If you’ve applied for university for 2018, you might be a bit nervous right now. Getting your results and making your final course decision can be tough.
Once upon a time, students had to wait weeks or months between receiving their results and being offered a place, but now the ‘Powers That Be’ have made some changes to dates and everything happens much quicker than it used to.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re finishing Year 12 in 2017 and have applied for university, it means that you’ll only have a little while to change your preferences once you’ve received your marks before the main round of offers.
This year, results are released on these dates, and the option to change your preferences in some states for the main round closes only a week or so afterwards.
| State | Admissions Centre | Results Released | Change of Preferences Closes |
| NSW & ACT | UAC | 15 December | 17 December |
| Victoria | VTAC | 15 December | 20 December |
| Queensland | QTAC | 16 December | 18 December |
| WA | TISC | 19 December | 4 January |
| SA (&NT) | SATAC | 19 December | 4 January |
Don’t freak out – there are still ways to change your mind later on (and a number of uni students change degree-paths during their degree – it’s not unusual and you’re never ‘locked-in’ to finishing anything) but it’s a good idea to think about changing your preferences once you know what your results look like.
Why would you change your preferences?
- You got a better mark than you expected, and want to apply for a more competitive course
- Or, you didn’t do as well as you’d hoped to, and want to change to a more realistic course
- Perhaps you’ve changed your mind in the time between applying and getting your results, and want to go down a different path
- A new (and more appealing) course has just become available. Or you recently found out about a course you didn’t know existed
- Sometimes universities choose to cancel a course, and you may want to replace it
It’s a big decision, but now you have more information (i.e. your results) it’s wise to rethink your options.
To help you make the best choice, many universities hold special ‘Change of Preference’ sessions (sometimes they’re called ‘Info Days’) where you can get one-on-one advice and find out about your options.
You’ll also find lots of information about university preparation courses, extracurricular activities, accommodation services and alternative entry pathways.
We’ve put together a list of all the upcoming Change of Preference Sessions, so you can pop them in your diary today –
Australian Catholic University – Know Your Options Sessions
Ballarat, Brisbane & Melbourne – Monday 18 December
Canberra & Sydney – Friday 15 December
http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/our_university/contact/events/know_your_options_information_sessions
CQ Uni
Sydney & Melbourne – Friday 15 December
Brisbane & Online Chat – Monday 18 December
Adelaide & Perth – Tuesday 19 December
https://www.cqu.edu.au/campaigns/open-days
Deakin University
17 December, 11am – 2pm: Melbourne Burwood info session
18 December, 11am – 1pm: Geelong Waurn Ponds walk and talk tour
18 December, 4pm – 7pm: Geelong Waterfront info session
19 December, 11am – 1pm: Warrnambool walk and talk tour
19 January 2018, 9am – 7pm: Warrnambool one-on-one consultations
19 January 2018, 9am – 7pm: Melbourne Burwood one-on-one consultations
22 January 2018, 9am – 7pm: Melbourne Burwood one-on-one consultations
23 January 2018, 9am – 7pm: Geelong Waterfront one-on-one consultations
24 January 2018, 9am – 7pm: Deakin Downton one-on-one consultations
http://www.deakin.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/1151127/COP-Brochure-2017.pdf
Federation University – Info Day
Monday 18 December
https://federation.edu.au/future-students/information-for/information-for-schools/events
Flinders University
Tonsley: Friday 15 December
State Library, North Terrace: Wednesday 20 December
Bedford Park: Thursday 21 December
Victoria Square: Wednesday 3 January 2018
Bedford Park: Wednesday 3 January 2018
http://events.flinders.edu.au/show/event/change-of-preference-drop-in-information-sessions-2018
La Trobe University
Saturday 16 December
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/choose/register-your-interest
Macquarie University
Saturday 16 December
https://www.mq.edu.au/about/events/view/info-day-2017/
Monash University
Caulfield campus
Monday 18 December
https://www.monash.edu/change-of-preference
Swinburne University
Monday 18 December
https://www.swinburne.edu.au/choose/change-of-preference/
University of Melbourne
Monday 18 December
University of Notre Dame – Course Advice Sessions
Run until 29 December – book a session online
http://www.nd.edu.au/events/2017/course-advice-sydney
University of Queensland
Monday 18 December 4pm to 7pm
https://future-students.uq.edu.au/op-results-advice-night
University of South Australia
Wednesday 20 December
http://unisa.edu.au/Calendar/Preference-Information-Event/
University of Sydney
Saturday 16 December
UNSW – Info Day
Saturday 16 December
https://www.futurestudents.unsw.edu.au/info-day
UTS
Saturday 16 December 9am-2pm
Victoria University
19 December
https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/events/change-of-preference-expo-2017
