23 Sep 2021
Overview

Year 12 is already pretty stressful, but I think we can all agree that this year has really outdone itself on the stress-factor scale. You might have heard your parents, teachers or careers advisors talk about early access offer programs for unis - but there’s still a lot of myths and misconceptions about how they actually work. If you’re looking for ways to take some of the stress out of your final exams, here’s the rundown on how it all works:

First of all, what are early offer programs and how do they work?

Usually when you apply for a uni degree or course, they’ll take a look at your ATAR to figure out if you’re eligible for an offer. The ATAR’s based on a combination of the marks you get in class all year through your assessments, plus your trials and final exams. Some universities offer you the chance to enter into a uni course based on your performance during the year, before you’ve gotten your ATAR!

What's in it for me?

Exams aren’t for everyone, and stacking on the stress of thinking about whether you’ll get into the course you want probably won’t do you any favours either. Not to mention that lockdown has definitely thrown a bit of a spanner in the works!

Essentially, early offer programs take the stress out of the pointy end of Year 12 by locking in your options before your big exams. You also get some extra flexibility when it comes to choosing your course and location preferences at any time before the closing date.

Do I need to have great marks to be eligible?

Not at all! Usually for higher-demand subjects they might have some higher marks requirements, but no matter what your marks are, there’s bound to be an early-offer program that’ll work for you.

 

For instance, Southern Cross University has the STAR program, which is split into three categories, with different requirements:

  • STAR Platinum: If you have a B or Band 4 average across all subjects plus a principal’s letter of recommendation for your chosen degree, you can apply for any Southern Cross University undergraduate degree*, including Education, Engineering, and Law.
  • STAR Entry: If you’re passing all of your Year 12 subjects and have a principal’s letter of recommendation for your chosen degree, you can apply for a range of degrees - but this one doesn’t include Education, Engineering, or Law.
  • STAR Pathway: If you don’t think you’re getting the results you’d like to this year, Southern Cross Uni still has options for early offers. You can start out with a Diploma, a Transition to Uni program, or their Preparing for Success program. It’s important to remember that there’s always a path to get where you want to be, that doesn’t have to hinge on your Year 12 marks!

That sounds great - how do I get started?

Each uni will have their own process but for Southern Cross University it’s as easy as heading over to the STAR Early Offer page, getting those all-important docs together (including your marks or principal’s letters of recommendation), and taking a look at what’s on offer.

Make sure you get to it soon - applications for the early offer program are wrapping up by the end of this month!