Offers steady as UNSW attracts top students

UNSW congratulates the more than 8,000 students who have received offers to study at the University in 2017.

Offers made to date (8,269) are slightly up on last year and a record number of undergraduate students chose UNSW as their first preference.

Overall demand for programs across the University remains strong, with notable increases in Built Environment and STEM degrees.

UNSW again attracted the largest number of the top 500 students in NSW and the ACT.

“We are very pleased to continue to be the destination of choice for these high achieving students,” said Professor Merlin Crossley, UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education.

“It’s also pleasing to see an increase in the number of offers to female engineering students as well as big increases in important areas like City Planning.”

Professor Crossley said UNSW offered courses with a range of cut-offs from 80 upwards and there were multiple entry pathway schemes for disadvantaged students.

“This year the evidence suggests that UNSW’s leadership in the push for transparency around the way offers are made has increased our attractiveness and is helping students identify courses that are right for them,” he said.

UNSW was the first university to publish its admissions data, including the range of ATARs in each course, bonus points and the number of offers made to school leavers.

“We’ve made a commitment to having transparent and consistent entry for students, first through our Guaranteed Entry cut-off scheme and via striving to retain ATAR selection ranks that are on par with last year,” Professor Crossley said.

2017 will see the first cohort of UNSW students studying the new Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions. The three-year degree, which harnesses the expertise of staff from across the schools of Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Science and Engineering, and Business, is designed to address a high demand for data scientists who can make discoveries and gain business insights from analysing complex datasets.

Other trailblazers include the first class of undergraduate Law students to be admitted under the faculty’s new admissions process, which includes the Law Admission Test (LAT).

The results of the two-hour written test are used in conjunction with a student’s ATAR, providing a more rounded view of applicants’ aptitude. Five years in the planning, it was developed in conjunction with the Australian Council for Educational Research.

“The Scientia Education Experience, a key part of the UNSW 2025 Strategy, enables us to provide the best education possible for our students which will equip them for global opportunities,” Professor Crossley said.

Professor Merlin Crossley is available for interview. Student case studies are also available.