FAQs about the Educational Access Scheme

Before you can apply for EAS, you must apply for undergraduate admission through UAC.

Once you have submitted your undergraduate application, you can immediately access the EAS application via the ‘Apply for EAS’ button, or at any time by logging in to your undergraduate application.

Yes. Some institutions will consider EAS applicants with a record of tertiary study. Check with the institution before applying.

Yes, but you can only claim consideration for EAS disadvantages, not those that are a result of your sporting and/or performance (eg being absent from school to train or compete).

Some institutions apply an elite athlete and performer adjustment when making offers of admission. Check with the institution.

If you are eligible for consideration under EAS and your ATAR is below the required selection rank for a course, an institution can increase your selection rank for that course by applying an equity adjustment factor (previously referred to as bonus points) or allocate you a place reserved for eligible EAS applicants.

You may be eligible for EAS consideration at an institution but not receive EAS equity adjustments for a particular course preference, or receive different adjustments for different course preferences. This is because some institutions apply EAS equity adjustment exceptions to some courses and not others.

Your EAS equity adjustments will automatically be taken into account by all the institutions you have in your list of preferences on the closing date for change of preferences for each offer round.

Being eligible for EAS equity adjustments doesn’t guarantee you an offer of admission; it simply makes you more competitive.

No. We can only tell you whether or not you are eligible for EAS consideration (in general) at an institution. We can't tell you if, or by how much, your selection rank for each of your course preferences at that institution will be increased.

If you're a Year 12 applicant, we'll send you an email about your EAS eligibility after ATAR release. If you're a non-Year 12 applicant, we'll generally send you this email 10 working days after you apply.

Some institutions provide details of their EAS equity adjustments on their websites.

No. Institutions adjust your selection rank for a particular preference or course; your ATAR does not change.

You will receive an email telling you if you are eligible for EAS consideration at each of UAC's participating institutions, regardless of the course preferences in your application. You will not be told whether or not your selection ranks for your particular course preferences will be increased.

Year 12 applicants will receive this email after ATAR release. Non-Year 12 applicants will generally receive this email 10 working days after applying.

Long-term educational disadvantage means your educational performance has been seriously affected by circumstances beyond your control or choosing, normally for a period of at least six months (before the end of October of the year you complete Year 12).

The disadvantages that institutions will consider under EAS are grouped into nine broad categories

• disrupted schooling
• financial hardship
• severe family disruption
• excessive family responsibilities
• English language difficulties
• personal illness/disability
• refugee status
• school environment
• socio-economic disadvantage.

When you apply, make sure you provide all information and documents specified in the categories of disadvantage tables.

There is no limit to the number of disadvantages you can claim. You can apply for all the disadvantages that have had an impact on you.

Make sure you read through the categories of disadvantage for more information.

Yes. If you’ve submitted your EAS application but want to add more disadvantages, simply log in to your application, add the new disadvantages and upload documentation to support your claim. You will need to provide a completed document cover sheet and supporting documentation for the new claims.

The closing dates and guidelines that applied to your original application also apply to additional claims and documentation.

Adding disadvantages to an existing EAS application may result in an offer of admission in an upcoming offer round, but will not result in reconsideration of offers of admission made by institutions in previous offer rounds.

Documents must be uploaded to the EAS section of your UAC undergraduate application.

Emailed, posted or delivered documents are not accepted.

Yes. You can upload documents to your application at any time before the closing date for each offer round.

All documents must be uploaded as PDFs to your application. No hardcopy documents will be accepted.

We highly recommend that a school staff member complete the educational impact statement, as they will be best placed to determine the impact of the educational disadvantage on the student. However, we will assess a statement from any responsible person who can, with authority, speak on the educational impact of the student’s circumstances.

If you’re unable to have your school complete the statement, you must attach an explanation as to why your school can’t complete it and the relationship between you and the responsible person. A responsible person is a doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader who is familiar with your circumstances and who can provide information regarding your disadvantage and its effect on your ability to study. The person must:

• not be a family member or a friend
• confirm their relationship to you
• explain if or how the educational disadvantage you’ve experienced has affected your educational performance.

A responsible person is a doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader who is familiar with your circumstances and who can provide information regarding your disadvantage and its effect on your ability to study. The person must:

• not be a family member or a friend
• confirm their relationship to you
• explain if or how the educational disadvantage you’ve experienced has affected your educational performance.

Most GPs will know a person's background and circumstances but it is recommended that the medical professional who is treating you for your condition complete the required documents as they understand your illness and how it is affecting you.

Equity Scholarships consider how the disadvantage suffered by an applicant will likely impact their tertiary studies (ie future impact).

The Educational Access Scheme (EAS) considers how the disadvantage suffered by an applicant impacted their Year 11 and/or 12 (or equivalent) studies (ie past impact).

Generally, this means that UAC requires different educational impact statements and, where required, medical impact statements for each scheme. Where conditions are long-term or lifelong, such as ADHD/autism and spectrum disorders, there may be an opportunity to use the same documents. However, it is in your best interests to provide the correct documents for the correct scheme to ensure the most accurate assessment.

We ask for a death certificate or funeral notice.

We will accept a memorial booklet, order of service or obituary if the name of the deceased and the date is printed on the document.

An educational impact statement from your school or responsible person is also required.

No. All the documents you upload for this disadvantage must show a positive amount paid to the person named on the document/form.

This means that documents on which names and/or payments amounts have been redacted cannot be used for assessment.

We suggest you talk to the medical practitioners and responsible persons completing these statements and see how they would like to present the information.

We will take your evidence in one document, or multiple documents; whatever is best for you and those assisting you.

You can download the blank educational impact statement and medical impact statement as many times as you like.

We are unable to give you an update on your EAS application during the admissions period.

We are also unable to preview documents or evidence prior to it being uploaded to your application.

We guarantee we will assess all the documents you upload.

If everything is completed prior to the key cut-off dates, you will receive an email telling you if you are eligible. Year 12 applicants will receive this email after ATAR release. Non-Year 12 applicants will generally receive this email 10 working days after applying.

ANU Admissions Scholarship and Accommodation (ASA) applications and UAC EAS applications are two separate processes.

You can use your ANU ASA documents/forms to support your UAC undergraduate EAS application. However, you will need to upload the documents to both applications. They won’t automatically be transferred to your UAC EAS application.