What if you don't get an ATAR?

• Victoria – VTAC
• New South Wales and the ACT – UAC
• Queensland – QTAC
• Western Australia – TISC
• South Australia and the Northern Territory – SATAC
• Tasmania – University of Tasmania

If you're in Victoria, not getting an ATAR doesn't close the door on university. Some courses accept students without an ATAR, and there are several other ways to get there.

• VCE Vocational Major. The VCE Vocational Major doesn't give you an ATAR, but some universities will still consider you for entry. Some courses don't need an ATAR at all: filter for “No ATAR” in VTAC's CourseSearch.
• VCE without an ATAR. Some universities and courses will consider you if you've completed the VCE but don't receive an ATAR.
• VET qualifications. A Certificate IV or higher can be used for entry to some university courses.
• Foundation, enabling and bridging courses. These can help you build the skills you need for university and create a pathway into a degree.
• STAT. Some applicants can use the Special Tertiary Admissions Test instead of recent Year 12 results.
• Early entry. Victorian universities run their own early-entry programs, which can look at things such as your Year 11 results, school recommendations or other information. There's no single scheme: you apply to each university directly, and VTAC keeps a list.

Check VTAC and the university you're interested in for the courses and pathways available to you.

No ATAR? You still have pathways into university in NSW and the ACT. UAC lists several options, and individual universities may have more.

• Diplomas and uni preparation programs. Completing one can lead into a bachelor degree, sometimes with credit towards your degree.
• TAFE and VET qualifications. UAC says universities may consider completed TAFE qualifications from Certificate IV upwards.
• Other study and experience. Depending on the course, a university may consider previous study, work or other experience.
• Early entry. UAC's Schools Recommendation Scheme uses things such as your Year 11 results and a recommendation from your school, rather than waiting for your final ATAR.

Check UAC and the university you want to apply to for the current options and requirements.

QTAC calls students who don't qualify for an ATAR “ATAR ineligible”. It sounds more dramatic than it is – you can still have a path into university.

• VET qualifications. QTAC says many institutions consider VET qualifications from Certificate III upwards and can use them to work out a selection rank.
• Keep building your qualifications. If you're still completing QCE subjects or VET qualifications, you may be able to qualify for an ATAR later.
• Foundation, enabling and bridging courses. These can give you another route into selected university courses.
• University pathways. Some universities have their own entry options for students without an ATAR.

Check QTAC and the university you're interested in to see which options apply to your course.

If you're in WA and you're not on an ATAR pathway, you can still get into university. The best route depends on what you've studied and the course you want.

• VET qualifications. A Certificate IV or higher can provide a selection rank for some courses, even though it isn't an ATAR.
• Experience-based entry. Some universities consider your work, life experience or other evidence that you're ready to study.
• Portfolio entry. Some courses let you show what you can do through a portfolio or other work.
• Foundation and pathway programs. Universities offer programs that can help you move into a degree.
• Early offers. WA universities offer early entry for selected courses, with applications made through TISC.

Check TISC and the university you want to apply to for the current options.

To apply to university with your SACE, the SACE Board says you need to complete it with at least 90 credits at Stage 2, mostly from Tertiary Admissions Subjects, and get an ATAR. If you don't have an ATAR, SATAC lists several other ways you may be able to get into university.

• Foundation and bridging courses. These can help you meet the requirements for a degree.
• VET qualifications. Certificate III and higher qualifications can be used when SATAC assesses your application.
• STAT. Some courses accept the Special Tertiary Admissions Test as another way to show you're ready for university study. You must be at least 18 by 1 February of the year you start (1 July for mid-year).
• Work and life experience. Some courses consider relevant experience when deciding whether you meet their entry requirements.

The options vary between courses, so check SATAC and the university you're interested in before you apply.

In Tasmania, you apply directly to the University of Tasmania rather than through a central admissions centre.

• Pathway programs. UTAS offers programs designed to help you build the skills you need and move into a degree.
• VET and other qualifications. Your previous study may give you another way into a degree, depending on the course.
• Alternative entry. UTAS has entry options for students who aren't coming through the standard Year 12 ATAR route.

Check the University of Tasmania for the current options for your course.

Some universities make offers before your final results are released. Instead of relying only on your ATAR, they may look at things like your Year 11 results, school recommendation, portfolio or other evidence.

• NSW and the ACT: UAC's Schools Recommendation Scheme uses things such as Year 11 results and school recommendations. Applications closed on 11 September 2026. If you applied, lock in your course preferences by 11:59pm on 5 November; offers come out on 12 November.
• Western Australia: universities offer early entry for selected courses through TISC, with offers on set dates: Monday 5 October and Wednesday 2 December 2026 (Notre Dame makes its own progressively). There's no extra fee beyond TISC's $95 application fee.
• Victoria: universities run their own early-entry programs, with their own rules and deadlines. You apply to them directly, and VTAC keeps a list.
• Tasmania: the University of Tasmania runs a Schools Recommendation Program for Year 12 students.
• Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory: we couldn't confirm a scheme run by QTAC or SATAC itself, so ask the universities you're interested in about their own.

These programs change from year to year, so check the current requirements and deadlines before you apply.

Yes. A TAFE or other VET qualification can be a genuine pathway into university. The qualification level matters, and exactly how it works depends on your state, university and course.

• Queensland: QTAC says many institutions consider VET qualifications from Certificate III upwards.
• South Australia and the Northern Territory: SATAC says your rank is usually based on the level of your qualification and can be adjusted if it's related to the course.
• Western Australia: TISC says a Certificate IV or higher can provide a selection rank for some courses.
• Victoria: VTAC says completing any part of a Certificate IV or higher meets minimum tertiary entrance requirements.

If you're considering a VET course as a stepping stone to university, check exactly how it will be treated for the degree you want. Don't assume every VET qualification works for every course.

A diploma can be another way into a bachelor degree. Diplomas usually take one to two years, and some universities give you credit towards a related degree. In some cases you can move into the second year of the degree, but the amount of credit depends on the course.

University preparation courses, also called enabling or bridging courses, are designed to help you build the skills you need for university. Since January 2025, FEE-FREE Uni Ready Courses have been enabling courses where the government pays the course fee. QTAC notes that finishing some of these can get you into selected courses at the same university, and can help you apply elsewhere too.

Before you enrol, ask the university one important question: does finishing this pathway guarantee me a place, make me eligible to apply, or just give me another qualification to use in my application?

My Shortlist lists bachelor degrees only. Diplomas, foundation and enabling courses aren't here yet; your admissions centre lists them.

STAT is an admissions test developed by ACER, with two separate tests: Multiple Choice and Written English. Some people use it when they don't have recent Year 12 results or their previous qualifications aren't suitable for direct entry.

Whether you can use STAT depends on your state, university and course.

• Victoria: VTAC uses STAT for some applicants without recent formal qualifications.
• Western Australia: TISC has age and eligibility requirements for STAT. To sit it with TISC, you must be 20 before 1 March of the year you want to start.
• South Australia and the Northern Territory: SATAC accepts STAT for some courses, subject to its eligibility rules. You must be at least 18 by 1 February of the year you start (1 July for mid-year).
• Queensland: QTAC generally uses STAT for eligible non-school-leaver applicants rather than current Year 12 students.
• New South Wales and the ACT: UAC can use STAT for eligible applicants without recent secondary education results, and says entry as a non-school leaver isn't based on age.

ACER itself doesn't restrict who can sit it. Its next online test window is 20 to 22 October 2026. Its Multiple Choice test costs $240 and Written English $225, rising to $250 and $230 from 1 January 2027, and it allows two sittings in 12 months. In metro Perth you sit STAT through TISC instead, which charges $225 for one test.

Check the relevant admissions centre for the current STAT rules, test dates and fees.

For some creative, performing arts and other courses, your ATAR isn't the whole story. You may be asked to show what you can do through a portfolio, audition, interview or other assessment.

These requirements are usually set by the university or institution, so check the course page to see what you'll need. VTAC says they're arranged with each institution directly, not through the admissions centre, and in WA, TISC describes experience-based and portfolio entry for students whose formal qualifications alone may not be enough.

Another option is to start with individual university subjects rather than enrolling straight into a full degree. Open Universities Australia says most of its undergraduate subjects are open to people over 18 without an ATAR, can be paid for with a HELP loan, and can count as credit towards a degree. The Department of Education confirms these subjects can count as credit towards a university degree.

This can be a useful way to show you're ready for university study, but check with the university you're hoping to enter before relying on the subjects for credit or admission.

• Ask whether finishing the pathway guarantees you a place in the degree, or just lets you apply.
• Ask how much credit you'll get. A pathway that looks shorter isn't necessarily shorter if you don't get much credit towards the degree.
• Check prerequisites. A pathway doesn't always remove subject prerequisites for the degree.
• Check the cost and whether you can use a HELP loan or other financial support.
• Ask what support you'll get once you start the degree. It's okay to ask for help – you want to know what's available before you need it. Nationally, 65.3% of students admitted on a basis other than their secondary school results finished a degree within nine years, against 77.5% of those admitted on school results. What completion rates tell you

And if your Year 12 results have been affected by hardship, illness or other circumstances, an access scheme may also increase your selection rank. Access schemes and their deadlines