VTAC Information Session 2013

What is VTAC? VTAC Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre is the body that processes the tertiary applications, Scholarships & SEAS applications - is not a government body is a non-profit organization scales VCE Study Scores & calculates the ATAR VCAA Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority designs VCE Curriculum & Assessment provides VTAC with VCE Study Scores

Resources for parents & students VTAC Guide 2014 is a reference book www.vtac.edu.au definitive resource Blog for everyone http://vtacmedia.wordpress.com Facebook – preferred method for parents and students Facebook.com/vtacguide Twitter - @vtacguide 3

How to use the VTAC Guide Important dates & fees – p 1 - 2 Relevant Information pp 5 - 62 Index of courses pp 63 – 120 Course Information pp 121 – 424 An index of major study areas pp 425 - 445 Relevant Information includes SEAS, Scholarships, Accomodation, Enrolment & Deferment Policies

Types of Courses CSP Commonwealth Supported Places Course codes end in 1 e.g. 1400514301 (CSP) Deakin University – Health Science Full Fee Course codes end in 2 Payment is required up front (Some type 2 courses available for admission into degree courses at TAFE but majority are for courses at Independent Tertiary Colleges) Example Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College 9600196052 (DFP) (Domestic Fee Place) International Fee courses – end in 3 e.g. 1400514303 (IFP) TAFE Courses – majority are government funded and end in 4 Useful web site http://www.goingtouni.gov.au

Online course entry VTAC heading: This heading is created for the VTAC Guide and CourseSearch only. Campus, VTAC course code and fee-type: Only courses with applications through VTAC have VTAC course codes. These codes show which institution, campus, course and type of course fees you are applying for. Check the application method. Qualification, title, length: The official title of the course and number of years to complete the course. Brief description about the course. All material in this presentation is copyrighted.

Online Course Entry continued Major studies: Provide a broader picture of what the course is about. Should be used as a research tool. i.e. Journalism Prerequisites: Are compulsory – if a student doesn’t meet prerequisites then won’t be considered for the course. Middle-band: Provides additional bonus to the ATAR – it can assist students whose ATAR is a bit lower than the required ATAR. Selection mode: provides a broad overview of what is considered as part of the selection. Extra requirements: are compulsory requirements that must be done, in addition to applying. Must be taken seriously.

Independent Tertiary Institutions - offer courses on a full fee basis - range from 1-4 years full time - subject to an accreditation system e.g Photography Studies College Endeavour College of Natural Health Elly Lukas Beauty Therapy College

Qualifications through VTAC VET qualifications Higher education Certificate III Certificate IV Diploma Advanced Diploma Undergraduate Advanced Diploma Associate Degrees Bachelor Post graduate Masters Graduate entry teaching

V Refer to Page 11 – Colour Coding of Courses

Application Procedure Students must register for a VTAC ID by logging on to www.vtac.edu.au 2. Students answer a number of questions …VTAC ID will be given Students will be asked to select their own Pin number Students log into VTAC User Account to apply for courses (using VTAC ID and Pin) 5. The VTAC User Account is also where students will - apply for scholarships - apply for SEAS (can only proceed after preferences submitted) - update personal details - change pin - change preferences - email VTAC - get their ATAR & Offer

Login to VTAC User Account Register Receive VTAC ID and PIN Login to VTAC User Account Apply for courses Apply for Scholarships Apply for SEAS

To register with VTAC and enter preferences online you need Java installed on your computer

What the registration includes: Identification: Students need to include their name and date of birth as registered with VASS and on CourseLink. If different use what’s registered then change. Citizenship type

The year 12 question! If the student answers no, the following screen appears:

Registration continued… Residential address Always use an Australian address – if students are going overseas check messages from the message centre in the User account. Include a four digit PIN Confirmation for students before submitting:

The VTAC user account The SEAS application is activated once the course application has been submitted.

The course application To add course preferences: Select institution and/or course or type in the course code. To move a course on the preference list use the up/down buttons. To delete a course use the x button.

Information and permissions

Confirmation screen

Payment screen

Cost of applying $27 immediate online payment (timely applic) $91 Late application $116 Very Late application Student’s responsibility to complete application accurately, answer all relevant questions and provide required information. Payment is via: Credit card/Visa or MasterCard Debit PayPal Don’t pay by the due date, the application won’t be processed and passed on.

Extra Requirements What is an Extra Requirement? e.g. Interview,Form,Folio,Audition What is Additional Information? Information Session, Bonus Points Pre-requisites Units 3 & 4 a study score of at least 30 in English (ESL) or 25 in any other English (Raw score not the scaled up score) VTAC Personal Statement Online access via VTAC User Account

Listing Courses Courses should be arranged in order of preference Maximum of 12 courses Applications close 27 September 2013 Safety net ….if still unsure students should……. Assess skills & strengths Use Job Guide, Course Search in VTAC site Know course options – single degrees, combined degrees, TAFE Have obtained information from Institutions, Open Days, parents, teachers… Employment prospects Style of learning TAFE (hands on) Uni (theory) Location & style of Campus Investigate majors, minors …..

Special Consideration – Special Entry Access Schemes Pages 28 - 42 Different types of special consideration: SEAS through VTAC Others directly to the institution The Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) is the umbrella program run by a number of institutions through VTAC Allows selection officers to grant special consideration to applicants who have experienced educational disadvantage It is not a get out of jail free card or a guarantee of getting into a course

SEAS Continued To access the SEAS application, applicants must: Register with VTAC and create their VTAC user account and Submit a course application SEAS only becomes available after the course application has been submitted. No course application, no SEAS. Support documentation must be in by the closing date. Students can go in and change/resubmit their SEAS as many times as they like before the closing date. Closes: 5.00pm 8 October

SEAS Categories include Category 1: Personal information and location Category 2: Non-English speaking background Category 3: Difficult circumstances Category 4: Disadvantage financial background Category 5: Disability or medical condition Category 6: Schools Access La Trobe (SALT) University of Ballarat (REEP) Victoria University (PPP) schemes.

Other institutions recognise these factors, but take their applications via Category 1. Applicants should apply for Category 1 to be considered for other university under-represented schools schemes.

SEAS Key to a successful submission: Meet all the eligibility criteria Tell the truth Keep the application individual Demonstrate IMPACT Clear and concise supporting documents Provide a timeframe for the disadvantage

Scholarships The scholarships application: Opens 9.00am 6 August Closes 5.00pm 18 October 2013 All students are encouraged to apply - let the system sort out if you are eligible or not. Victorian universities provide their own scholarships to assist students both through VTAC and directly. Scholarships determined via the VTAC scholarships application may be awarded to: students suffering with financial difficulties Indigenous Australians and other equity and access groups as defined by each institution.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank The ATAR: Is not a score out of 100 it is reported as a rank between 0.00 and 99.95 Allows tertiary institutions to compare students who have completed different combinations of VCE studies. Is calculated by VTAC solely for use by institutions. An ATAR of 75.00 means that a student with that ATAR has achieved VCE results that places them in the top 25% of the Year 12 age group.

Results and Change of Preference Results will be available on 16 December - internet ….resultsandatar.vic.edu.au - SMS (must pre register) Change of Preference 16 – 23 December (12noon) Period where students can add, remove or put preferences in different order. Mrs Connolly available at school

Golden Rules of Change of Preference Before changing preferences students should check: Last years selection data – don’t panic if the ATAR is slightly lower, still put it down. Selection data fluctuates annually. Extra requirements to make sure they are complete Prerequisites – to make sure they meet them.

How to read selection data The Clearly in: is the ATAR at or above which everyone who applied and was eligible for this course received an offer. The % below is the percentage of offers made to applicants with an ATAR lower than the clearly in. This also gives you some idea on the percentage of people who had an ATAR lower than the clearly in but received bonuses to boost them up into the offered group.

Offers Round 1 17 January 2014 Round 2 6 February 2014 Accepting an offer Offers and enrolment instructions can be accessed by logging into VTAC User Account (on VTAC website) at the specified periods for each offer round. Students also receive an offer letter by mail if VTAC fees paid. Verbal offers have no status. To accept the course students must enrol in the course.

The Offer Rounds If students do not pay their processing fee they won’t be considered for offers. All offers are provisional and subject to accurate information being supplied by the applicant. Rounds of offers: Round one offers – majority of offers are made Round two offers – smaller number of offers – filling places After round 1: Negotiated offer (for all applicants) Supplementary offers (for all applicants)

Offers Continued Always accept an offer you receive Never wait to see if you get a better offer in round two If you don’t accept any of the offers you have been made, you are not eligible for a supplementary offer Negotiated offers are no guarantee for an offer, unless the institution accepts you

Enrolment How do I enrol? Enrolment procedures will be outlined in offer letter (also available on student VTAC User Account) Students can only enrol in one course and are required to attend in person on a specific date and time. If unable to attend sudents must nominate a Proxy…..plan ahead

Negotiated Offers Ensure course requirements have been met, including extra requirements such as interviews, folios etc. Check place availability with the course selection officer and what additional documentation you may have to provide. Then: Complete the negotiated offer request in the VTAC user account If the status is pending, the student can choose to change their course request. If the status is approved, the student will receive an offer in the next round and is not eligible for any further offers. If the status is rejected the student can submit another request for another course.

Supplementary Offer Available only if student has not received an offer in Rounds 1 or 2 or Have not been granted an Negotiated offer Have given VTAC permission to release their application to all courses with vacancies

Things to remember Applying Interstate Always check for new/cancelled courses Change of Address Change of Pin Number Deferring GAP year Don’t panic

Important dates VTAC Applications Open now VTAC Applications Close 27 September SEAS Schemes close 8 October VCE Results & ATAR 16 December Via mail 17 December Change of Preference closes 23 December First Round Offers 17 January Second Round Offers 6 February