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Admission to Coursework Procedure

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Section 1 - Scope

(1) This Procedure supports the Admission Policy, and applies to applicants for:

coursework programs
non-award study, including the Enhanced Studies Program
cross institutional coursework study; and
internal (UQ) program change.

(2) Higher Doctorates, Professional Doctorates, and shorter form credentials are not covered by this Procedure.

(3) The attached schedules are part of this Procedure.

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Section 2 - Process and Key Controls

(4) Applications for admission undergo comprehensive assessment and evaluation following established processes.

Part A - Admission

(5) For admission to a program, applicants must meet:

the specified admission requirements available through the UQ Study website; and
the minimum English language proficiency requirements as outlined in the English Language Proficiency Admission Procedure.

(6) Specific admission application processes and requirements are available through the UQ Study website, and selection criteria are detailed in Schedule 1 for the Doctor of Medicine Program, and on the UQ Study website for other programs with limited places.

(7) Admission to Commonwealth supported places is only available for domestic applicants.

(8) Applicants for cross-institutional study must meet any course-specific prerequisites and should apply through the Cross-institutional Study website.

(9) Applicants who have previously been excluded or had their enrolment cancelled at UQ or another tertiary institution must disclose the circumstances as part of their application for admission.

Admission Schemes

(10) UQ may establish admissions schemes with additional or alternative admissions requirements, including adjustments, to admit applicants who have been educationally disadvantaged.

(11) Admission schemes and their requirements are approved by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the Academic Board.

Master’s Programs

(12) Applicants not qualifying for direct admission may meet requirements by completing the preceding qualifications within the suite of study.

Non-award Study

(13) Applications for non-award study are assessed against the following admission requirements:

meeting minimum age requirements or obtaining appropriate approval (refer to ‘Applicants under the age of 16’)
satisfying minimum academic prerequisites for the course; and
meeting the minimum English Language proficiency requirements.

(14) Applicants for the Enhanced Studies Program must also meet the Enhanced Studies Program admission requirements available through the Enhanced Studies Program website.

(15) The courses available for non-award study are determined by the Executive Dean.

Applicants Under the Age of 16

(16) Applicants must normally be 16 years of age at the commencement date of a program or course.

(17) Applicants under 16 years of age at the commencement date of a program or course will be considered for admission under exceptional circumstances, and approved for admission by the Academic Registrar following consultation with the Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty where:

program or course content and delivery is deemed suitable and appropriate;
welfare arrangements and support services are in place;
appropriate supervision is in place; and
a parent or guardian has agreed to the conditions outlined to the applicant.

Part B - Offers

(18) UQ reserves the right to set a program quota and/or sub-quota to limit the number of offers made based on strategic objectives and resource and funding availability. This includes determining how many international and domestic applicants will be selected and receive an offer for a program.

Selection

(19) Applications for admission will be assessed against the published admission requirements.

(20) In cases where demand exceeds the number of available places in a course or program, UQ may use selection criteria to rank applicants competitively based on academic achievement, English language proficiency, and educational disadvantage considerations. Eligible applicants may be ranked as detailed in Schedule 2.

(21) An application for the Doctor of Medicine program will be assessed against the selection criteria set out in Schedule 3 (2024; 2025-).

Issuing Offers

(22) An offer of admission may only be made to an applicant who has satisfied the admission requirements.

(23) Offers of admission are extended through Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC), Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS), or directly by UQ through the Academic Registrar.

(24) Only the Academic Registrar may authorise an offer of a fee-paying place.

(25) All offers will specify the program or course, location, and commencement date.

Part C - Acceptance of an Offer

(26) Applicants must accept their offer by the date provided in the offer letter and enrol or defer in order to retain a place in a program. Otherwise their offer will lapse, and they must reapply for admission.

Part D - Deferral of an Offer

(27) Requests for deferral must be submitted via the process outlined on the Deferring Studies website.

(28) The Executive Dean decides which programs are available for deferral.

(29) Unconditional offers for programs where deferral is available can be deferred for up to 12 months. Conditional offers cannot be deferred.

(30) Preconditions may be placed on deferral approval and the applicant will be required to demonstrate currency of English language proficiency at the time of enrolment.

(31) If a program offered for deferral is discontinued during the deferral period, applicants will be notified and may seek an alternate program provided they meet the admission requirements.

(32) Deferral applications must be received within the timeframe specified in the offer letter. If no timeframe is specified in the offer letter, applications for deferral must be received by the census date of the approved semester of commencement of the program.

(33) Approved deferrals lapse if applicants fail to enrol by the due date provided in their approval or fail to comply with specified deferral conditions.

(34) Extension of deferral in extenuating circumstances may be considered.

(35) Extension requests for deferrals must be submitted in writing to the relevant admissions area (Domestic or International) for consideration by the Senior Manager.

Part E - Change of Residence Status

(36) The Academic Registrar may, when appropriate, approve transfer from a fee-paying international place to a Commonwealth supported place. Applications should be submitted following the process available through the Changes to Residency, Visa or Citizenship Status website.

(37) International applicants granted Australian permanent residency, humanitarian visas, or Australian/New Zealand citizenship may request a transfer to a domestic place. Details for eligible applicants seeking Commonwealth supported places are available on the What is a Commonwealth Supported Place? website.

(38) After commencing in a program, international students undergoing a change in residence status can follow the process outlined in the Enrolment Procedure to apply to transfer to a domestic place.

Part F - Program Change

(39) Applications for program change are subject to the admission requirements for the new program.

(40) Admission into programs may be competitive – satisfying minimum entry requirements does not guarantee admission.

(41) Students applying for program change should follow the application processes and requirements for program change available through the Changing Programs website.

Part G - Withdrawal of or Refusal to Make an Offer of Admission

(42) The Academic Registrar may refuse to make an offer or withdraw an offer:

if it is found that the applicant failed to:
1. qualify for admission to the relevant program or meet all conditions of their offer;
2. comply with the provisions of a program requirement; or
3. provide complete and accurate information relevant to their application for admission, whether submitted by the applicant or on behalf of the applicant.
if it is found that the applicant has had the validation of documentation associated with their application withdrawn by the issuer.
where information used as the basis for admission cannot be verified either because:
1. the applicant fails to provide original documentation for verification when requested; or
2. the validity or currency of documentation provided cannot be determined by UQ.
if UQ determines an international applicant is not meeting the Department of Home Affairs’ Genuine Student requirement criterion for a student visa (or equivalent criterion).
where an applicant who has previously been a student of UQ or another tertiary institution:
1. has had their enrolment suspended and the suspension has not been lifted;
2. was denied permission to enrol and has not been granted permission to re-enrol (for example, following unsatisfactory academic progress or an assessment of being unfit for university study).

(43) The Academic Registrar may also refuse to make an offer or withdraw an offer:

if they reasonably believe:
1. the applicant poses a risk to other students, staff, themselves, or the UQ or broader community;
2. the applicant is not a genuine applicant.

Part H - Review of Decisions

(44) In the first instance, an applicant may seek clarification or information regarding admissions decisions by contacting the Admissions team that managed their application.

(45) A request can then be sent to the Academic Registrar’s office for reconsideration of the decision. Decisions must be considered by the Academic Registrar prior to the submission of an appeal.

(46) An applicant may appeal an admission decision to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

(47) Appeals must be in writing and lodged using the Complaints Management System.

(48) An applicant may only appeal if:

the applicant has satisfied all UQ and program admission requirements
the applicant provides supporting documentation demonstrating that the admission decision was incorrect due to an incorrect application of procedures, rules or policies, or an administrative error ; and
the appeal is submitted no later than one week before the commencement of the semester to which the application relates.

(49) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) will, within a reasonable time after considering the appeal;

make a decision on the appeal
give the applicant written notice of the decision.

(50) The decision of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) is final.

(51) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) may authorise the offer of a place in a program arising from a successful admission appeal.

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Section 3 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Position	Responsibility
Vice-Chancellor	• Approves entry scores and selection ranks used for the allocation of offers for select programs. • Approves admission schemes for coursework programs. • May waive the strict application of the Procedure, or direct that a manual offer be made in respect of a particular applicant, in exceptional circumstances subject to conditions.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)	• Defines minimum academic requirements for non-award study. • Is the decision-maker for formal appeal decisions
Executive Deans and Associate Deans (Academic)	• Reviews coursework program requirements, entry scores and selection criteria used for the allocation of offers for select programs (in accordance with the Academic Program Review Procedure) or as otherwise required. • Determines whether a required award to satisfy the admission requirements for a program has been completed at the minimum level for entry as referenced by the Australian Qualifications Framework. • Determines courses available for non-award study. • Approves a particular program or intake to be exempt from the maximum deferral period. • Approves a program change for a student enrolled at UQ in first semester to a program in second semester.
Academic Registrar	• Approves offers of admission to programs. • Responsible for UQ’s admission processes and determining that applicants are qualified for admission. • Authorises the offer of a Commonwealth supported place to an applicant nominated through an approved admission scheme. • Makes offers of fee-paying places to international or domestic applicants. • Authorises changes from fee-paying international places to domestic fee-paying or Commonwealth supported places. • Approves applicants under 16 years of age for admission under exceptional circumstances. • Refuses to make an offer or withdraws an offer in certain circumstances and determines the circumstances for future offers to an applicant who has [previously been refused an offer or had an offer withdrawn]. • Is the decision maker for formal admission complaints excepting appeals. • May authorise the offer of a place in a program in exceptional circumstances arising from a successful admission appeal. • Considers / reconsiders admission decisions prior to an appeal • Is the decision-maker for: – Decisions related to a refusal to make an offer or the withdrawal of an offer to an applicant due to a reason cited in clause 42 and 43; and – Any future decision to issue an offer to the applicant; and – Any related time periods and conditions related to an offer.
Senior Manager admission areas	• Approves requests for an extension of a deferral of an offer beyond one year.

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Section 4 - Monitoring, Review and Assurance

(52) The Academic Registrar will periodically review the effectiveness of this Procedure.

(53) Compliance with this Procedure is overseen by the Academic Registrar and the Academic Board's Committee for Academic Programs Policy, through its Coursework Admission Standards Sub-Committee.

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Section 5 - Recording and Reporting

(54) In addition to the requirements of the Information Management Policy and Privacy Management Policy:

details of programs and courses are recorded in UQ’s Programs and Courses Catalogue;
details of non-award study are maintained by the relevant faculty; and
records concerning a person’s admission, enrolment and progression including UQ decisions are filed in the applicant's or student’s record in UQ systems.

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Section 6 - Appendix

Definitions, Terms, Acronyms

(55) The following definitions apply for the purpose of this Procedure.

Terms	Definition
Applicant	A person applying to study at UQ.
Admission scheme	A scheme with alternative requirements for admission to a program which has been approved by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the Academic Board.
Associate Dean (Academic)	The relevant Associate Dean (Academic) of the faculty administering the program, or in the instance of non-award study, the Associate Dean (Academic) of the faculty administering the course.
Census date	The final date to finalise enrolment for the study period as advised by the Academic Registrar.
Commonwealth supported place	A place at a university or higher education provider where the Australian government pays part of a domestic student’s fees. This part is a subsidy, not a loan, and doesn’t have to be paid back.
Course	A distinct unit of study for which a grade is given. Each course is identified by its alphanumeric code, a title and a fixed unit value.
Deferral	For a person who is offered a place, the postponement of the person’s admission to the place.
Domestic applicant/student	An applicant/student who is: • an Australian citizen or dual citizen of Australia; • a New Zealand citizen; or • the holder of a permanent visa for Australia or a humanitarian visa.
Educational Disadvantage	Individuals that have experienced disadvantage in their ability to access or pursue education. This may include persons that: • are from non-English speaking backgrounds; • have a disability; • are women in non-traditional areas; • identify as Indigenous (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander); • are from low SES (socioeconomic status) locations; • are from regional and/or remote locations; and • are on humanitarian visas.
Extenuating circumstances	When used for deferral applications, this includes evidence of severe medical conditions or disabilities, significant financial hardship, legal obligations such as military service, or other extraordinary situations that prevent a student from commencing or resuming their studies within the standard deferment period.
Fee-paying place	A place in a program that is not a Commonwealth supported place.
Executive Dean	The Executive Dean of the faculty administering the program, or in the instance of non-award study, the Executive Dean of the faculty administering the course.
GEMSAS	The Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System.
International applicant/student	An applicant/student who is not a domestic applicant/student; also called an overseas applicant/student.
Manual offer	An offer processed manually where such an offer has been approved in accordance with the approved admission schemes, admission appeals or where the provisions of this Procedure has been waived. Situations where a manual offer may be applicable include: • alternative admission schemes; • assessment error; • successful appeal; and • Performing Arts/Talent-based Course.
Non-award study	Where a person is enrolled as a UQ student to study one or more courses without being admitted to a UQ program. This includes enrolment in university experience programs and cross-institutional study.
Place	Either a Commonwealth supported place or a fee-paying place in a program.
Program	An approved sequence of study leading to the award of a UQ qualification such as an undergraduate degree or diploma, a postgraduate coursework qualification, or a higher degree by research.
Program requirements	The courses to be taken to complete the program and any other specific conditions of the program including admission, enrolment and progression requirements.
QTAC	The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre.
Quota	The number of offers to be made.
Selection Criteria	The criteria used to assess an applicant’s competitiveness compared to others after accounting for all relevant adjustments.
Selection Rank	The admission score assigned to an applicant in accordance with Schedule 2.
Student	A person enrolled at UQ.
Student visa	A student visa (such as subclass 500 or equivalent) which is a temporary visa that allows an international student to stay in Australia to study full-time in a recognised education institution.
Suspend or suspended	Suspended from entering UQ’s land, sites or part of the land or sites or engaging in an activity as a student of UQ under a UQ policy or procedure applicable to students.

Schedules

(56) The following schedules and tables form part of this Procedure: