* What are easier courses ?
- Which degree courses are easier or harder to win admission into in Australia ?
- Undergraduate intake for degree courses at Australian universities is controlled by a cutoff system
- Such cutoffs were decided by the UAI ( nsw / act ), TER ( sa / nt), ENTER ( vic) OP( qld) score
- Besides Queensland, ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) currently is the cutoff standard, it applies to local students seeking admission to universities at undergrad level
- For admission into a bachelor degree course, applicants from Australian secondary schools have to get scores equal to or higher than ATAR cutoff for that course for that university for any given year
- ATAR and it’s predecessor, the UAI cutoff system, measures popularity and entry competition for any one course
- The more popular a course is, the more applicants there are, hence entry competition rises
- Since finite number of vacancies exist for any one course, the ATAR figure is selected to implement a cutoff at the level allowing the optimal number of applicants to fill up available course vacancies
- Foreign students not resident in Australia applying for admission to a bachelor degree course at Australian universities are not assessed with ATAR, a different selection system is used.
- Foreign students who complete their final year of secondary school (HSC) in an Australian school are subject to ATAR selection criteria
- To see ATAR cutoffs ( from previous year) for individual courses at a specific universities, please visit theUAC site
- The ATAR score from previous year is a reliable indicator of coming year’s ATAR score
- In short, courses that are relatively easier to get into into are those with lower ATAR cutoffs. Such courses tend to be at ‘ less famous ‘ universities and often in smaller towns where there will be less entry competition
- ATAR cutoff values vary from uni to uni for the same course Eg. Maths degree
Typically, the hardest courses to gain admission ( high ATAR ) are:
( in no specific order)
- Medical / Medicine degree
- Law LLB degree
- Actuarial Studies degree
- Aerospace Engineering degree ( this has limited job opportunities in Australian Economy )
- Aeronautical Engineering degree ( this has limited job opportunities in Australian Economy )
- Space Engineering degree ( this has limited job opportunities in Australian Economy )
- Architecture degree
- Accounting degree
- Forensic science ( CSI stuff - this has limited job opportunities in Australian Economy )
- Psychology- Honours
- Physiotherapy degree
- Veterinary Science degree
- Bachelor of Arts ( some types) course
- Bachelor of Science ( some types) course
- Some double degrees /combined degree programs
What an ATAR figure means and what it does not:
- A high ATAR cutoff does not always mean that course is difficult to pass.
It does mean admission is highly competitive as more students are applying for entry
- A high ATAR does not always mean the degree will lead to a job that is in greater demand than one with a lower ATAR. ie. high ATAR course does not always make a graduate more employable
- ATAR cutoffs vary from university to university. Eg. A high ATAR cutoff for Commerce at University of Sydney, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be equally high at a smaller uni in the country side such as Charles Sturt University.
- Courses at famous / older universities, especially those located in big cities like Melbourne or Sydney, typically have higher ATAR cutoffs, reflecting higher demand. This does not mean universities with lower ATAR course cutoffs are in any way inferior.
- ATAR cutoffs are a measure of course popularity in terms of applicant volume. ATAR is not an indication on the quality, merit or employablility of a course or a university.
- A course with inherently difficult subject matter such as Physics or Mathematics may have a surprisingly relatively low ATAR of 75 , not because it is not good nor is “easy to pass”, it only means less people are applying for it since most people do not like to apply for Maths or Physics in general.
- ATAR cutoffs varies year to year, reflecting on the changing applicant behavior. They also vary from university to university.
- Courses which combine 2 degrees Eg Law and Psychology etc, will generally have higher ATAR
- It is best to choose a 1) course and 2) university with a ATAR cutoff lower than what you believe you can realistically achieve, to enjoy the highest chance of gaining admission in the first round.
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