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Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Procedure

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THE GUIDE - DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This Procedure was approved by Academic Board on 16 September 2014 and incorporates all amendments to 15 November 2016.

(2) This Procedure is pursuant to the Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Policy and incorporates the following schedules:

  1. Schedule A: English Language Requirements for Deakin Coursework Programs
  2. Schedule B: Course Specific Minimum Entry Requirements for Deakin Coursework Programs
  3. Schedule C: Access and Equity Programs and Eligibility Criteria.
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Section 2 - Purpose

(3) This procedure documents the minimum standards for admission and the selection of applicants into the University's undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and the processes that relate to admission and selection.

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Section 3 - Scope

(4) This procedure applies to the University's undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs. It does not apply to higher degrees by research.

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Section 4 - Policy

(5) Refer to the Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Policy.

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Section 5 - Procedure

(6) Applicants who meet the minimum entry requirements for a course may be offered a place in the course. Meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee selection into the course, which is based primarily on merit, likelihood of success and availability of places in the course.

Admission requirements

(7) To be considered for selection to an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework program, both domestic and international applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements specified in Schedule A. In addition to the English language requirements, all applicants must meet relevant minimum entry requirements specified in clause 8 or course specific minimum entry requirements as set out in Schedule B.

Minimum entry requirements

(8) Minimum entry requirements are set out in the table below with course specific minimum entry requirements set out in Schedule B:

Course type Minimum requirements for standard admission
Associate Degree Specified in Schedule B for each course
Bachelor Degree ATAR of at least 50 or a diploma in any discipline, OR relevant higher education study equivalent to at least two Deakin University units successfully completed at an accredited Australian higher education institution or an overseas educational institution assessed by the selection officer as equivalent, OR successful completion of a certificate IV or foundation programs (or equivalent) in a related discipline, OR relevant work and life experience.
Bachelor (Honours) Degree Specified in Schedule B for each course.
Graduate Certificate Completed Bachelor Degree in any discipline OR relevant work and life experience.
Graduate Diploma Completed Bachelor Degree in any discipline OR Graduate Certificate in any discipline OR relevant work and life experience.
Masters Degree (Coursework) or (Extended) Completed Bachelor Degree in any discipline OR Graduate Diploma in any discipline OR relevant work and life experience.

Admission qualifications

(9) Only an AQF qualification (or qualification with equivalent learning outcomes) will be considered for admission purposes. The qualification should be attained no more than 10 years prior to application although Faculty Boards may require more recent qualifications for some courses to ensure currency of knowledge and skills appropriate to the discipline.

Additional course-specific admission requirements

(10) Faculty Boards may set further requirements for admission for all applicants to specified courses which include one or more of the following:

  1. completion of an aptitude test
  2. completion of an audition
  3. completion of an interview
  4. submission of a portfolio of work
  5. submission of references
  6. submission of a personal statement
  7. completion of a supplementary application form.

Application and selection (except Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery)

(11) Applicants for specified courses aligned to Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) admission periods may apply for admission to the University through VTAC. Applicants for specified courses in any approved teaching period may apply directly with the University through its Direct Application Portal. For application to Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery see clauses 20-23 below.

(12) Selection is carried out by selection officers appointed by faculties or by other areas specified in clause 13 of the Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Policy.

VTAC applications

(13) Eligible year 12 applicants are ranked by VTAC on the basis of ATAR scores with additional bonus points added as specified in Schedule C.

(14) Eligible non-year 12 applicants are manually ranked by selection officers on the basis of their formal and informal learning and likelihood of success, with consideration for specific equity groups as specified in Schedule C.

(15) Offers are made by selection officers on the basis of ranked order, number of places available to achieve enrolment targets and consideration for disadvantage affecting Year 12 performance where relevant.

Direct applications

(16) Selection Officers:

  1. Consider eligibility of applicants on the basis of academic merit, likelihood of success, and the availability of places, with consideration for specific equity groups as set out in the Deakin University Access and Equity Program specified in Schedule C.
  2. Make offers on a rolling basis to eligible applicants, excluding courses where a quota of places has been established.

(17) One of the following types of offer may be made:

  1. full offer if eligibility is confirmed and all verified documentation received
  2. conditional offer while awaiting further documentation or evidence in order to confirm eligibility for a full offer
  3. provisional offer while an applicant completes qualifications required for eligibility
  4. full offer into a course leading to the principal course
  5. full offer into an alternative course.

(18) For undergraduate CSP places, offers to year 12 applicants must be at or above the clearly-in ATAR score for the course, taking into account bonuses, from the most recent VTAC selection period.

(19) Where a quota of places has been established for a course (due to capacity restrictions or where specific targets are set for postgraduate courses with CSP places), faculties assess and determine a ranked listing of applicants who meet the admission requirements, and offers are made to applicants based on the ranked order and number of places available.

Application and selection Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS)

(20) Domestic applicants for admission to the BMBS may apply for admission through either the Graduate Entry Medical School Admission System (GEMSAS) or, in the case of Indigenous applicants who apply through the Indigenous Entry Scheme, directly to the School of Medicine.

(21) Applicants who apply to BMBS through GEMSAS will be allocated an aggregate score and ranked according to:

  1. academic performance in an approved undergraduate degree
  2. performance in the Graduate Australian Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
  3. information provided in the Faculty of Health BMBS supplementary form or the GEMSAS application form
  4. performance at an interview.

(22) A number of places in the BMBS will be held for Indigenous applicants who apply through the Indigenous Entry Scheme. Applicants who apply through the Indigenous Entry Scheme must demonstrate their eligibility to apply as an Indigenous Australian and will be allocated an aggregate score and ranked according to:

  1. academic performance in an approved undergraduate degree
  2. if applicable, performance in the GAMSAT
  3. performance at an interview.

(23) Applicants to the BMBS will have a bonus added to their aggregate score before interview where they:

  1. meet defined regional and rural residency criteria
  2. have completed one year of clinical practice as a registered health professional or
  3. can demonstrate financial disadvantage during their undergraduate degree.

Guaranteed pathways

(24) Applicants who apply for admission to a course on the basis of an approved guaranteed pathway will be offered a place in that course provided they meet the requirements specified for entry.

Additional requirements for international applicants

(25) Faculties determine indicative ATARs to inform prospective applicants of likely course requirements based on the previous year's clearly-in ATARs.

(26) International applicants who apply on the basis of overseas secondary or tertiary qualifications are considered for selection against standards that are comparable to the requirement for the relevant course for the year of entry.

(27) Selection officers assess the equivalence of international qualifications on advice from Deakin International.

Internal course transfers

(28) Internal course transfer is subject to a competitive selection process and availability of course places.

(29) The minimum eligibility criteria for an internal course transfer are set by Faculty Boards and made publically available on the Division of Student Administration. Criteria include:

  1. number of units that must be completed in a Deakin University course
  2. level of performance required; and
  3. any prerequisite requirements for the new course.

Re-admission

(30) A student who wishes to be re-admitted following lapse or discontinuation in enrolment, must apply for re-admission through the appropriate application method.

(31) If a student is seeking re-admission following an academic exclusion from the course, the application must be considered and approved by the relevant Faculty Committee.

(32) A student is normally not permitted to be re-admitted into discontinued courses.

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Section 6 - Definitions

(33) For the purpose of this Procedure:

  1. AQF qualification: an award attained as the result of an accredited complete program of learning that leads to formal certification that a graduate has achieved learning outcomes as described in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
  2. Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR): an overall percentile ranking calculated by Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) for the use of tertiary institutions to compare the overall achievement of students who have completed different combinations of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) studies, or equivalent Year 12 qualifications in Australia, in the same year.
  3. Clearly-In ATAR: is the ATAR at or above which all eligible ranked applicants who applied for that course through VTAC were offered a place.
  4. Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP): a place in a course for which the University receives funding from the Australian Government.
  5. Selection officer: a staff member(s) appointed by a Faculty or other approved area with delegated authority to select applicants to be offered a place in a course. A selection officer must be conversant with the University's admission and selection requirements.
  6. Domestic applicant: a person who is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, a citizen of New Zealand or a person holding an Australian permanent refugee, humanitarian or protection visa.
  7. Informal learning: learning gained through work or life experiences.
  8. Internal course transfer: a transfer by a currently enrolled Deakin student from one award course to another.
  9. International applicant: a person who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, is not a citizen of New Zealand or a person holding an Australian permanent refugee, humanitarian or protection visa.
  10. Re-admission: a term used for applicants who were previously enrolled in a course without completing, due to enrolment lapse, discontinuation, or exclusion and are now seeking to re-enrol into their previous course.
  11. Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) bonus: The SEAS program allows selection officers to grant consideration for course entry to applicants, but does not exempt applicants from meeting the course entry requirements. The scheme takes into account short and long-term educational disadvantage, including personal information and location, non-English speaking background, difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial background, and disability or medical condition.
  12. Subject bonus: extra points allocated to the aggregate of Year 12 applicants in recognition of their high performance in pre-determined Year 12 subjects that are relevant to the course/s for which they have applied (as published in the VTAC Guide).
  13. Year 12 applicant: an applicant who is currently enrolled in an Australian or overseas Year 12 program (including the International Baccalaureate (IB)) with no post-secondary studies, or has previously attempted or completed an Australian/overseas Year 12 (including the IB) with:
    1. no post-secondary studies
    2. post-secondary studies of Certificate I, Certificate II or Certificate III (but NOT Certificate IV or above).