University Admission 2008
Admission Requirements for Mature Age Applicants


Introduction
University Application Procedures
Mature Age Admission Requirements
International Applicants
University Admission Based on the Special Tertiary Admissions Test
TEE Admission
Common Requirements
University Specific Requirements
Disclaimer


Last Updated 2 January 2008

Introduction

This publication provides a summary of the admission requirements for mature age applicants of the four public universities in Western Australia.

If you are an Australian or New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident of Australia who will be 20 years of age or over before 1 March 2008, the following information applies to you.

This information is correct at 15 March 2007 and is based on submissions from the participating universities, and information relating to changes in upper secondary schooling in Western Australia, available from The Curriculum Council at the time of publication. It is relevant only for admission in 2008 and is subject to change without notice.

In particular, the universities reserve the right to change or withdraw any course that they offer, and/or vary arrangements for any course. Enquiries regarding university admission requirements should be directed to the individual university concerned.

TISC and the participating universities cannot accept liability for any incorrect advice received from sources other than TISC, the universities or the universities’ officially appointed agents.

Participating Universities

Curtin University of Technology
Edith Cowan University
Murdoch University
The University of Western Australia

Important Notice

Starting with the 2007 admissions year, university admissions requirements will reflect the changes occurring in upper secondary schooling in Western Australia as a result of the implementation of the Western Australian Post-Compulsory Education Review report, Our Youth, Our Future.

For 2008 admissions, Aviation, Engineering Studies, English, and Media Production and Analysis Courses will be recognised for the purpose of university admissions, providing students have sat the external assessment, and will be considered in the same way as TEE subjects. Achievement in these Courses and TEE subjects will be mapped to the same scale. Edith Cowan University may offer alternative pathways that do not require the external examination to be sat.

For the purposes of this publication, the term ‘subject(s)’ means both new Curriculum Council-developed Course(s) and continuing TEE subject(s).

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University Application Procedures

Information about applying to the universities and admission to undergraduate courses will be sent to TEE students at their schools in August 2007. Application will be via our website.

The closing date for applications without incurring a late fee is Friday 28 September. Offers of admission are made by the universities in the second half of January and in early February.

Any further information about application procedures may be obtained from TISC. Enquiries about mid-year entry, external studies, postgraduate studies, timetables and particular course requirements should be directed to the university concerned.

You need to apply for admission through TISC if you:

  • are an Australian citizen
  • are a New Zealand citizen
  • have been approved/granted permanent resident status

If you are not one of the above, you are an international student and you need to apply direct to the International Office at the relevant university.

 

Mature Age Admissions Requirements

You may qualify for university entrance by:

or on the basis of

  • results obtained in STAT, or
  • recognised tertiary qualifications (contact the individual universities for further information),
    or
  • such other qualifications and/or experience as an individual university may accept. (Contact the individual university for details.)

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Mature Age International Applicants

If you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia, you can qualify for admissions by:

  • meeting the normal WA school leaver requirements (see the 2008 Admission Requirements for School Leavers publication). Mature age international applicants are exempt from the WACE requirement, or
  • achieving an acceptable level of performance in the Western Australian Universities’ Foundation Program (WAUFP),

or on the basis of

  • recognised prior tertiary qualifications (contact the individual universities for further information), or
  • such other qualifications and/or experience as an individual university may accept. (Contact the individual university for details.)

International applicants or temporary residents who sit STAT can only use the results to supplement other entry qualifications or to prove English competence. Further information about courses and fees is available from the universities direct.

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Mature Age University Admissions Based on the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) is used by the four public universities in WA as part of their admissions procedure for mature age applicants.

As entry to most university courses is competitive, above average marks will usually be required. Please refer to the universities’ individual sections for specific details on using STAT as a basis for application.

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Mature Age TEE Admissions Requirements

As a Mature Age applicant, you will normally be required to:
  1. demonstrate English language competence - refer below for details; and
  2. obtain a sufficiently high Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) for entry to a particular university (see below); and
  3. satisfy any prerequisites or special requirements necessary to be considered for entry to particular courses.

Note: Although you may sit STAT, you will still need to satisfy the TEE prerequisite subject requirements for your preferred course of study.

The Tertiary Entrance Rank
A mature age Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) provides a means of ranking students for selection for university admission. Applicants for each university course are ranked in order of merit based on their TER.

The TER ranges between zero and 99.95 and is derived from the Tertiary Entrance Score (TES).

A mature age TES is normally calculated using scaled marks in two subjects. The average of the best two subjects is multiplied by 5.1. The maximum TES is 510. Examples of TES calculations are given below.

Subjects which are to be used in the calculation of a mature age TES must be taken in the same year and candidates must be 19 years of age or over before 1 March in the year these subjects are taken.

It is not necessary to include a List 1 (Humanities/Social Sciences) subject and a List 2 (Quantitative/Sciences) subject in the TES calculation but applicants do need to be aware of unacceptable subject combinations. In addition, applicants should note that some courses have specific prerequisite subjects. (Refer to the individual university sections for details of these requirements.

It is not necessary for a result in English Course or TEE English or English Literature to be included in the TER.

In calculating the final score for TER subjects, equal weight is given to the marks obtained in the final examinations and those from school assessments, except where subjects are taken on a private basis (see explanation under TEE subjects studied on a private basis). All scores are scaled/moderated before they are used for university entrance purposes.

Please refer to the individual university sections for additional university specific criteria on calculation of Tertiary Entrance Ranks.
 
List 1 (Humanities/Social Sciences) List 2 (Quantitative/Sciences)

TEE Subjects
Ancient History
Arabic
Art
Chinese:  Advanced
Chinese:  Second Language
Drama Studies
Economics
English (not offered after 2006)
English Literature
French
Geography
German
Hebrew
History
Indonesian: Advanced
Indonesian: Second Language
Italian
Japanese: Advanced
Japanese: Second Language
Malay: Advanced
Modern Greek
Music
Political & Legal Studies

Courses
English
Media Production and Analysis

TEE Subjects
Accounting
Applicable Mathematics
Biology
Calculus
Chemistry
Discrete Mathematics
Geology
Human Biology
Information systems
Physical Science
Physics

Courses
Aviation
Engineering Studies

Unacceptable Subject Combinations
The following subject combinations are not acceptable in relation to the calculation of the TER.  While both subjects may be taken, the result in only one may be used to calculate a TER.

Biology and Human Biology
Chemistry and Physical Science
Chinese: Advanced and Chinese: Second Language
Discrete Mathematics and Applicable Mathematics
Discrete Mathematics and Calculus
English (TEE) and English Literature
English (TEE) and English Course
English Literature and English Course
Indonesian: Advanced and Indonesian: Second Language
Indonesian: Advanced and Malay: Advanced
Japanese: Advanced and Japanese: Second Language
Malay: Advanced and Indonesian: Second Language
Physics and Physical Science
 

TEE Subjects Studied on a Private Basis
If you wish to sit subjects on a private basis, you must enrol with the Curriculum Council. It is possible that not all Courses will be available to private candidates. The scaled score in subjects sat privately will be based on the examination mark only (out of 100) and may be used in the calculation of a mature age TER.

Examples of Calculation of a Mature Age Entry TES

Example 1 – Four TEE Subjects

In 2005 the applicant was 17 years of age and was over 19 on 1 March 2007.

   
  Scaled Scores
   
2007 English 74
2007 Applicable Maths 58
2005 Biology 52
2005 Chemistry 32
   

Two subject average

74 + 58 = 66
     2

Multiply by 5.1 = 336.6

TES = 336.6

The TES is then converted to a TER. As a guide, use the summary version of the conversion table on TISC’s website.

This applicant is eligible for admission to all universities but in the case of UWA the applicant would also be required to complete the STAT requirement. (See University Specific Requirements).

A TES could also have been calculated using a 4 subject average but in this case would clearly be less than the 2 subject average. Had the 4 subject average been higher than the 2 subject average, it would have been used for admission to Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University.

The University of Western Australia allows subject marks that contribute to the 4 subject TES to be accumulated over two consecutive years, not three, and therefore in this case would not allow accumulation of subjects contributing to the TES.

Example 2 – Two TEE Subjects

This applicant is 19 years of age by 1 March 2007.

 
Scores

 

2007 Human Biology  66
2007 Applicable Maths 64
   

Two subject average

66 + 64  =  65
    2

Multiply by 5.1  =  331.5

TES  =  331.5

Using the conversion table, provided English Competence has been demonstrated, this applicant would be eligible for admission to Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University.  For The University of Western Australia the applicant would also be required to complete the STAT requirement. (See University Specific Requirements.)


Prerequisites
Prerequisites are the subjects or special requirements that need to be successfully completed for a student to be considered for entry to particular university courses. In TEE subjects, this is generally a scaled mark of 50 or more.

For some university courses the special requirements may include bridging/special course units, interviews, auditions, folio presentations, manual dexterity tests, aptitude tests, fitness requirements, etc. Information regarding any special requirements is only partly provided in this publication. Detailed information is available from the individual universities.

The results of applicants who sat the TAE/TEE in a previous year may be used to satisfy prerequisites. If you completed such subjects prior to 2003 you should contact the individual universities to determine whether or not these results are still acceptable for prerequisite purposes.

For an outline of prerequisites and preferred subjects click here.

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Mature Age TEE Admission Requirements  

Competence in English

For university admission purposes, usually you demonstrate competence in English by achieving prescribed performance in English Course, TEE English (not offered after 2006) or TEE English Literature or TEE English as a Second Language (ESL). You can meet the competence in English requirement with results obtained in any year.

See below for The University of Western Australia’s requirements.

STAT
A mark of at least 145 in the Written English test of STAT satisfies the competence in English requirements.

English Course

Curtin University of Technology
You must achieve a scaled mark of at least 50.

Edith Cowan University
You must achieve a scaled mark of at least 50 or a final standard of at least level 5 in Course school assessment.

Murdoch University
You must achieve a scaled mark of at least 50.

English Course sat on a private basis (if available) can be used to meet all universities’ competency in English requirement (see Subjects Studied on a private basis).

TEE English Literature
You must achieve a final scaled mark of at least 50 in TEE English Literature. For Edith Cowan University only, a letter grade of A, B or C in TEE English Literature is acceptable.

TEE English Literature sat on a private basis can be used to meet the universities’ competence in English requirement (see Subjects Studied on a Private Basis).

TEE English as a Second Language (ESL)
If your first language is not English, an acceptable level of achievement in TEE ESL can be used. Each year the universities decide the mark required. If ESL is not available at your school, you should take English Course or TEE English Literature and also contact the universities for details about alternative acceptable English tests.

Concessions

Curtin University of Technology
If you have not met the requirement for Curtin University of Technology above, Curtin University of Technology will concede competence in English to you if you have:

1 achieved a TER above the minimum specified annually by Curtin University of Technology, and
2

achieved a standardised moderated numeric school assessment or standardised numeric examination assessment of at least 60 in English Course or TEE English Literature.

If you have:

3 satisfied condition 1, but not 2, and
4

achieved a scaled mark less than 50 in English Course or TEE English Literature or obtained a mark lower than the acceptable mark in TEE ESL, then Curtin University of Technology will invite you to demonstrate your competence in English by sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Written English component or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) early in January.

Edith Cowan University
If you have not met the requirement for Edith Cowan University above, Edith Cowan University will concede competence in English to you if you have:

1 achieved a TER above the minimum specified annually by Edith Cowan University, and
2

achieved a standardised moderated numeric school assessment or standardised numeric examination assessment of at least 60 in English Course or TEE English Literature.

If you have:

3 satisfied condition 1, but not 2 and
4

achieved a scaled mark less than 50 in English Course or TEE English Literature or obtained a mark lower than the acceptable mark in TEE ESL, then Edith Cowan University will invite you to demonstrate your competence in English by sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) early in January.

Murdoch University
If you have not met the requirement for Murdoch University, see above, Murdoch University will concede competence in English to you if you have:

1 achieved a TER above the minimum specified annually by Murdoch University, and
2 (i) achieved a standardised moderated numeric school assessment or standardised numeric examination assessment of at least 60 in English Course or TEE English Literature or
  (ii)

sat the English Course examination and achieved a final standard of at least level 5 in the Course school assessment.

If you have:

3 satisfied condition 1, but not 2(i) or (ii), and
4 achieved a scaled mark less than 50 in English Course or TEE English Literature or obtained a mark lower than the acceptable mark in TEE ESL , then Murdoch University will invite you to demonstrate your competence in English by sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) early in January.

TEE English
For the three universities, you have satisfied a university’s current competence in English requirement if you have satisfied that university’s competence in English requirement previously, via results in TEE English.

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University Specific Requirements

Curtin University of Technology

Admission Based on STAT
To be eligible for entry to the university you will need:
  STAT MC a minimum score of 145
    and
  STAT WE a minimum score of 145

IMPORTANT The scores for STAT WE and at least one component of STAT MC will need to equate to a notional Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) equal to or greater than the cut-off rank for the course(s) for which you are applying. STAT is not suitable for all courses; and some courses require specific components of STAT MC (ie Verbal or Quantitative, or both). Check below to see if STAT can be used for entry to the course(s) you are interested in.

All applicants for admission to Curtin are required to provide separate evidence of satisfactory performance in an approved test of English in addition to their qualifications. Attainment of 145 in the STAT WE will satisfy Curtin’s English competency requirement.

Applicants Who Sat TAE/TEE in a Prior Year
Applicants may combine TEE results obtained in the previous two years with current year results to form a normal school leaver TER. The higher of the school leaver TER or mature age TER will be used for admission purposes.

Applicants who sat TAE/TEE in a previous year and did not qualify for admission will be reassessed under the current entry requirements.


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Edith Cowan University

Tertiary Entrance Rank
A bonus will be applied for students with a TEE language subject other than English. The Tertiary Entrance Score of eligible students will be boosted by 10% of their final scaled mark in a language subject other than English. The Tertiary Entrance Rank will then be calculated on the basis of this enhanced Tertiary Entrance Score. Where students complete more than one TEE language subject other than English, the bonus will be calculated on the basis of the language subject with the highest final scaled mark.

Admission Based on STAT
To be eligible for entry to the university you will need:
  STAT MC a minimum score of 115 for either component (see below)
    and
  STAT WE a minimum score of 145

Some courses require a minimum satisfactory score in either the Verbal or Quantitative component of the Multiple Choice test. To find out what is required for the course of your choice, see below.

Courses which have a science or mathematics prerequisite require a mark of at least 145 in the Quantitative component of STAT MC

All Law courses require a mark of at least 145 in the Verbal Component of the STAT MC.

For some courses, such as the performing or visual arts, satisfactory auditions, interviews or submission of past work are essential admission requirements.

Applicants Who Sat TAE/TEE in a Prior Year
Applicants may combine TEE results obtained in the previous two years with current year results to form a normal school leaver TER. The higher of the school leaver TER or mature age TER will be used for admission purposes.

Applicants who sat TAE/TEE in a previous year and did not obtain a rank sufficiently high to be considered for entry will be assessed by the university in terms of the minimum entry ranks for the current year.

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Murdoch University

Calculation of the Tertiary Entrance Rank
Mature age applicants who have undertaken no postsecondary study and want to study Chiropractic Science, Law, Nursing or Veterinary Science as Standard Undergraduate applicants (Category 1) are advised that they should study four subjects in the one year. Applicants applying on the basis of fewer than four subjects are ineligible for Category 1 and will be considered as Other Undergraduate applicants (Category 2). They should note that there are a limited number of places available in Category 2 and that they are competing for a place along with applicants who may have completed a year or more of tertiary study.

Admissions Based on STAT
Prospective students who do not have any evidence of recent academic attainment to support their application are encouraged to sit STAT Multiple Choice and STAT Written English. To be eligible for most courses you will need a mark of at least 145 for either component of the Multiple Choice test and a mark of at least 145 for the Written English test. Achieving the academic minimum does not guarantee admission to a particular course. Due to competition for places, individual courses may cut higher than the academic minimum.

In addition to sitting STAT, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief personal statement in support of their application for university admission. This statement should be approximately one page and should outline the candidate’s reasons for selecting the chosen degree programme and explain why he/she believes the degree will be successfully completed if a place is offered. It may include a brief resume of any occupational, educational or personal experience which indicates a capacity for successful tertiary study.

Applicants should note that admission to courses where quotas restrict the number of new students may not always be available on the basis of STAT results. STAT is not considered to be a suitable qualification for entry to Chiropractic Science, Veterinary Science or Law.

Applicants Who Sat TEE in a Prior Year
Applicants may combine TEE results obtained in the previous two years with current year results to form a normal school leaver TER. The higher of the school leaver TER or mature age TER will be used for admission purposes.

The TER should be no older than ten years if it is the sole academic basis of admission.

Applicants who sat TEE in a previous year and did not qualify for admission will be reassessed under the current entry requirements.

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The University of Western Australia

Mature Age applicants must meet all the requirements outlined below for consideration via Entry Route A, B or C.

Potential Mature Age applicants for Medicine are strongly encouraged to consult the Admissions Centre for advice on their entry status prior to enrolling in any course of study.

Entry Route A – STAT alone

  • This entry route is not available to International Students

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts, and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences offer places to students seeking admission to the following degrees based on results in STAT Multiple Choice (Verbal component) and STAT Written English test.

  • Agriculture+
  • Arts
  • Arts (Asian Studies)
  • Arts (Communication Studies)
  • Arts (European Studies)
  • Arts/ Education (combined course)
  • Conservation Biology and Management+
  • Environmental Design (leads to Bachelor of Architecture)
  • Fine Arts
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Music*
  • Music/Arts (combined course)*
  • Music Education*
  • Musical Arts*
  • Restoration Ecology (Albany Centre only) +
  • Science (4-year)+
  • Social Work

* Audition is also required.
+ These courses also require a pass in any TEE mathematics subject (or equivalent).

To be eligible for entry into Semester One under this route, STAT must be taken by November of the previous year. Entry under this route is extremely competitive, and applicants should be aware that meeting the minimum requirement as listed below is not a guarantee of selection. As in all entry routes, the stronger the results, the greater the likelihood of being offered a place.

Both sections of STAT must be taken.

Marks required:  
STAT Multiple Choice (Verbal Component)  A mark of at least 150; AND
STAT Written English   A mark of at least 155.

Entry Route B – Four or Five Subject TER

  • This entry route is available to International Students
  • This entry route is available for ‘standard entry’ to MEDICINE and DENTISTRY for students who have never undertaken any tertiary study and have not previously qualified for entry to the university.

The admission requirements for mature age applicants who elect to take four or five TEE subjects are the same as those for school leavers (see University Admissions 2008 Admission Requirements for School Leavers), except that mature age applicants are exempt from the ‘WACE’ requirement.

The normal English language competence requirement must be met by the achievement of a final scaled mark of at least 50 in either TEE English or English Literature. Eligible candidates for whom English is a second language may obtain a suitable level of achievement in ESL or another approved test of English.

Applicants who have met all other admission requirements and achieved a scaled mark below 50 in TEE English or English Literature will be invited to sit an alternative test, for example STAT (if not already sat in the current STAT year) or IELTS early in January.

A four or five subject TER must include at least one List 1 and one List 2 subject and all prerequisites must be satisfied. For prerequisite information refer to the University’s prospectus or Prerequisites on this site. Subject marks that contribute to a four or five subject TER may be accumulated over two consecutive years.

Entry Route C – Two Subject TER plus STAT

  • This entry route is not available to International Students.
  • This entry route is not available for ‘standard entry’ to MEDICINE or DENTISTRY.

Entry on the basis of a two subject TER includes the following requirements:

1 STAT Multiple Choice (Verbal component) and STAT Written English; and
2

two subjects taken in one year from Lists 1 and/or 2 of Western Australian TEE subjects.

To be eligible under this entry route, mature age applicants must:

1 obtain a minimum score of 150 in STAT Multiple Choice (Verbal component) and 145 in STAT Written English; and
2

obtain a minimum combined scaled score of 50 in the five years prior to that in which admission is sought, in all TEE subjects which are prerequisites for entry to a particular course; and

3 obtain a sufficiently high TER to gain a place in the course.

TEE subject prerequisites are available from this website or are published in the University’s prospectus.

Applicants may choose to take more than two TEE subjects in one year (for example, in order to meet the prerequisites for Engineering), but the TER will be calculated using only the two best subjects.

A TER for this entry route is only calculated when the minimum STAT scores are achieved.

STAT may be taken prior to the TEE year.

Applicants who sat TAE/TEE in a Prior Year
Those applying for courses on the basis of a TES/TER gained prior to 2003 will be considered on an individual basis by Faculty Selection Committees.

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Disclaimer

The universities reserve the right to change or withdraw any course that they offer and/or vary arrangements for any course.  Enquiries regarding university admission requirements should be directed to the individual university concerned.

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