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The University of Western Australia has introduced a new admissions pathway to help Year 12 ATAR students worried about a substantial interruption to their studies due to COVID-19.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander said it was important to act quickly to alleviate the concerns of Year 12s, many of whom were anxious and unsure about what would happen with ATAR this year.

“In times of such uncertainty for school leavers it’s our responsibility to ensure our future students have some certainty that a pathway into higher education is available for them,” Professor den Hollander said. “This is particularly important should the current disruption continue into the second half of the year, further disrupting study.

“We’re pleased to announce that we will now be offering three different ways for current Year 12 school leavers in Australia to apply for admission to our main undergraduate degrees – the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Bachelor of Commerce, and Bachelor of Science for 2021 entry.

“We have made this change so that during this challenging time students and their families are provided with more certainty, support and options should they wish to pursue a UWA degree.”

The standard ATAR-based entry pathway will still be offered but students will now be able to apply for entry based on their predicted ATAR from the end of Year 11.

Some students may still need to attend an interview to identify any additional support that may be required, including bridging units, once they arrive at UWA.  At this stage Year 12 students must still sit their Year 12 exams and, when results are released, if their ATAR is higher than their predicted ATAR, they can update their application if they’d like to change their course.

The predicted ATAR entry pathway is not applicable for direct pathways to Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Podiatry.
In recognition of the unique set of challenges Year 12 students are facing this year, 18 and 19-year-old students who are taking insufficient ATAR-based subjects or not taking ATAR, will also be eligible to sit the Special Tertiary Admissions STAT test and an interview. The STAT test pathway is not available for any direct pathways or the Bachelor of Philosophy.

“Our hope is that our response to this unprecedented situation assists the community as we work to ensure a safe pathway through this pandemic, within UWA’s tradition of endeavour and commitment to finding innovative and agile solutions to current and future challenges,” Professor den Hollander said.

Media references

Simone Hewett (UWA Media & PR Manager) 08 6488 3229/0432 637 716