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Everything you need to know about offers

It’s time – offers are starting to roll out. Whether you’ve received an offer or you’re still waiting, here’s what you need to know.

How are offers determined?

It’s universities rather than the Tertiary Admission Centres, who decide who will be made an offer. This decision is based on whether or not you satisfy entry requirements, and the demand for the course. You can receive a maximum of one offer in each offer round. The offer you receive will be for the highest preference for which you satisfy the entry requirements.

How do I find out if I’ve received an offer?

Start by understanding when to expect your offer to arrive. Offers are released from the Tertiary Admission Centres (UAC, QTAC and VTAC) during ‘offer rounds’.  The offer rounds that apply to you will depend on when you submitted your application.

Each Tertiary Admissions Centre has a slightly different way of notifying you of your offer:

• UAC release offers in a secure area of their website, but they will send you an email letting you know to login to the website. They also have an app you can download.
• QTAC will notify you of your offer by email, and sometimes SMS.
• VTAC will email you, and your offer information will be available in your VTAC account.

Within two days of receiving your offer, you will also receive an email from the university with information on how to accept your offer and enrol. Please note, if you applied direct to an institution, that institution will send you your offer (it will not come from a Tertiary Admission Centre). So, if you have applied directly to ACU, you will receive your offer from us, not from QTAC, UAC or VTAC.

I’ve received an offer – what next?

First, congratulations! Receiving an offer is a great achievement. Now you can choose to either accept, decline, or defer your offer.

Accept your offer

If you’re happy with your offer, you need to accept it by enrolling before the deadline. It’s important to understand that just receiving an offer does not secure your place in that course – you still have to follow the enrolment procedures of the university. If you received an offer through QTAC, you also need to respond to QTAC whether you want to accept, decline or defer your offer (as well as the university).

Within two days of receiving your offer, the university that made it will send you an email with your next steps, including instructions on how to enrol. After you’ve enrolled and accepted your offer – that’s it! You’re officially a university student. The hard work is done and now you can look forward to orientation and your first semester of study.

Decline your offer

If you wish to decline an offer, please consider the decision carefully. There’s no guarantee you’ll receive an offer in later rounds, so by turning the offer down, you may be passing on the opportunity to study at university that semester.

Decided that an offer isn’t for you? Then you simply do not enrol in the course, just advise us by completing the DC (Decline Course) form.

Defer your offer

So you got an offer that you’re happy with, but you’re just not ready to start university? Maybe you want to go overseas for a year, enter the workforce, or the timing isn’t right. Deferment lets you delay starting your course, usually for up to a year. Some institutions let you defer for longer, while others do not allow deferment at all.

For example, at ACU we understand there are times you might want to delay starting your course. If you’re a new undergraduate student and you haven’t enrolled in any units, you can defer starting your course for a maximum of 12 months. Learn more about deferring.

I didn’t receive an offer

If you didn’t receive an offer, it’s most likely because you didn’t meet the entry requirements for your course preferences. We understand this can be disappointing, but don’t despair – you still have options. You may be eligible for later offer rounds, so consider changing your preferences, or you can consider pathway options.

If you’re sure you met the entry requirements but still didn’t receive an offer, you can contact the relevant TAC or the institution directly to find out why.

I received an offer, but I think want to study a different course

If you’re in this situation we recommend you do two things:

• accept your current offer

and

• take a careful look at changing your preferences.

By accepting the offer, you’re assured a spot in a course, so it’s a good safety net. Remember, if you turn an offer down, down there is no guarantee you’ll receive another offer in later rounds.

We also suggest you look at changing your preferences and make sure the course you really want to study is at the top. If you receive an offer to a lower preference in an offer round, you'll automatically be considered for your higher preferences in subsequent rounds. You can also accept the offer and change the order of your current preferences, or submit a completely new list of preferences. But remember to keep the course you’ve been offered listed as a preference (probably the lowest).