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High school students

First year student FAQs

As you head into your first year at UOW, we know you'll have plenty of questions about getting started. To answer these, we've put together a list of FAQs below.

Application & ATAR

High school school students must apply via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).

Non-school leavers or mature age applicants have the choice to apply directly to UOW or via UAC for the majority of UOW courses. Those wishing to apply for Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Pre-Medicine, Science and Health, or any education degree, must apply via UAC.

You can list five course preferences on your UAC application. Even if you are eligible for all five courses, you will only get one offer per UAC round. You may receive additional offers in later rounds (one per round), if you alter your preference list and you are eligible for a new course on your application.

Yes, you can. You can list five course preferences on your UAC application which can be at any participating UAC institution. You will receive one offer per UAC round which will be for your highest eligible preference.

Your Selection Rank is your raw ATAR plus any additional adjustment factors for which you are eligible. Your Selection Rank can be used to achieve guaranteed entry to the majority of UOW degrees. Your Selection Rank can be different between universities because it is dependent on the adjustment factors that each university applies. For example, you may receive an adjustment if you live in the local area of the university. Learn more about the Selection Rank.

UOW offers three types of adjustment factors:

1. Catchment adjustments: Students who go to school either in UOW’s catchment area or in regional NSW are eligible for three adjustment points. When you apply through UAC, these points will be automatically added if your school is eligible.

2. Subject adjustments: If you do well in an HSC subject that is relevant to the UOW degree you'd like to study, you can earn up to three adjustment points.

3. Equity adjustments: High school students who have experienced long-term educational disadvantage or hardship during Year 11/12 can receive up to five adjustment points. 

The categories of hardship align with UAC's Educational Access Scheme and include:

  • Disrupted schooling
  • Financial hardship 
  • Severe family disruption
  • Excessive family responsibilities
  • English language difficulty
  • Personal illness / disability
  • Refugee status

To receive consideration, this hardship must have had a severe impact on your academic performance and have lasted for a minimum of six months. 

If your ATAR isn’t what you'd hoped, or it doesn’t meet the requirements of the UOW degree you’d like to study, UOW College can offer you alternative pathways.

Most UOW College programs guarantee entry to the first year of a UOW bachelor degree program upon successful completion. Some programs also provide up to one year of credit for prior learning, meaning you could enter UOW as a second-year student.

Yes, some students choose to start university later in life, after entering the workforce. These students are classified as 'non-school leavers' in the application process.

Undergraduate students (students studying their first degree) can apply directly to UOW or via UAC. Students wanting to apply to nursing, pre-medicine, science and health, or education degrees, must apply via UAC.

UOW College also provides pathways to university degrees for non-school leavers.

This will depend on whether you have completed other qualifications since completing high school. Students can use the following qualifications to apply for university:

• UOW College program including Diplomas, VET courses or the University Entrance Program
• Students with TAFE/AQF qualifications - generally Cert IV or above
• Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)
• TAFE Tertiary Preparation Certificate
• Woolyungah Indigenous Centre - Indigenous Admissions Program (IAP)

Read more about non-ATAR entry pathways.

Offer & enrolment

Congratulations on receiving an offer! All you need to do now is accept it.

You should accept your offer as soon as you can to make sure you have as many options as possible. Plus, it’s one less thing for you to worry about.

Your offer email includes a prompt to accept your offer. Simply follow this link.

We’ll be in touch to let you know your next steps. In the meantime, familiarise yourself with key dates, orientation and enrolment.

1. Accept your offer: Head to uac.edu.au and accept your UOW offer. If you’re not sure how to accept, check your offer for instructions.

2. Prepare for enrolment: Planning ahead will help your enrolment run smoothly.

  • Choose your subjects: You can review your required subjects by reviewing the 'current year' Course Handbook.
          • Watch a video that will show you how to determine what subjects you should enrol in.
          • Watch a video that will show you how to confirm when a subject is on offer.
  • Get your photo ready: You will need to upload a photo for your student ID card. Make sure it meets our requirements.
  • Understand your fee options: See our fees website for more information on your options.

3. Enrol online: You’ll receive an email from UOW with your student number in early November. Once you have your student number, you can start your enrolment by completing the following steps:

  1. Activate your online student account
  2. Add and confirm your personal details
  3. Complete the government survey
  4. Upload your photo for your student ID card
  5. Select your course offer
  6. Confirm your fees option
  7. Enrol in your course and subjects – don’t forget to check the 'current year' Course Handbook for your course for subject selection advice. Watch this video for a guide.

If you have questions during this process, please contact us on 1300 367 869 or email askuow@uow.edu.au

You’ll receive an email from UOW with your student number in November. Once you have your student number, you can start your enrolment by completing the following steps:

  1. Activate your online student account
  2. Add and confirm your personal details
  3. Complete the government survey
  4. Upload your photo for your student ID card
  5. Select your course offer
  6. Confirm your fees option
  7. Enrol in your course and subjects – don’t forget to check the 'current year' Course Handbook for your course for subject selection advice. Watch this video for a guide.

If you have questions during this process, please contact us on 1300 367 869 or email askuow@uow.edu.au

Yes, you can defer your UOW offer for up to 12 months. Follow the instructions in your offer email to defer.

Note, scholarships cannot be deferred.

Studying at UOW

Orientation is normally late February, with lectures and classes commencing about a week later.

Please see our key dates page for the latest information on Autumn session and more.

Yes, you can choose a part-time or full-time study load each semester to fit into your lifestyle. A full-time student will generally study four subjects per semester, or eight subjects per year. A part-time student will enrol in one, two or three subjects per semester.

Generally you’ll need to be on campus for 3-5 hours per week, per subject. Allow an extra 6-10 hours per week, per subject for independent reading, studying and assignment work. Full-time students take four subjects at a time, or 12-20 hours per week on campus.

At UOW, you will have some flexibility in planning your timetable. Lectures for each subject are usually scheduled at least two times per week, so you can choose the time that suits you. Tutorials, seminars, and laboratories will also offer multiple timeslots.

Good planning, and booking in early once class enrolments open, will ensure you can plan your timetable to suit your needs.

A lecture is where a professor or other academic staff member presents course material to a large group of students. Tutorials are smaller classes where you discuss and put into practice the material you’ve learnt in the lecture and associated readings for the subject. Some degrees will have practicals, seminars or laboratory classes as well.

Read more about how uni classes work.

Once you have successfully enrolled into subjects for your degree, the next step is to enrol in tutorials and seminars. 

The timetable information will be published during the weeks leading up to Orientation to give you an idea of what days and times you may be at uni and help you avoid any clashing tutorials/seminars. It is a good idea to become familiar with the subject timetable for the subjects you have enrolled in and begin drafting mock timetables. 

As always, getting in early as soon as class enrolments open will increase your chances of getting your first preference of the times that you want!

Campus locations

UOW has nine campuses in Australia:

  • UOW Wollongong
  • UOW Sydney CBD
  • UOW Liverpool
  • UOW Sutherland
  • UOW Southern Highlands
  • UOW Shoalhaven
  • UOW Eurobodalla
  • UOW Bega Valley
  • University of Wollongong Innovation Campus
Beyond Australia, UOW has a international campuses in Dubai, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, and delivers education programs with institutions in China and Singapore.
Undergraduate students can choose to study at any of UOW's campuses, with the exception of the Sydney CBD campus, which only offers postgraduate business courses, and the Innovation Campus, which is a research and technology precinct.
 
Not all courses are offered at all campuses. Visit coursefinder.uow.edu.au to check campus locations on offer for your preferred course. The Course Finder search filter will also allow you to refine the list of courses by campus.

UOW Liverpool offers courses in:

• Business
• Information and Communication Technology
• International Studies
• Law
• Maths and Statistics
• Nursing
• Social Sciences
• Social Work (Qualifying) - postgraduate students only

Learn more about courses available at the UOW Liverpool.

Fees & Scholarship FAQs

University fees vary depending on the course you are studying. All domestic undergraduate students holding Australian or New Zealand citizenship, or holders of an Australian permanent visa (including Humanitarian) living in Australia are eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). This means the Australian Government subsidises your tuition fees by up to 75%.

The remaining amount is your student contribution cost. You can choose to pay your student contribution up front, or most students are eligible for a HECS-HELP loan to help cover their student contribution. If you receive a HECS-HELP loan, your repayments do not start until your income meets a minimum threshold.

Read more about UOW fee calculations. 

Visit studyassist.gov.au for more information on financing your studies.

You can find detailed and helpful information about fees on the fee and assistance web pages.

If you have a specific question, you can:

  • Email: student-fees@uow.edu.au
  • Phone: 1300 ASK UOW
  • Or drop by Student Central (Building 17) at our Wollongong campus and speak to members of the fees team in person to make payments and more.

At UOW, we are proud to award a range of scholarships to both domestic and international students at an undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Our scholarships reward and encourage students who have demonstrated excellence in these areas:
• Academic
• Equity
• Community
• Work-integrated learning
• Corporate
• Sporting

We are also committed to providing support to students experiencing financial and other educational disadvantages through equity scholarships and grant programs.

UOW encourages you to apply for multiple scholarships, provided you meet the scholarship(s) eligibility criteria.

Most of UOW's prospective student scholarships can be applied for online with the future student scholarship application. Some external or other scholarship programs, such as equity scholarships, may require a different application process.

UOW scholarship applications generally open on 1 July and close late November.

All scholarship applicants will need to provide:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• One page outline detailing how the scholarship will assist you in your career ambitions
• High school leavers need to provide a copy of their latest Year 12 report.

It is important to check the details of each scholarship for any other documentation that might be required.

Accommodation

Yes. UOW has six student accomodation residences for undergraduate students and two are located on the University's Wollongong campus: Kooloobong Village (undergraduate) and Bangalay (postgraduate and mature age students).

Visit the UOW accommodation website to learn more about your options.

Short answer: now!

You will get three preferences for accommodation, so it makes sense to get this done sooner rather than later. Plus, the earlier you apply the more likely you are to get your first accommodation preference.

Yes. Watch a virtual tour of each accommodation residence, or book in for a free UOW campus tour including an accomodation tour of Kooloobong Village. 

Weekly rent depends on which UOW residence you live at; whether you are in a single room, twin share or apartment; and whether your meals are catered or not. Rent begins at $195/week. Your fees include all electricity, water and internet usage, so there's no nasty surprise bills.

Contract lengths also vary between the accommodation residences. View the full price list.

When applying for UOW accommodation you can request to be placed with a particular student. To be considered, they must also have requested to be placed with you. Room mate requests are not guaranteed.

Please contact:

  • By phone: 02 4221 5467 (Australia) +61 2 4221 5467 (international)
  • By email: accom-services@uow.edu.au
  • On Facebook: facebook.com/UOWLiving
  • Or drop by Student Central (Building 17) at our Wollongong campus and speak to members of the accommodation services team in person.