The Australian National University (ANU) will admit domestic undergraduate students for 2021 on the basis of their Year 11 results, giving thousands of school-leavers greater certainty in uncertain times.
Students are able to apply to ANU undergraduate programs based on their Year 11 results from now until 25 May, with offers made in August.
The change to admissions is in response to the major disruption to Year 12 students' studies caused by COVID-19, and means students won't need to rely on their 2020 results to qualify to study at ANU next year. The University is encouraging students to apply during their April school holidays.
The new entry requirements build on the success of the University's sector-leading changes to its admissions processes, which mean students' applications are not only assessed on their academic results, but also their extra-curricular achievements and personal circumstances.
ANU is the only Australian university that provides domestic students with offers of admission, scholarships and on-campus accommodation as part of a single offer package. The offers are made mid-year to give students the certainty they deserve in planning for one of the biggest decisions of their lives - where to go to university.
ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said the new admission requirements "will provide thousands of school-leavers from all across the nation with certainty in uncertain times".
"With the unprecedented disruption and challenges we are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 is not panning out how any of us expected," Professor Schmidt said.
"Students, particularly those in their final year of school, have experienced a very tough year already and their studies have been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis.
"Now all Year 12 students who want to study at ANU can focus on completing their studies and preparing for university, knowing that if their marks from Year 11 meet our entry requirements they can join one of the world's leading universities.
"I hope that students who would like to study at ANU will take the time during the April school holidays to apply. We offer one of the world's great undergraduate experiences, and we expect to accept about 2500 students from across Australia for entry in 2021."
As part of the new entry requirements for 2021, offers made on Year 11 results in August will be honoured for study, as long as students have completed Year 12.
All domestic undergraduate first-year students will also be guaranteed a place in university accommodation at ANU, and eligible students will receive scholarships.
Professor Schmidt said last year's admission round showed ANU was able to reliably predict students' Year 12 performance based on their Year 11 marks, well before university entry rankings are released in December.
"We've drawn on admissions research from Australia and around the world to develop this new model for undergraduate university admissions to reach talented young students," he said.
"This change was to help our students. Rather than have them choose their university only a few weeks before term starts, we now assess students on their academic results through Year 11, as well as their extra-curricular achievements and personal circumstances.
"The success of this new approach over the past year means we are well placed to offer thousands of talented school-leavers across Australia the chance to study with us here in Canberra. This is particularly important as they are dealing with the stress of finishing their studies during a global pandemic.
"ANU is Australia's national university and provides an undergraduate program unique in Australia and equal to the most prestigious universities in the world.
"This year we will admit 2500 of Australia's most talented school-leavers. While we cannot guarantee everyone a place, we encourage everyone who thinks they might want to study at ANU to apply now.
"We will do everything we can to help you get here. There has never been a more important time to bring your talents to Australia's national university."
Find out more and how you can apply here.
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