Local interest in studying at USC Gympie continues to grow, with the number of people receiving offers to begin degrees at the campus rising by 33 percent within a year.

A total of 52 offers for undergraduate places at USC Gympie have been made by QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre) after today’s major offer round, up from 39 at this time last year. Further offers are expected to be made next month.

Day one of Semester 1 on Monday 27 February is likely to see about 200 students on campus, compared to 170 at the start of 2016.

The most sought-after degree at the Gympie campus is the Bachelor of Nursing Science, followed by the Bachelor of Primary Education and the Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting).

A further 22 offers have been made for USC’s free tertiary bridging program, Tertiary Preparation Pathway, which is up 100 percent on last year.

USC’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said 2016 was a record year at Gympie but interest by first-year students in 2017 showed that the community was continuing to take advantage of the opportunity to study at home.

“There will be many additional students from the Gympie region who will have received offers to study at USC’s main campus at Sippy Downs,” he said.

“USC is clearly the university of choice for the Gympie community, and many students will take advantage of both the local and main campus during their study journey.”

Professor Hill congratulated those who received offers and encouraged all new students to join in Orientation activities at the campus on 22 February.

The major round of offers was released online through QTAC (www.qtac.edu.au) this morning. Enrolment information has been provided to applicants online, and students are encouraged to respond to offers by Monday 23 January.

Anyone who has received an offer to study at USC but does not receive enrolment information from the University within the next few days should contact USC’s Student Administration Office on 5430 2890. Study planning assistance is also available.

Those who did not receive an offer can also contact USC’s Student Administration Office for advice about further QTAC offer rounds.

USC also has a number of alternative entry pathways to university, including the Tertiary Preparation Pathway program. For more details, go to www.usc.edu.au/apply.

— Clare McKay