1. Applying for tertiary study in Victoria
A complete guide to applying for courses, SEAS, and scholarships through VTAC
Presented by Ms Vivian Seremetis, Careers Coordinator, Mazenod College Monday 5th August 2019
VICTORIAN TERTIARY ADMISSIONS CENTRE
40 Park Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
Telephone:
Facebook: | Twitter: twitter.com/vtacguide | Youtube:

2. What is VTAC?
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central point for applications to Victorian universities, TAFEs, and Independent Tertiary Colleges.
VTAC also calculates the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) for Victorian Year 12 students.
Connect with VTAC today to receive updates, tips, and timely reminders:
Facebook: facebook.com/vtacguide
Students won’t be applying individually to each institution, but instead submitting one application through VTAC for up to 8 course preferences.

3. The VTAC application process – key dates
5 August Applications open
27 September Timely applications close
11 October SEAS and Scholarships applications close
12 December Victorian ATAR released
18 December December offers released
15 January January offers released
3-24 February further offer rounds
Late February Most courses commence classes
All dates are available on the VTAC website and in the back of the VTAC Year 11 & 12 Guide

4. In this session Finding and comparing course information
Research
Finding and comparing course information
Making sure you’re eligible
Apply
Creating a VTAC account
Filling in your course preferences
SEAS
Applying for special consideration, including under-represented groups
Applying for scholarships
Offers
Getting your course offer
Accepting, deferring, rejecting

5. RESEARCH

6. Compare course information for all tertiary institutions in Victoria
CourseSearch
Compare course information for all tertiary institutions in Victoria
Advanced search options include filtering by institution, area of interest, and qualification level
Available at vtac.edu.au
Ability to ‘save’ or ‘ ’ a shortlist of courses – will be shown features of this during your one- on-one appointment
CourseSearch lets you search across all the institutions at once – good for comparing courses
Information displayed in CourseSearch is provided by institutions
2019 CourseSearch available from late July

7. The VTAC CourseSearch app
Available free for iOS and Android
After downloading, browse course information online or offline
You can also use the Prerequisite and Course Explorer from inside the app – enter your VCE studies to find courses where you meet the prerequisites
The app will automatically update with the latest course info whenever online.

8. Prerequisite and Course Explorer
Enter your VCE study program to see which courses you meet the prerequisites for
Refine your search by area of interest, institution, qualification level, and more
Prerequisite and Course Explorer available with course info from late July.
Can save a program and then compare it to a new search to e.g. see the impact of adding/dropping a subject.

9. Year 11 & Year 12 Guide Information about how to apply
A guide to researching and making decisions
Interviews with students and professionals in various areas
Copy distributed today at this session or download for free at the VTAC website.
Of importance, contains information on creating a VTAC account, organizing your preferences, applying for SEAS and Scholarships.
The Guide does not contain course information.
PDF download is located in the “Publications” section of the VTAC website.

10. Different types of tertiary courses
VET
Cert II-IV
Diploma
Advanced Diploma
Higher Education
Associate Degree
Bachelor Degree
Graduate courses
You can list both VET and Higher Ed courses on your VTAC preferences
Current Year 12 students not eligible for Graduate courses

11. What’s in the course description?
Course design
Essential Requirements and Admission Criteria
ATAR profile (for courses using the ATAR)
Policy information
Information in course entries is provided by the institution offering the course.
Look out for: information about the course itself, explain why looking at major studies can be useful
Draw attention to essential requirements and admission criteria
Course design
A description provided by the institution offering the course
Which campus?
How long does the course take to complete?
What kind of career options are there?
Essential requirements
Which prerequisites do I need to get in?
Do I need to do an interview or audition?
Are there any advantages to studying certain VCE subjects?
Is special consideration available?
Policy information:
Can I get credit for study I’ve already done?
How do I apply?
Where can I get further information?

12. What requirements might exist?
Prerequisites
Any VCE subjects you must complete to be eligible for an offer
Interview
Personal statement
Audition
Folio presentation
CASPer test Online test needed for most teaching courses
Subject adjustments Extra points for completing VCE subjects relevant to the course
SEAS Special consideration
CLICK to spotlight in order:
Prerequisites
Explain that prerequisites exist for all higher ed courses
CLICK Personal statement
Not needed for most current Y12s, read course description carefully before filling it out
CLICK CASPer test
Compulsory online test needed for most teaching courses in Victoria
CLICK Subject adjustment
Explain the concept and that these are applied automatically if specified in the course description
CLICK to show all categories again
Information about how to organise e.g. auditions and interviews is found in each course description. Contact the institution if it’s unclear how to complete a requirement.
We’ll talk about SEAS in a bit.

13. Two types of essential requirements
You need to complete these to apply and receive an offer
Essential requirements for selection and application
Prerequisites
Interview
Audition
Pre-selection kit
Essential requirements for enrolment or graduation
Immunisations
Police check
Working with Children Check
You don’t need to complete these until you have successfully received an offer
These are just some examples of each type and there may be other requirements under these headings

14. The ATAR profile
This information helps applicants to understand how competitive entry is for a particular course
This is information from last year’s selection process as a guide for next year
Some institutions may additionally provide links to ATAR profiles which include direct applicants

15. Subject adjustment tool
Again, on the VTAC website, there is a tool that students can use to see the effect of a subject adjustment. For example, if you receive an ATAR of 67 and a course you are interested in offers an adjustment of 4 aggregate points for students who achieve a subject score of 30 & above in Accounting, then the course selection rank that a university will use in your new adjusted ATAR of 70.05
It is very important to be aware of any subject adjustments offered in some courses before you decide to remove a course from your preference list in December.

16. Ranking applicants Selection rank ATAR 95.00 ATAR1
Mel
95.00 ATAR 2
Geri
90.00 ATAR 3
Victoria
85.00 ATAR 4
Emma
80.00 ATAR 5 AJ
75.00 ATAR 6
Howie
70.00 ATAR
Selection rank 1
Mel
95.00 ATAR
= selection rank 2
Geri
90.00 ATAR +subject adjustment
= selection rank 3 AJ
75.00 ATAR
+ SEAS
+ subject adjustment
= selection rank 4
Victoria
85.00 ATAR
= selection rank 5
Emma
80.00 ATAR
= selection rank 6
Howie
70.00 ATAR
= selection rank
Every course has some way of ranking applicants. In this example, they are using the ATAR but also taking into account special consideration and subject adjustments. For a different course they might be starting with e.g. the score from an audition, rather than ATAR.
Let’s go through all six applicants in turn.
CLICK Mel did not receive any adjustments, so her selection rank is the same as her ATAR,
CLICK Geri received a subject adjustment for completing a relevant VCE subject, so her selection rank is higher than her ATAR: 94.00
CLICK Victoria did not receive any adjustments, so her selection rank is the same as her ATAR
CLICK Emma did not receive any adjustments, so her selection rank is the same as her ATAR
CLICK AJ received a subject adjustment like Geri but also special consideration through SEAS, so his selection rank is a fair bit higher than his ATAR.
CLICK Howie did not receive any adjustments, so his selection rank is the same as his ATAR
This course had 4 places available for the 6 people applying, so who got the offers?
CLICK the offers went to the applicants with the highest selection rank
If we copy these same offers across to the ATAR list (CLICK), we can see that the people with the highest selection rank were not completely the same as the people with the highest ATAR.

17. Publishing information (ATAR-based selection only)1
Mel
95.00 ATAR 2
Geri
90.00 ATAR 3
Victoria
85.00 ATAR 4
Emma
80.00 ATAR 5 AJ
75.00 ATAR 6
Howie
70.00 ATAR
Selection rank 1
Mel
95.00 ATAR
= selection rank 2
Geri
90.00 ATAR +subject adjustment
= selection rank 3 AJ
75.00 ATAR
+ SEAS
+ subject adjustment
= selection rank 4
Victoria
85.00 ATAR
= selection rank 5
Emma
80.00 ATAR
= selection rank 6
Howie
70.00 ATAR
= selection rank
Lowest ATAR to receive an offer
Lowest selection rank to receive an offer
So what information gets published about this course to tell you how competitive it was to get in?
CLICK first, the lowest ATAR to successfully receive an offer
CLICK second, the lowest selection rank to successfully receive an offer
Explain why lowest sel. rank is the best number to look at
Remember it’s last year’s data, might change for next year.

18. STEPS TO APPLY

19. Create a VTAC account
All VTAC applications are completed online using the same VTAC ID and PIN
Creating an account is a simple question-based process
If you’re a current Year 12 student, make sure you enter your student number so that we can access your results later in the year
One registration only
To correct errors, change the details online or call VTAC. Do not create another registration.
For current Year 12 applicants, use a personal, not school address
Some school addresses are deactivated by the time offer s are sent
Four digit PIN
Lost PINs can be retrieved from the log in form.
Nominate a proxy if needed
VTAC cannot discuss your application with anyone except you (not even your parents) unless you have specified an authorised nominee when registering.

20. VTAC account
Highlight location of message inbox – a copy also sent to

21. Applying for courses List up to eight courses/institutions
Preference order – always list courses in the order you want to get into them
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.
Explain why preference order matters – you won’t find out about lower preference courses
Be careful with X button – if a course has an early closing date and it is removed after that closing date, it can’t be re-added

22. How to order your preferences video
Animated video available on the VTAC YouTube channel (VTACMedia - media/videos)
Covers how the preference system works, including why it’s important to list preferences in order of most wanted courses

23. Supplementary offers
No offers in Round 1 or 2
Your details released to institutions with places available
They may contact you to suggest a course you hadn’t applied for
If interested, enrol for the course with the institution

24. Course application: payment
2019 timely application fee for current year 12 students: $39
Late fee $113 / very late $148
Application fees are paid using a credit or debit card via PayPal (PayPal account is not required)
VTAC encourage applicants to make payment at the time of submitting an application, to avoid issues with the application down the track:
Payment deadlines – domestic year 12 applicants
To receive a printed ATAR statement
5pm, Monday 9 December
To be eligible for December offers
4pm, Saturday 14 December
To be eligible for January offers
4pm, Thursday 19 December

25. Change of Preference
After applying, you can change your course preferences free-of-charge as many times as you like while Change of Preference is open
Check the deadlines carefully prior to the start of each round
The first deadline is for the December offer round, at 4pm on Saturday 14 December 2019
Get your preferences in the order you want by this date to maximise your chance of getting the offer you want
COP Counselling at Mazenod: Thursday 12th December and Friday 13th December, 9am-4pm. Online bookings will open in Term 4.
No limits or extra fees for change of preference.
COP is closed for two weeks in November during selection for early offers (which are not available to current Year 12 students).

26. SEAS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

27. Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS)
SEAS is the special consideration program used by most institutions
Filling out a single SEAS application will cover all of your eligible preferences
Primarily for students who have suffered long-term disadvantage
Except: Category 1 (Personal Information and Location) – everyone should apply (essentially this is just opening the application, ticking YES and submitting)
SEAS allows selection officers at institutions to grant special consideration for course entry to applicants.
A single application for all eligible preferences

28. Applicants in ATAR order
What can SEAS do?
Applicants in ATAR order 1
Mel
95.00 ATAR
= selection rank 2
Geri
90.00 ATAR +subject adjustment
= selection rank 3
Victoria
85.00 ATAR
= selection rank 4
Emma
80.00 ATAR
= selection rank 5 AJ
75.00 ATAR
+ SEAS
+ subject adjustment
= selection rank 6
Howie
70.00 ATAR
= selection rank
SEAS does not exempt you from completing essential requirements and compulsory admission criteria.
You must study course prerequisites, attend all interviews, sit any required tests, and submit all required folios and forms.
SEAS is not a guaranteed entry scheme or reserved quota, but may allow you to gain entry to a course with a lower ATAR than otherwise
Show how in the example from earlier, special consideration through SEAS allowed AJ to get an offer ahead of Emma, even though AJ’s ATAR was lower.

29. SEAS categories Category 1: Personal information and location
As simple as ticking a box
All applicants should apply for this category
Category 2: Disadvantaged financial background
Category 3: Disability or medical condition
Category 4: Difficult circumstances
E.g. disruption to living situation, affected by illness or death of relative/friend, natural disaster, refugee status
Apply for as many categories as relevant to your circumstances, but do not claim the same circumstances under multiple categories

30. Financial documentation
Documentary evidence of benefit or family tax benefit in immediate family
Impact statement
Statement of support A
(applicant’s own CRN) OR OR
CRN only possible if it’s in the applicant’s name
OR documentary evidence if it’s in a parent’s name
OR impact statement and statement of support
NO SCREENSHOTS for Centrelink doco
Evidence must be no older than 3 months at the time of submission.

31. SEAS documentation – categories 3 & 4
Where needed:
Impact statement – written by applicant
Statement of support – written by health practitioner or relevant responsible person
Impact statements without an accompanying statement of support will not be considered.
For more information about SEAS documentation, visit
Read the information provided today in your VTAC pack!
More information and examples online

32. Scholarships
VTAC collects scholarship applications for many institutions
One application, many institutions
Scholarships are not just for academic performance
Many equity scholarships have similar documentation requirements to SEAS
Statements must be submitted separately for each using the correct coversheet.
List of scholarships available on the VTAC website
Including scholarships which require direct applications to institutions
Scholarships are not just for students! Everyone should apply.
Again, advice for scholarships in provided in your pack of information!

33. OFFERS

34. Six offer rounds
This graph is based on the real offer numbers from last year. The majority of offers are made in the earlier rounds.
This is why the 14 and 20 December COP deadlines are so important.
Video: Change of Preference (2mins)

35. 2pm Next day Offer advice From: VTAC
Enrolment instructions From: Institution
2pm
Accept
Defer
Reject
Advise students to check enrolment deadlines carefully. These are set by institutions so are not all the same.
Enrolment is with the institution, not VTAC
Next day

36. Always accept an offer
Reject
We strongly advise students to always accept an offer, unless they don’t want it even as a back-up option.
The offer process will continue regardless of whether you have accepted or rejected your offer.

37. You will be automatically considered for any higher preferences
Higher preference courses. Automatically considered in future rounds.
Offered course – can’t be removed but can be moved
Lower preferences. Not considered unless moved above offered course.
If they are happy with their preferences, they can just leave them alone and they will be automatically considered for any higher preferences.

38. Change of Preference Counselling
Ms. Seremetis is available for 2-days:
Thursday 12th December, 9am-4pm
Friday 13th December, 9am – 4pm
Mr. Rolfe, VCE Coordinator will be available on Thursday 12th December for ATAR related questions or VCAA study score questions/concerns
Institutions will be running Change of Preference Events or Advice lines (online or telephone) on Friday 13th December and over the weekend.
Change of Preference CLOSES Saturday 14 December, 4pm
RE-OPENS Wednesday 18 December, 4pm
CLOSES Friday 20 December, 4pm.
Next round of offers: Wednesday 15 January 2020, 2pm

39. SO WHAT NEXT?

40. Application dates for Mazenod College VTAC applicants:
Book an appointment with Ms Seremetis to get assistance in selecting your 8 preferences via the google doc!
Attend Open Days in August (Open Day list attached)
All applications are done at school in homeroom groups
Last 2 weeks of term allocated time to chase up students who missed application sessions and to assist eligible SEAS applicants
Homeroom
Application Date
Location
Cagney, Coghlan & Foynes 
Tuesday 3rd September 2019
Lecture Theatre
Gavin, James & Lombard
Thursday 5th September 2019
Mannix, Ryan & Simmonds
Tuesday 10th September 2019
May run only if required
Thursday 12th September 2019

41. More information Need help?
At school? Talk to Ms Seremetis or send an
Call VTAC on (03)
VTAC through your VTAC account
Send VTAC a Facebook message
More information
Step-by-step info on the VTAC website
Articles in the VTAC Year 11 & Year 12 Guide (printed copies at school or free PDF online)
Fact sheets on the VTAC website
Short videos on our YouTube channel