Unlocking the Secrets of UAC Admissions

1
Unlocking the Secrets of UAC Admissions

• Friday 10 December 2004
• Council Chamber
• UNSW

2
Who are we?

• Will Johncock, Admissions Assessment Officer
• Rebecca Kimber, Team Leader, UAC Admissions
• Sonia Nitchell, Head, UAC Admissions Equity
  Programs
• Kathryn Whittingham, Manager, Admissions
  Student Recruitment
• UNSW STUDENT SERVICES

3
What are the key dates?

• 3 December Early Round (UNSW does not
  participate in the Early Round)
• 17 December NSW HSC results e-release
• 18 December UAIs e-released by UAC
• 21 December Mail HSC results and UAIs
• 5 January Preliminary Round (ADFA and on-shore
  HSC International offers) Accept Online opens
  for these applicants
• 5 January UNSW Info Day

4
more key dates

• 6 January Close change of preferences for
  Main Round
• 19 January Release of Main Round Offers
• 20 January Accept/Enrol Online opens
• 28 January Last day to Accept offers
• 2 February Late Round Offers
• 9 February Final Round Offers
• 18 February Last day to Enrol
• 21 February OWeek begins

5
Who are UAC applicants?

• Broadly two groups of applicants
• A current or recent HSC only, UPP only
• B hold multiple qualifications (eg. secondary,
  several tertiary) or tertiary only
• Group A are straightforward
• only qualification on which to assess for entry
  is their secondary or bridging rank (UAI or
  equivalent)
• UAC converts non Aust Year 12 quals to provide
  equivalent admission rank (eg IB 30 pointsAR
  90.40)

6
Who are UAC applicants? (cont)

• Group B generally more complex
• - usually have both a secondary rank AND one or
  more tertiary ranks
• - UNSW will look at some ranks but not others
• - Tertiary ranks are derived from UAC Schedules
  (agreed to by all institutions in NSW/ACT)
  depending on grades achieved in each
  qualification
• - overall assessment of an applicant will differ
  depending on the UNSW program to which they are
  applying

7
What does UAC do?

• Provides a centralised system for allocating
  offers to local undergraduate applicants
• UAC does what we ask them to they do NOT make
  decisions about which applicants we make offers
  to
• At UAC assessors specific to UNSW process our
  applicants according to guidelines we provide and
  in close consultation with Rebecca

8
What is an Admissions Rank?

• A rank derived from a qualification or work
  experience which can be used to differentiate
  applicants for admission to university
• All qualifications/work experience are assessable
  BUT not all are recognised by UNSW
• UNSW considers
• Year 12 qualifications (Australia and some
  overseas eg. HSC, A Levels, IB)
• Completed TAFE/private provider qualifications
• (minimum level - AQF Certificate IV)
• Tertiary study (minimum of one full time year
  0.75FTE)

9
What is the UAI?

• An example of an Admissions Rank (ie secondary,
  SR)
• The UAI indicates the rank of a NSW/ACT Year 12
  student, relative to their age group
• Based on an aggregate of a range of scaled HSC
  marks
• The UAI is a numerical value with the range
• 0.00 to 100.00
• A UAI of 100 does not mean a perfect score
• Students may be eligible for a Limited UAI if
  they were at least 20 years of age on 1 March
  2004, and have taken between 5 and 9 eligible
  courses in 2004, including at least 1 unit of
  English

10
What are CRSDAs?

• Course Rank Set Derivation Algorithms (aka
  algorithms)
• There is no perfect algorithm hence, we
  provide reports to Faculties to ensure suitable
  applicants are not disadvantaged
• A means by which different weightings can be
  applied to secondary and/or tertiary
  qualifications
• Faculties use different algorithms e.g
• 4J Best of any rank (ADFA and Atax)
• 5Y Most recent tertiary study (COFA)
• 5X 8020 (Arts Social Sciences, Grad/PT
  Law)
• Final Rank for each preference is determined by
  CRSDA

11
How are the number of offers calculated?

• UNSW Enrolment Plan gives expected enrolments, by
  program, by funding type, as at 31 March
• Attrition factor of initial to final
  enrolment applied
• Conversion rate of offer to initial enrolment
  added on
• It is not an exact science applicant behaviour
  can change!

12
Calculation of offers an example

• B Social Science (3420)
• Enrolment Plan 54 persons
• Trends suggest a 6.25 attrition rate between
  initial and final enrolment 57 persons
• 70.59 conversion rate, offers to enrolment 81
  offers

13
How are offers and cut-offs determined?

• Supply and Demand
• Allocation meetings Professor Robert King, UNSW
  Student Services, Institutional Analysis
  Reporting, in consultation with Deans
• Review UAC simulation results
• Aim is to fill the OVERALL University enrolment
  target
• Parameters and sub-quotas set in the UAC system
• Parameters number of offers/minimum cut-off
• Sub-quotas ACCESS

14
How are offers and cut-offs determined?..contin
ued

• Allocation meetings will be held 11 17 January
  to look at data simulations
• 23 simulations in total for Main Round
• Offer pool also affected by other universities
  domino effect
• Same process for LFEE, subject to 35 rule and
  filling of Commonwealth Supported (CS) places
• LFEE cut-off may be up to 5 points below the CS
• cut-off

15
What happens next?

• Offers are finalised w/e 15 16 January
• Main Round Live Run 10.00, Monday 17 January
• e-release of offers 21.00, Weds 19 January
• Students have until 28 January to accept their
  offer
• Acceptances inform the number of vacancies
  available for the Late Round Final Round

16
How does ACCESS work?

• The ACCESS Scheme is the UNSW scheme for
  (predominantly) Year 12 applicants who have
  experienced long-term educational disadvantage
  (eg. financial, rurality, illness/disability,
  parental death)
• Students apply through the Educational Access
  Scheme (EAS) administered by UAC on behalf of the
  universities
• EAS guidelines determine eligibility
• UNSW notifies applicants of eligibility for the
  ACCESS Scheme in early December

17
ACCESS (cont)

• UNSW 5 quota of places in each program
• ACCESS eligible applicants whose rank is below
  the standard cut-off compete with each other for
  an ACCESS place (ie.within the 5 subquota)
• ACCESS applicants can receive an offer with a
  rank up to 10 points below the published cut-off
  (both HECS LFEE)

18
How does SCATS work?

• Special Consideration for Applicants with
  Tertiary Study (www.unsw.edu.au/scats )
• Students apply directly to UNSW
• Application closing date 26 November
• Assessed for eligibility by the UAC Admissions
  Team, in conjunction with the Faculties,
  according to EAS guidelines
• Admission Ranks are adjusted accordingly

19
What we can do for you.

• Advise on UAC Admissions policies procedures
• Provide Preference Statistics for each UAC
  closing date to VCAC, Academic Board and Faculty
  Executive Officers
• Supply mailing details for applicants who have a
  preference with UNSW

20
What we can do for you (cont)

• Run Applicant Reports after close of change of
  preferences (midnight 6 January 2005) and assist
  with processing these
• Provide output after each simulation
• Supply details of all applicants who receive an
  offer
• Manage unsuccessful applicant appeals
• Acceptance and Enrolment Statistics

21
Handouts

• Presentation slides
• Bookmark and leaflet of key dates
• Copies of You and Your UAI
• Example applicant report
• Example course report

22
Any questions/want to know more?

• Rebecca Kimber
• r.kimber_at_unsw.edu.au
• Sonia Nitchell
• s.nitchell_at_unsw.edu.au
• Kathryn Whittingham
• kwhittingham_at_unsw.edu.au
• Come and see us in LG17 Chancellery!