Bachelor of Development Studies / Bachelor of Social Science

As someone who recently completed secondary education, either at high school, TAFE or another VET provider, you will generally be considered for entry based on your Selection Rank (SR). Some degrees have additional entry requirements such as auditions or interviews and where required you will find these listed on the relevant degree page.

Try to choose what you are most interested in and then research some back up options with lower Selection Ranks (SR) to put as your later choices. A good tip is to look at degrees that may have similar first year subjects. This will help you reduce your overall study time if you want to apply to transfer to your degree of choice after the first year. We also recommend choosing one of our free pathway programs as a backup option as your fifth preference on your UAC application. Selection Ranks (SR) requirements for our degrees do change from year to year so only use the Selection Rank (SR) as a guide.

You should start planning your way into uni from Year 10 onwards. Think about:

• Using our study areas to narrow down study options based on what you are interested in
• Come and speak to us at events like Open Day, Schools Visit Day and campus tours
• Check the Assumed Knowledge and Recommended Studies of the degrees you are interested in
• If you are a high performer you can get a head start by completing some uni subjects while still at school
• Sign up to our mailing list for regular updates
• Have a look at adjustment points and other entry schemes that may give you an extra boost
• Decide on some back up options like Open Foundation and other entry pathways if you don't get the required marks
• See our Application FAQs .
• Have questions? Ask a student.  We know you must have heaps of questions about university life – what’s needed to get into your degree, where to go for support, what on-campus accommodation is available and of course, where to find the best coffee. Jump on our website to chat to one of our Student Ambassadors.

Secondary results don’t have a use-by date, so even if you completed high school 20 years ago, these results may be used to apply to the University of Newcastle. You can use your ATAR or equivalent (UAI, TER etc) to apply irrespective of when you completed Year 12.

It can be complicated to calculate your Selection Rank (SR) based on high school results prior to the introduction of the ATAR in 2009. Contact us at 1300 275 866 and let us do the calculating for you.

If you don’t think you will meet the Selection Rank (SR) for admission there are other options to get in depending on your situation:

• Open Foundation
  • Complete this program full-time (in a single semester) or part-time (up to 2 years) to get guaranteed entry to over 40+ degrees or to receive a new University Selection Rank.
• Yapug
  • Complete this program full-time (in two semesters)  or part-time (up  to 2 years) to gain entry into an undergraduate degree at the University of Newcastle.
• Diploma in Engineering
  • Complete this program full-time (in one year) or part-time (up to 4 years) to get entry into one of our Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degrees.
• Undergraduate Certificates
  • Complete this program full-time  (in a single semester) or part-time (two semesters) you can gain up to 40 units of credit and receive guaranteed entry into a number of related degree programs.
• Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Admission Scheme
  • Get entry help by identifying you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
• Elite Athlete Program
  • Get adjustment points and support by applying as an elite athlete.
• Special Tertiary Admissions Test
  • Complete this test for a mark for entry into some of our degrees.

For advice on these other options please contact us by calling 1300 275 866.

If you studied vocational education and training, the type of qualification, whether or not you completed it, and if it was graded or competency-based will all be taken into consideration to assess your eligibility for admission. TAFE and private providers, as well as some universities, typically offer Certificate III, IV and Diploma Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) awards. Some also offer Advanced Diploma and Associate Degrees.

For admission purposes, and to ensure fairness and transparency among applicants with different types of qualifications, all assessable qualifications are converted to a selection rank. Selection ranks from different individual qualifications are not combined or added together to form a rank. The highest of the two numbers will be the one used to assess your eligibility for admission. Different selection ranks are assigned to VET courses with graded assessment and competency based (ungraded) assessment. The tables below provide information on how to assess your selection rank based on your AQF qualification.

TAFE Guaranteed Entry

Many of our students come to us after completing TAFE studies. You can gain guaranteed entry into many of our 2021 undergraduate programs if you have previously completed an accredited Certificate IV, Diploma, or Advanced Diploma at TAFE or another registered training organisation (RTO).

Complete Graded AQF Diploma or AQF Advanced Diploma

Complete and Incomplete Ungraded AQF Diploma or AQF Advanced Diploma

Complete Graded AQF Certificate III or AQF Certificate IV

Please note: Certificate III qualifications and below are not accepted for the Bachelor of Nursing program.

Complete Ungraded AQF Certificate III and AQF Certificate IV

Note: Incomplete VET studies must be AQF Diploma level or above and more than 0.2 of a full time student (FTE) to be considered for admission.

It is probably best to contact our Enquiry Centre on 1300 275 866 to discuss your qualifications and grades. Our team are happy to advise you on your options.

Your previous qualifications may also make you eligible for credit to your degree. This will cut down on your study time. You can apply for credit before you start. See our credit page for more information.

If you don’t think you will meet the requirements for admission there are other options to get in depending on your situation:

• Open Foundation
  Complete this program full-time (in a single semester) or part-time (up to 2 years) to get guaranteed entry to over 40+ degrees or to receive a new University Selection Rank.
• Yapug Complete this program full-time (in a single year) or part-time (up to 2 years) to gain entry into an undergraduate degree at the University of Newcastle.
• Undergraduate Certificates Complete this program full-time (in a single semester), or part-time ( up to 2 semesters)  to receive up to 40 units of credit and gain entry into a number of related undergraduate degrees.
• Diploma in Engineering Complete this program full-time (in 1 year) or part-time (up to 4 years) to gain entry into a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree at the University of Newcastle.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Admission Scheme
  Get entry help by identifying you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
• Educational Access Scheme
  Get up to four points if you have experienced educational or other disadvantage.
• Elite Athlete Program
  Get adjustment points and support by applying as an elite athlete.
• Special Tertiary Admissions Test
  Complete this test for a mark for entry into some of our degrees.

If you completed higher education or partial higher education studies your grade point average (GPA) (or Grade Average as a percentage for pathway programs like Open Foundation or Yapug) can be converted to a selection rank to be used for admission purposes. To ensure fairness and transparency among applicants with different types of qualifications, all assessable qualifications are converted to a selection rank. The selection rank from this qualification is not added to your ATAR. The highest of the two numbers will be the one used to assess your eligibility for admission.

If you have completed a degree and want to move onto postgraduate study please see our Postgraduate website.

Bachelor degree studies

*Your GPA can only be calculated if you have completed at least 20 units of study. A full-time study (FTE) load is usually 80 units per year.

Completed pathway (also known as enabling or tertiary preparation) programs

If you are currently studying a degree at the University of Newcastle and want to transfer across to another degree, please see our Internal Transfers page for current students for more information.

If you have completed or are soon to complete an Enabling Pathways program (Open Foundation or Yapug) you can apply with us directly for free for most degrees. Please visit the Your Next Move website for more information.

If you want to transfer or complete a tertiary preparation program at another university you will need to apply through UAC. Please contact our Enquiry Centre 1300 275 866 for information and advice.

If you think you may be eligible for credit please visit our credit section.

If you’re applying on the basis of overseas secondary qualifications, there are some that are considered as equivalent to an Australian Year 12 qualification. Note that equivalence of qualifications alone does not guarantee entry into programs. For admission purposes, and to ensure fairness and transparency among applicants with different types of qualifications, your overseas qualification will be converted to a selection rank so you can be compared to other applicants.

For advice on your options please contact us by calling 1300 275 866 or visit AskUON.

If you haven’t completed any formal secondary, VET or higher education studies we offer a range of options to get you on the pathway to your dream degree. Our recommended pathways are:

Pathway programs (Open Foundation and Yapug)

The University of Newcastle is the largest provider of pathway programs in Australia. If you haven’t studied for a while, or your high school results weren’t what you expected, you can start at university with one of our pathway programs. Our pathway programs offer guaranteed entry to over 40+ University of Newcastle degrees. When you complete this program your Grade Point Average as a percentage can be converted to a selection rank to be used for admission purposes. The programs on offer are:

• Open Foundation
  Completing our Open Foundation pathway program will award you a new rank to apply to uni.  Finish Open Foundation in just a single semester or take your time - up to 2 years. Flexible study supports you to learn at your own pace, including online, part-time or full-time options.
• Yapug
  If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student you could complete our one year Yapug pathway program.
• Diploma in Engineering
  Complete this program full-time (in one year) or part-time (up to 4 years) to get entry into one of our Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degrees.
• Undergraduate Certificates
  Complete this program full-time  (in a single semester) or part-time (two semesters) you can gain up to 40 units of credit and receive guaranteed entry into a number of related degree programs.

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Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test or STAT is an aptitude test, organised through the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), that assesses a range of competencies considered important for successful tertiary study. If you are over 18 and not a current Year 12 student, results from the STAT multiple-choice test can be used for entry into some (but not all) of the degrees offered at the University of Newcastle. Make sure you look into which degrees accept STAT for entry.

If your qualification is not listed and you are unsure whether you can use it to gain entry please contact us on 1300 275 866 or AskUON.

If your qualification is not listed and you are unsure whether you can use it to gain entry please contact us on 1300 275 866 or AskUON.

Non-Award Admission

If you want to do one or two subjects at the University of Newcastle but not a full degree you can apply for non-award admission. You may want to do this for preliminary work for a higher degree, professional requirements or because of an interest in the area.

Find out more and apply by visiting Non-Award Admission.

Cross-Institutional Study

If you are currently at another university and want to do one or more subjects at the University of Newcastle for credit you can apply for Cross-Institutional Study.

Find out more and apply by visiting Cross-Institutional Study.

If you have more than one of the qualifications listed above they may all count towards your application. We are always happy to provide advice and discuss your circumstances so please contact us by calling 1300 275 866 or by submitting a question using AskUON. Otherwise check out our application FAQ.

Senior secondary school qualification

Admission to our undergraduate degree programs usually requires successful completion of a senior secondary school qualification similar to the Higher School Certificate (HSC), the highest educational award in New South Wales schools. To check if your qualification is recognised for direct entry into the University of Newcastle, please refer to the entry requirement tables below.

International Undergraduate Admission Requirements - Asia

International Undergraduate Admission Requirements - Rest of World

International Undergraduate Admission Requirements - South Asia

International Undergraduate Admission Requirements - Europe

Post-secondary study

Further education like diplomas and university study can also be assessed for admission.

Additional requirements

Some of our programs have additional requirements like an audition, or portfolio.

Applicants who do not speak English as a first language must demonstrate that they meet the University's English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy.

The Australian Government operates a student visa program that enables people who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents to undertake study in Australia. A person who wants to undertake a course of study under the student visa programme must obtain a student visa before they can commence a course of study in Australia. A successful applicant must be both a genuine temporary entrant and a genuine student.

An applicant who is a genuine temporary entrant will have circumstances that support a genuine intention to temporarily enter and remain in Australia, notwithstanding the potential for this intention to change over time to an intention to utilise lawful means to remain in Australia for an extended period of time or permanently. All Australian education providers must have strategies and arrangements in place to ensure that all students and prospective students meet the requirements with Direction 69 as a condition of admission to the institution.

When your application for admission is received, the University of Newcastle will assess this against university entrance requirements including: minimum age, English and academic entry requirements. To comply with Australian law your application will also be assessed to check that you are genuinely seeking temporary entry to Australia to study. You may be asked to provide the University of Newcastle with evidence addressing Ministerial Direction 69 as part of finalising your admission. If the University forms the opinion that you are not a Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) it may refuse to assess your application, withdraw an offer of a place, or cancel your confirmation of enrolment.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection in Australia will also assess each application for a student visa (subclass 500) against the applicant’s intention to stay temporarily in Australia as a genuine student. The criteria for this assessment are outlined in Ministerial Direction 69. Applicants that don’t satisfy the criteria under Direction 69 will not be granted a student visa.

For more information, please refer to the following areas of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website:

• Student Visa (Subclass 500)
• Direction No 69 - Assessing the Genuine Temporary Entrant Criterion for Student Visa Applications (PDF, 52.4KB)