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How to apply to study an undergraduate degree
I’m a year 12 student
If you’re currently a year 12 student planning to start studying in semester 1, 2024, you can apply from Monday, 1 May 2023. You may even be eligible for an early offer!
I’m not a year 12 student
If you’re not a year 12 student, you can apply directly to Curtin from 1 May 2023 to commence your course in 2024.
How to apply if you’re in Year 12
Congratulations on finishing high school this year! We’re excited that you’re considering joining our community.
To help you out, we’ve put together a simple guide to applying to Curtin – whether you’re studying ATAR, a Certificate IV, UniReady or just General subjects.
Apply via TISC
If you’re a year 12 student, you’ll apply to Curtin via TISC – regardless of whether you are studying ATAR subjects, Certificate IV, General subjects or our UniReady program.
TISC opens for applications from Monday 1 May.
TIP: You’ll be able to select up to six courses when you apply, but ensure that you put the course that interests you most as your first preference!
Early offers for 2024
If you’re currently completing year 12, you may be eligible for an early offer before you’ve finished your studies!
Entry pathways
Your high school results aren’t the only way to get into uni. Our Curtin-based entry pathways offer multiple options to prepare you for studying a degree. Check out our UniReady Enabling Program, First Nations enabling courses or a Curtin College diploma as potential entry pathways.
Admission criteria for year 12s
Before you apply to Curtin, it’s a good idea to check that you meet our admission criteria. This includes:
- the general admission criteria for your entry pathway
- our English language requirements
- any course-specific requirements such as prerequisite subjects.
You can check the general admission criteria for your entry pathway below.
TIP: To find your course’s specific admission requirements, search for your course then click on the ‘Admission criteria’ tab.
If you are completing four or more ATAR subjects in year 12, you can apply for any undergraduate course at Curtin.
To be eligible for the ATAR pathway, you will need to have:
- completed, or will complete, high school with a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent
- achieved, or will achieve, the minimum or guaranteed ATAR score for your chosen course.
If you are applying for an early offer for a course that has an ATAR that is 5 or more points above your predicted ATAR, your offer won’t be dependent on your final year 12 ATAR.
Admission to some Curtin courses is competitive and attaining the minimum ATAR may not guarantee admission.
Are you applying for Medicine?
If you are applying to study Medicine at Curtin, you will be required to submit supplementary documents with your TISC application. Visit the Medicine application requirements page for more information.
If you’re studying a Certificate IV, you can apply for all courses with an ATAR of 70.
To be eligible for the Certificate IV pathway, you will need to have:
- completed, or will complete, high school with a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent
- completed, or will complete, a Certificate IV in any area.
TIP: List your current Certificate IV studies on the VET studies at TAFE or RTO page of your application.
Many of our courses allow you to apply through a portfolio of your work and achievements. You can apply to any course that accepts ‘portfolio entry’ as an option under its admission criteria. Make sure that you also check for any additional admission requirements while you’re there!
You can apply for portfolio entry if you:
- Achieve the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent.
- Show your academic potential by successfully completing a minimum of four WACE subjects in Year 12.*
- At least four ATAR subjects OR
- At least four General subjects OR
- A combination of at least four general and ATAR subjects
- Applicants can substitute one of the four WACE subjects for relevant studies of an equivalent nature such as TAFE or Registered Training Organisation (RTO) qualifications, industry training or accreditation and workplace training, endorsed programs, University studies, UniReady in schools units, or Micro-credentials, and Big Picture studies.
- Demonstrate English proficiency.
*Your overall year 12 achievement across your best four subjects should be equivalent to a C average.
TIP: When applying in TISC, you will need to select the ‘portfolio entry’ option for your course and attach your portfolio documents to your application.
If you’re studying our UniReady program in year 12, you can apply for any course with an ATAR of 70.
To be eligible for the UniReady pathway, you will need to have:
- completed, or will complete, high school with a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent
- completed, or will complete, the UniReady Enabling Program (Schools).
TIP: List your current UniReady study on the Tertiary Studies page of your TISC application.
If you’d like some help with applying or information on pathways and courses, please contact Curtin Admissions and our friendly staff will be able to assist you.
How to apply if you’re not a year 12 student
We know it’s a big change to return to study after a break, or to start study at a different place. So first, we’d like to say ‘thank you!’ for including us on your journey.
We’ve put together some simple information about the different admission criteria depending on your background. We’ve also added some tips and extra information to help you along the way.
Apply directly to Curtin
If you’re not a current year 12 student, you can apply directly to Curtin for all courses except Medicine. Applications are now open – simply visit your preferred course page and click ‘Apply now’.
For most courses, you will hear back in 5 to 10 business days. For courses with competitive entry, offers will be made after the application round closes.
If you want to study Medicine, you will need to apply via TISC. Offers for Medicine are sent out in December and January.
Mid-year entry
Applications are currently closed for mid-year entry to Curtin but will re-open next year. The application process is the same – just head to the course you wish to study and click ‘Apply now’. Just choose your preferred start option when applying. Please note that not all courses are available for mid-year intake.
TIP: To check if you can start studying in mid-year (Semester 2), find your course then go to ‘Application intake’ to see when the next intake is.
Find out if you’re eligible for credit
If you have undertaken previous study or work that matches the content of some of your Curtin course units, you may be able to obtain credit for recognised learning, which exempts you from studying those units.
Admission criteria for non-year 12 students
Before you apply to Curtin, you’ll need to check that you meet our admission criteria. This includes:
- the general admission criteria for your entry pathway
- our English language requirements
- any course-specific requirements, such as prerequisite subjects.
You can check the general admission criteria for your entry pathway below. Please choose the pathway option that reflects the highest level of study that you have undertaken.
TIP: To find your course’s specific admission requirements, search for your course then click on the ‘Admission criteria’ tab.
Good news – your ATAR never expires! That means you can still use your ATAR (or equivalent) to get in to university, even if you left school years ago.
To apply based on your ATAR, you must have achieved the following qualifications:
Australian high school results
You must have achieved the following:
- Graduated from secondary school: Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent interstate qualification.
- Attained the ATAR score for your chosen course: minimum or guaranteed ATAR score or equivalent. Year 12 WACE results are valid indefinitely and scores from 1992 onwards can be converted using the TISC ATAR calculator.
Please be aware that admission to some Curtin courses is competitive and attaining the minimum ATAR may not guarantee admission.
International high school results
If you are a domestic student completing year 12 internationally, you will need to check the list below to see if your qualification satisfies Curtin’s general admissions criteria for an undergraduate course.
Download the list of country and non-country specific qualifications [.pdf 96kB]
You must have achieved the following:
1. Graduated from secondary school: Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or equivalent interstate qualification.
2. Attained the ATAR score for your chosen course: minimum or guaranteed ATAR score or equivalent. Year 12 WACE results are valid indefinitely and scores from 1992 onwards can be converted using the TISC ATAR calculator.
To be eligible for admission via a TAFE entry pathway, you must have achieved one of the following:
- Advanced Diploma
- Diploma
- Certificate IV.
Depending on your chosen course and your TAFE qualification, you may also be eligible for credit for recognised learning.
If you don’t meet the minimum admission requirements via ATAR, TAFE or university study, you can apply by submitting a portfolio of your work and achievements, or by taking the Special Admissions Tertiary Test (STAT).
Portfolio entry
You can apply to any course that accepts ‘portfolio entry’ as an option under its admissions criteria.
To be eligible for portfolio entry, you will need to have:
- completed high school with a WACE or equivalent
- studied or developed knowledge and work skills in the course you’re applying for.
Depending on your chosen course and your related experience, you may also be eligible for credit for recognised learning.
STAT
The STAT is a test designed to assess your aptitude for learning at a university level. It focuses on critical thinking and reasoning skills more so than knowledge. There are two sections: a two-hour multiple-choice (MC) test covering a range of subjects and a one-hour written English (WE) test.
To use the test to gain entry to university, you must be at least 20 years of age before 1 March in the year of entry to university, if applying for the first semester. If applying for second semester, you must be at least 20 years of age before 1 August in the year of entry.
Please be aware that not all courses accept the STAT as an admission pathway. Make sure you check the ‘Admission criteria’ of your chosen course before applying.
If you’re currently studying a course at Curtin or another university, or have previously studied at university, you can apply based on your university study.
You can apply if you have completed one of the following:
- a Curtin enabling or bridging course
- four degree-level units via Open Universities Australia
- a minimum of four degree-level units at an Australian university. Please note that some courses require more than four degree-level units to satisfy entry.
Depending on your chosen course and your completed study, you may also be eligible for credit for recognised learning.
If you’d like some help with applying or information on pathways and courses, please contact Curtin Admissions and our friendly staff will be able to assist you.
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