Our first post of the year and it just so happens to fall on the day first round university offers were announced. For those that are looking to study in Australia. Today was such a momentous day for so many students, waiting in anticipation to receive news as to whether they have received offers for the course of their dreams. We are so happy for each and everyone of you, and your families! We know how much sacrifice you, and your families have made to help you get to where you are now.

Main round offers for undergraduate courses

54,045 students received main round offers for undergraduate courses today, according to figures released by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). This figure is 5.5% down from the previous year, which means that it is more difficult to get into a course this year (all the more reason you should be so proud of yourselves). The reason for this is because there are fewer university places this year, which hikes up ATAR requirements for most courses.

Agriculture and environmental studies were the only courses which saw a drop in ATARs – they experienced a fall of 1%. The 3 most popular courses this year were degrees in Arts (which needed an ATAR of 89.3), Science (85.00) and Commerce (95.00) at the University of Melbourne . These courses are consistently the most sought after and typically attract about 2,000 first preference applications each year. The hardest non-scholars program to get into is Optometry at Deakin University in Geelong with a clearly-in score of 98.75. Another sought-after course is Medicine at Monash University‘s Clayton campus, which 1,701 students put as their first preference. Only 123 students have received a first round offer for entry into the course. Monash University’s medical program has always been a very competitive and highly regarded program and we don’t forsee it being any different in the coming years.

Courses in criminology, physiotherapy, nursing and agriculture have become more popular this year; whilst courses in teaching, paramedicine and journalism has fallen in interest – according to a Fairfax Media analysis of 4-years of admission data (Source: The Age).

Eventhough we are not a university (yet!), we are so proud of last year’s cohort of VCE graduates and we can’t wait to see what greatness they will amount to in the coming years. We wish each and everyone of you the best in your future endeavours and for those who didn’t manage to get into the course of your choice, it isn’t the end of the world. It really isn’t! We will be publishing a ‘what to do’ guide in the next few hours to help guide you on what to do if you didn’t get a first round offer of your choice – what pathways are available to get you to the university course of your choice, and to other possible options.

We hope you’ve had a lovely summer break and may 2017 be one stellar year for you!