FAQs about the Schools Recommendation Scheme and early offers

Participating institutions may use one or more of the following criteria listed when considering your application:

1. Your Year 11 academic results

NSW and ACT students: Results are provided directly to UAC. You don't need to upload them.
IB and interstate students: You'll need to upload a PDF of your Year 11 school report through your UAC application.

2. Your school's rating of your aptitudes

Your school will rate you according to their assessment of your:

• capacity for abstract thought and analysis
• ability to organise ideas and articulate a position orally and in written form
• ability to work and learn independently
• motivation to achieve long-term goals.

3. Your Educational Access Scheme (EAS) application (if applicable)

Check institution-specific SRS criteria. 

Important: Not all institutions use all criteria. Each institution has its own policy for determining SRS eligibility and making offers.

Conditional SRS offers require you to meet other conditions before the institution will make you an unconditional offer in December Round 2. Examples of these conditions are a minimum ATAR, course prerequisites, or a personal statement. Conditional SRS offers will only be made in November Round 1 and can be made to any preference.

If you receive more than one conditional offer, once your ATAR is released you can determine if you meet the criteria for those offers. You will then need to decide which course preference you would most like to convert into an unconditional offer. You can only receive one unconditional offer in December Round 2.

Unconditional SRS offers don't have any conditions attached to them. You can only receive one in each round.

If you’re not selected for an unconditional offer for your first preference, you’ll be considered equally with all other eligible applicants for your second preference and so on.

In November Round 1, you can receive one unconditional offer and one or more conditional offers.

In the subsequent November, December and January offer rounds, you can receive one unconditional offer only in each offer round.

Unconditional offers

If you receive an unconditional offer, you can’t be made an unconditional offer to any lower course preferences in the next round unless you change your preferences.

So, to receive further offers in subsequent rounds, you first need to accept the course you’ve already been offered, then move that course down to the bottom of your list of course preferences or remove it entirely. (As long as you have accepted an offer, removing it from your list of preferences will not affect your existing offer.)

Alternatively, if you receive an unconditional offer to a lower preference, you will automatically be considered for higher preferences in the next round.

Conditional offers

Conditional offers will only be made in November Round 1 and can be made to any preference.

If you receive conditional offers, you'll need to meet additional condition/s, such as a minimum ATAR, submitting a portfolio or attending an audition. Details will be outlined in the offer letter.

First of all, accept the offer. Then move the course to the bottom of your preference list or remove it entirely. As long as you've accepted it you can't lose it.

Order your new course preferences as follows: place your dream course at number 1, then your second preferred course at number 2, and so on.

If you receive an offer to another course in a later offer round, you can then decide to accept it, and withdraw your acceptance for the first course, or reject the new offer and stick with the first one.

Changing preferences after you receive an offer

If you’re undertaking the NSW HSC or ACT Senior Secondary Certificate, you do not need to upload your Year 11 results. UAC can obtain the results from NESA and ACTBSSS on your behalf.

If you’re an interstate or IB applicant, you need to upload a copy of your Year 11 reports. Details are included on the How to apply for the Schools Recommendation Scheme page.

No, we are unable to give you an update on your SRS application during the admissions period.

We are also unable to preview documents before they are uploaded to your application.

Universities decide who receives offers to their courses.

If you have questions about your offer outcome, contact the university directly. They can explain how your application was assessed and what criteria were used.

Universities may review your Year 11 academic results to help them make decisions about early offers before your final Year 12 results and ATAR are available.

NSW and ACT students: We assess the Year 11 results your school submits to NESA or the ACT BSSS. You do not need to provide them.

Year 11 results are provided to UAC after schools and education authorities complete their checks. 

This means the assessment reflects your academic standing at the time Year 11 data is provided to us and cannot be updated later to include:

• Year 12 results
• any changes made after your Year 11 results were submitted.
   

Interstate and IB applicants: You will be asked to upload your final Year 11 report. It needs to:

• show results across the full Year 11 year
• include clear academic grades.

UAC requires Year 11 reports showing semester 1 and 2 results or overall Year 11 results, with consistent grading. View detailed information about Year 11 report requirements.

If we need more information, we'll contact you.

Your Year 11 results are evaluated using the same academic principles that underpin the ATAR calculation. This allows universities to understand your academic progress while you're still completing Year 12.

To be assessed, you must:

• have completed sufficient assessable senior subjects in Year 11
• be enrolled in a program that will make you eligible to receive an ATAR in Year 12 .

Important: This assessment is an early indicator or your success in Year 12 only. It does not replace or predict your ATAR.
 

Year 12 results (including semester 1) cannot be considered, even if they become available before early offers are made. Early offers are based solely on Year 11 results. 

Your full Year 12 results will be used to calculate your ATAR, which forms the basis for the main offer rounds for Year 12 applicants.

Students completing HSC courses in compressed mode sit some exams in Year 11 and others in Year 12.

These students are assessed using the same ATAR-aligned principles as all other students. The compressed timeline does not result in any advantage or disadvantage in the Year 11 assessment process.

NSW students

Board-developed VET courses are recorded as unscored (competency-based) results and cannot be included in the Year 11 assessment.

VET subjects can contribute to your Year 12 ATAR if you complete an optional HSC exam, but they do not count toward Year 11 early assessment.

You can still receive a Year 11 assessment if you have completed other assessable subjects.

Students from other states

VET courses may be included if your education authority provides a completion statement with scored results.

Year 11 performance provides a strong early indicator of academic progress.

Students performing at the higher end typically maintain stable results, meaning their Year 11 outcome is often close to their final ATAR.

Students in the middle or lower ranges may show more variation as they continue learning, especially with strong improvement in Year 12.

This early assessment does not limit what a student can achieve with continued effort.

Students are formally enrolled at one school, though some study subjects through partner school arrangements.

Your Year 11 results are provided by the school where you are officially enrolled, and that data is used for assessment.

In some situations, your Year 11 results may not be available for assessment. This can occur when:

• your results have not been authorised for release to UAC
• school data is missing or incomplete
• you change schools or your pattern of study
• your schooling was interrupted due to illness or other circumstances.

If this happens, it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. Universities may consider other information in your application.

You will also remain eligible for offers based on your ATAR.