HSC subjects, rather than their ATAR. Offers are made based on year 11 and/or year 12 results.

We have embedded Diploma to Degree pathways through Western Sydney University’s The College. Students that complete a Diploma through The College will receive guaranteed entry into the second year of the associated bachelor degree at Western.

If your child is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, they can apply via the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway Program, where they will sit English and Numeracy assessments and undergo an interview with an academic. They can then receive an offer based upon those results.

Some degrees have specific entry programs, for example our Design, Creative Industries and Architecture degrees have a Portfolio entrance option, where you can gain entry based upon a portfolio of previous work you have completed. For our Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Creative Industries with a major in Music, there is an audition requirement as well as the ATAR requirement.

There are also a couple of other programs, including the Schools Recommendation Scheme, where you can receive an offer based upon your application and a recommendation from your child’s school and the Educational Access Scheme (EAS). You can find out more about these schemes and programs by searching for them on our website.

A lecture is a fundamental tool at university for teaching and learning. One of our Western academics will present themes and concepts that relate to the specific unit of study you are enrolled in. It is common for a unit of study to run one lecture per week and up to 200 students can attend depending on which unit the lecture is for. Lectures vary in duration but are usually around 1-2 hours long.

Tutorials are small classes of about 25 students, which last about one or two hours. Usually, tutorials are used to discuss and debate the lecture material and have an emphasis on student-teacher interaction and class participation. The term 'tutorial' can also refer to classes like practicals, seminars, and workshops. Some tutorials have compulsory attendance requirements. Check the unit outline for each of your units to make sure you do not risk failing the requirements of that unit.

Please refer to our ‘University Terminology’ guide for a closer look at some of the terms we commonly use here at Western.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student’s position relative to all the students in their year group. Universities may use the ATAR rank and bonus points/adjustment factors to create a lowest selection rank to select students for the courses they are applying for. It is important to remember there are several pathways into university that are not based on ATAR.

Yes. They can receive multiple offers through the HSC True Reward program and general offer rounds.

They can receive one offer per round and can change preferences after each offer round to be picked up in the next round for a different course. If your child receives multiple offers they can:

1.     Accept and enrol into their main preference and leave the other offer/s.

2.     Accept their first preference and defer the offer/s for 6 to 12 months.

If you need further information on offers, please head to hsc true reward or for more information on how to apply click here. 

Maybe your child did not get the ATAR they wanted? Maybe your child does not have an ATAR at all? Or something may have been happening for them during their HSC year. If your child does not meet the required ATAR for their desired course, this does not mean you cannot get into university. Here at Western, we want to see you reach your unlimited potential and we have a multitude of pathways on offer for you.

Our HSC True Reward Early Offer program is based on HSC subject results, not the ATAR. If your child is does not receive the required ATAR, or is completing a non-ATAR pathway, they can still receive an offer if they have completed the associated subjects in year 11 or year 12.

We also have pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and some degrees have specific pathway entry options such as portfolio submissions and auditions for our creative based degrees.

If your child is unsuccessful with both the ATAR and HSC True Reward, then The College may be an option. The College offers a range of diplomas to provide support for students prior to their entry to university. If a student completes a satisfactorily completes a diploma they will receive guaranteed entry into the second year of the associated bachelor degree at Western.

We have programs to suit everyone, to check out what best fits your needs please head to our pathway programs page.

This can depend on whether the offer was received as part of an early offer program or through a general offer round. Some programs, such as HSC True Reward, as well as specific degrees like Medicine and Physiotherapy have a deadline for accepting and enrolling. This deadline will usually be included in the initial offer email.

Most offers can also be deferred for 6 or 12 months. This means that the University will hold a place for the student in the next intake round.

All HSC True Reward offers will remain active until the Autumn semester Census Date (usually 3-4 weeks after the start of Autumn Semester). After this date, any offers that have not been accepted or deferred will no longer be valid.

Although the deadline may be after classes begin, we do recommend that students plan and accept or defer any offers before the start of their first semester. In the few weeks prior to this, students will have to select their classes and attend orientation sessions, so it is best to accept and enrol sooner rather than later.

Have a look at the starting at Western Sydney University website to learn more about the transition from high school.

The College provides students with an opportunity to get a head start on their path to Western. Your child can apply for one of the Diploma programs and be on their way to completing a university degree in no time.

Once your child has successfully completed the diploma they are enrolled in at The College, they will transition into their second year of the corresponding degree at Western. Our admissions team will make contact and can help answer any questions they may have. Our Student Services Hub Team can be contacted on 1300 668 370 to aid with any questions during this process. You can find more info here.