YEAR 12 AND UNIVERSITY

Time is moving quickly and Year 12 students should be starting to seriously research university course preferences for their 2026 QTAC application. For assistance with this, students can book an appointment with the College Career Development Practitioner. Some other information that may assist Year 12 students includes:

• From May to September most of the Institutions have open days where students can get information about courses and check out the campuses.
• Students will receive the QTAC Guide through the school or be able to access it online through the QTAC website. It contains information about courses they can apply for through QTAC as well as the application processes.
• 19 - 20 July 2025 - Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) at the RICC Brisbane Showgrounds. Interstate universities will be represented at this Expo.
• From August 2025, students can access a range of up-to-date information about the 2025/26 QTAC application and offer processes and the courses offered from the QTAC website.
• 12, 13 & 14 May 2025 - Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Also, careers' expos will be held in regional centres throughout Queensland.
• 6 August - Assumption College Warwick Year 12 University Application Information Session.

Year 12 students should take advantage of all these opportunities to plan their immediate future. 30 September 2025 is the final date to apply for some courses through QTAC and is the end of the Early Bird application fee window. Students must check their QTAC book, when received, for critical application dates. Visit Home - QTAC for all things related to university in Queensland.

2026 UNIVERSITY EARLY ENTRY PROGRAMS OPEN NOW

It is that time of year when our Year 12 students considering applying to university should be starting to do their research and preparing for making applications to their universities and courses of choice.

One way to apply to a university is through an early entry program. Early entry programs at universities are designed to offer students a chance to secure a place in a university course before they complete their final high school examinations or receive their ATAR. These programs often assess students based on criteria other than their final exam results or ATAR, such as their Year 11 or mid-Year 12 grades, extracurricular activities, and personal statements.

To help our Year 12 students navigate the early entry programs at university, they can access the Early Entry Guide, published by ‘Study Work Grow’. Many of these early entry programs are open for application or are opening soon and Year 12 students should apply before these programs close. Students can access the Early Entry Guide via the Careers page on Canvas, where they will find many other Careers resources.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND (UNE) | EARLY ENTRY APPLICATIONS FOR 2026

UNE Early Entry is open to all Year 12 applicants, with or without an ATAR. Early Entry relies on a school’s assessment of applicants attributes and abilities: that is a student's ability to work and learn independently, and overall potential for academic success.

Apply with UNE directly and an offer can be made before the release of the Year 12 results. 

The UNE direct Early Entry program recognises that an ATAR score is not the only measure of future success at university.

For more information, please click here Early Entry - University of New England (UNE).

MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN AUSTRALIA

Queensland students interested in gaining entry to a medical course can apply to medical schools throughout Australia. The Australian Medical Council website has a list of Australian medical schools with links to each school. There are three major entry points for medical courses in Queensland. These are:

• Direct entry from Year 12 (Bond University and James Cook have this type of entry)
• Graduate entry after completing an undergraduate degree (Griffith University and the University of Queensland have this type of entry)
• Provisional entry for high achieving Year 12 students (Griffith University, University of the Sunshine Coast and The University of Queensland have this type of entry).

Doctor of Medicine Admissions

To apply for the Doctor of Medicine, students need to know which entry pathway they are eligible for. At UQ, the Doctor of Medicine (MD) is a 4-year postgraduate program. Explore the entry pathways into the MD program for high school students and university graduates. Click the link and find out more about:

Provisional entry programs

• Greater Brisbane provisional entry - Applying to UQ into the Greater Brisbane provisional entry pathway.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander provisional entry - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person students can apply through their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit
• Central Queensland and Wide Bay regional medical pathway - Based in Rockhampton and Bundaberg, study an undergraduate pathway to medicine program at CQ University and complete an MD at the UQ Rural Clinical School in Central Queensland or Wide Bay
• Darling Downs and South West Queensland medical pathway - Based in Toowoomba, study an undergraduate pathway to medicine program at the University of Southern Queensland and complete an MD at the Rural Clinical School in the Darling Downs – South West region.   

Pathways to Medicine at Griffith

An undergraduate degree at Griffith, can provide training to support an application for the Doctor of Medicine. The Bachelor of Medical Science is designed for high-achieving secondary school leavers and provides an opportunity to progress directly into the Doctor of Medicine:

• Bachelor of Medical Science

Other pathway programs include:

• Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Bachelor of Health Science
• Other key degrees - a 'key degree' can be an undergraduate degree, Honours, Masters or PhD in any study area - it does not need to be a Health-related discipline.

TORRENS UNIVERSITY OPEN DAY

Watch online and on demand as academics talk about the courses on offer and how students can get the most out of studying with Torrens. Learn about scholarships, internships and what sets them apart from other universities. Click here to choose from the following virtual open days:

• Business and Hospitality
• Design and Creative Technology
• Health and Education
• Technology.

UniSQ STUDY OPTION AND ADMISSION PATHWAYS

There are many ways students can start their higher education journey at UniSQ from studying while still in high school to pathways and undergraduate degrees. Some of these pathways include:

Head Start - UniSQ offers Head Start, a program that provides high school students with the opportunity to study a university subject while at school.

TAFE/VET pathways - As a TAFE or VET graduate, students can use their Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) awards of Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma to submit an application to study with UniSQ.

UniPrep - a pathway to most UniSQ undergraduate degrees for high school students focusing on developing academic skills to prepare them for transition to university and success in their chosen undergraduate degree.

Pathways to University - Regardless of ATAR results there are a number of pathways to help you achieve your tertiary study goal/s.

Early Entry  - Year 12 students who place UniSQ #1 on their QTAC application, can receive an early offer to UniSQ.

INTERSTATE TERTIARY APPLICATIONS

In addition to applying through QTAC for Queensland tertiary courses, applications can be made for courses in other states through their Tertiary Admissions Centres (TAC). All TAC applications are online and students should familiarise themselves with the application processes and key dates for applications.

• New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory - Universities Admissions Centre (UAC)
• South Australia and the Northern Territory -  South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC)
• Tasmania - Apply directly to the University of Tasmania
• Victoria - Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
• Western Australia - Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC).

'ENTRY TO MEDICINE' GUIDE

Students and their families are encouraged to check out the 'Entry to Medicine’ Guide available from Careers on Canvas. Click here for more information  Assumption College Careers: Careers.