The Early Offer Guarantee enables eligible Year 12 students to receive an early and guaranteed place at UniSC as early as September. These offers are made before the release of Year 12 results, so students do not have to wait until the December or January QTAC offer rounds to start planning their uni journey.
An offer is made based on the Principal's recommendation and is independent of a student’s Year 12 results. The Principal will consider the student’s academic performance, motivation, talents, passions and abilities to see if they are a match for success at university. If a Principal recommends a student for the Early Offer Guarantee, as long as they have met the prerequisites and other program specific requirements for their chosen degree, they will receive an early offer to study an eligible program at UniSC.
All offers made before the last day of school will be conditional on students completing Year 12, so it is important that students stay engaged and complete their exams.
Applications and offers
- Offers can be made to students as early as September.
- Offers will be made on the following dates: 6 September, 20 September, 4 October, 18 October, 15 November.
- To reduce distractions for students, offers will not be made during the Year 12 external examination period.
- Offers made before 15 November will be conditional on the student completing Year 12.
- The 2025 application form will be available from August.
- Applications don’t need to be submitted in bulk for your school. We will accept applications throughout the application period as you assess them.
- Applications received in the last week of the application period will be made offers on 15 November.
- If your school is not producing end Semester 1 report cards for Year 12 students, we will accept the student’s most recent progress report or report card.
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Onshore international students who wish to apply for an early offer must complete the Early Offer Guarantee application form and submit to their school before the due date. Once the international student’s application has been approved by their school and submitted to UniSC, a representative from the International Office will be in touch regarding the next steps.
Benefits
- UniSC’s Early Offer Guarantee enables Principals to approve those students they have assessed as having the necessary academic potential, talent and motivation to succeed at university for a guaranteed early offer to study at UniSC.
- Provides an entry pathway to university for students who would benefit from the opportunity to complete a degree; for example, students who may not have opted to study for an ATAR or who may have other exceptional circumstances, such as medical or family issues, which may impact their ATAR result.
- Builds tertiary aspirations for students who have the passion and motivation for further study but would benefit from additional academic skills development and preparation before commencing a Bachelor degree. This can be achieved through pathways such as Associate Degrees, Diplomas or the Tertiary Preparation Pathway (TPP).
Assessment process
For more details on the recommended assessment see the Early Offer Guarantee Guidelines for Schools.
The Principal or Principal delegate is responsible for assessing applicants for the Early Offer Guarantee. There is no limit on the number of applicants a school can approve. However, it is expected any student approved by your school:
- is passing their Year 12 subjects
- has a low unexplained absence record indicative of independent learning
- meets the prerequisite and other program specific requirements for their chosen program
- has the ability to succeed academically at a tertiary level
Students who do not yet have the academic skill level and independent learning attributes required for Bachelor level study should be approved for the Tertiary Preparation Pathway or a pathway diploma.
Principal Nomination Form
The Principal can authorise and nominate an alternative staff member to approve student applications by completing the Principal Nomination Form.
The Principal or Principal delegate agrees to undertake a thorough assessment of all student applicants to ascertain their suitability for the program.
Frequently asked questions
If your school is not producing end Semester 1 report cards for Year 12 students, we will accept the student’s most recent progress report or report card.
Each school will have a different approach to how they promote the Early Offer Guarantee to their Year 12 cohort. As a participating school you will need to consider how the application assessment process will operate before determining if you will promote it to your whole Year 12 cohort or identify and invite suitable students to apply.
You can request additional marketing material or request a UniSC representative come and speak at your school by contacting schools@usc.edu.au.
Schools are encouraged to adopt a process which fits with their academic and career programs. UniSC is not prescriptive in how this assessment process is managed within schools. Refer to the Guidelines for Schools for suggestions to assist with setting up in-house administrative processes to determine students' suitability.
We do ask Principals to ensure all applicants approved for a UniSC program have undergone a thorough assessment and meet the prerequisite requirements. Refer again to the Guidelines for Schools (under 'Assessment process' above) for details and eligibility and criterion.
No, there is no quota.
Schools are no longer required to register to participate in the scheme.
If your staffing changes please let us know who your new Early Offer Guarantee Coordinator and/or Principal is by emailing schools@usc.edu.au.
A typical Early Offer Guarantee student has a genuine desire to commence undergraduate level study or the Tertiary Preparation Pathway at UniSC. Below are some examples of potential profiles of students who would be approved for this pathway:
Profile 1 - The student has the necessary academic potential, talent and motivation to succeed in an undergraduate program and would benefit from being made an early offer to assist in their transition to university.
Profile 2 - The student may not have opted to study for an ATAR, or may have other exceptional circumstances such as medical or family issues which may impact on their Year 12 results. The student has the necessary academic potential, talent and motivation to succeed in an undergraduate program and would benefit from the opportunity to commence a degree.
Profile 3 - The student has a genuine aspiration to undertake tertiary study but would benefit from additional academic skill development and preparation before commencing a degree. This can be achieved through pathways such as Associate Degrees, a Pathway Diploma or the Tertiary Preparation Pathway.
Early Offer Guarantee offers are always made for Semester 1 commencement; however students can defer their place for a maximum of one year (excluding Undergraduate Certificate programs).