Macquarie University
Admission criteria and entry schemes
To be offered a place in a degree you must meet the degree’s entrance requirements and be selected in competition with other eligible applicants.
At Macquarie, we’re all about success. With Macquarie Entry, we recognise that students have different strengths, interests and personal circumstances, and so we look at a variety of criteria. To best help you follow your passion at Macquarie, we’ve created a simple entry program navigator that allows you to compare all of our entry programs to work out which ones suit you the best.
Undergraduate applicants
Australian Year 12 students
Admission is based on the selection rank you receive after completing your Australian Year 12 qualification or International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2023. The selection rank considers your ATAR or equivalent rank, plus any adjustment factors you’re eligible for.
Selection rank adjustments
Selection rank adjustments may allow you to receive an offer to a degree even though you have an ATAR below the published lowest selection rank. Macquarie University takes into account a number of adjustment factors when calculating your selection rank. For most participating degrees, your selection rank can be increased by up to 15 points.
For full information, refer to Macquarie University adjustment factors.
Equity-based factors
Educational Access Schemes
Macquarie recognises that life circumstances or events beyond your control can impact education, opportunity and achievement. That’s why we consider your individual situation. If you’ve experienced educational or social disadvantage, or other special circumstances, you may be eligible to receive up to five additional points.
Macquarie University EAS applications are processed centrally through UAC.
Achievement-based factors
The following factors recognise your record of accomplishment in a range of interest areas and activities:
Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers Scheme
If performing, training or competitive commitments have affected your HSC or study preparation, you may be eligible for selection rank adjustments under the Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers Scheme. Macquarie considers individual circumstances to determine if you’re eligible.
Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers
Academic Advantage
Academic Advantage applies to the majority of Macquarie’s degrees and recognises your achievements in Year 12 subjects that relate to Macquarie’s degrees.
Depending on your performance, you may receive up to three additional points for each subject, up to a maximum of six points. UAC will automatically adjust your selection rank if a Macquarie University degree is listed in your preferences.
Big History Scheme
You may be eligible to earn three additional points by completing our Big History: Connecting Knowledge MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), available through the COURSERA® platform.
Duke of Edinburgh, Queen’s Scout and Queen’s Guide Awards Scheme
If you’ve completed the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen’s Scout or Queen’s Guide programs, you may be eligible to receive up to six additional points. This adjustment factor scheme recognises your commitment, discipline and determination to venture outside of your comfort zone to excel and develop your interpersonal, employability and practical skills.
Duke of Edinburgh, Queen’s Scout and Queen’s Guide Awards Scheme
Location-based factors
Regional Entry Scheme
If you’re from rural or regional Australia and don’t have access to the same resources as students in cities and larger towns, you may be eligible to receive up to nine additional points through the Regional Entry Scheme, depending on the remoteness of your primary residential postcode. This scheme applies to the majority of Macquarie’s degrees.
You can enter your postcode into the online calculator to estimate how many points you’re eligible for.
Catchment Adjustment Factors
If you live in Macquarie’s catchment region, you may be eligible to receive five additional points.
Note: If you qualify for both Catchment Adjustment Factors and the Regional Entry Scheme, you’ll only receive adjustment factors for one, from whichever scheme awards you the highest amount.
Criteria that may apply in addition to the ATAR
In addition to achieving the standard of performance required for admission, for certain degrees you must also satisfy any additional selection criteria, such as a personal statement, questionnaire, portfolio of work, audition, interview or test. These criteria are taken into account either instead of, or in conjunction with, your ATAR or equivalent.
Details of additional selection criteria and how you can meet these requirements are outlined in the degree descriptions.
If you’re undertaking your Year 12 studies outside of Australia and you’re applying for a degree that has additional selection criteria that you think you’ll find difficult to meet, contact Macquarie University.
Assumed knowledge
Assumed knowledge is specified in the degree descriptions. While it’s not a requirement for acceptance into a degree, you may find the degree difficult if you haven’t completed the specified HSC subjects.
Bridging courses
Our bridging courses provide learning support, a useful refresher and a solid foundation for your university studies.
Mathematics and statistics
The Numeracy Centre offers free help with the mathematics or statistics component of any first-year degree, including statistics, psychology, economics, physics, accounting, actuarial studies, electronics, biology, chemistry and mathematics. The centre works on a drop-in basis during the week and runs a variety of bridging courses at the beginning of every session.
The Numeracy Centre also offers a number of courses at the start of each year on a fee-paying basis.
Our Preparatory Course in Mathematics is an intensive course for students from various mathematical backgrounds who need to enrol in first-year mathematics units or who need a solid review of introductory mathematical concepts.
Two different streams are available. Review sessions are also run to refresh prerequisite knowledge early in the session.
For more information, visit the Numeracy centre website, call (02) 9850 8924 or email fse.numeracy@mq.edu.au
Chemistry
Our chemistry bridging course is for students who are studying science at university but who didn’t study chemistry at HSC level, for those needing to gain confidence in chemistry, or for those students who want a refresher course in chemistry.
The course is excellent preparation for anyone interested in any of the following units:
- CHEM1001 (Foundations of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences 1)
- CHEM1002 (Foundations of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences 2)
- BMOL1001 (Biomolecules)
- BIOL1620 (Foundation in Medical Sciences)
For more information, email fse.molsci-reception@mq.edu.au or call (02) 9850 8275.
Physics
The physics bridging course prepares you for studies in physics, astronomy, engineering, medical sciences and related disciplines. It provides learning support, a useful refresher and a solid foundation for your university studies in science.
If you haven’t completed physics to HSC level or equivalent, this course is recommended to give you background knowledge to support your studies in:
- PHYS1510/PHYS1520 or PHYS1020/PHYS1010
- WPHY1510/ WPHY1520
It is also excellent preparation for:
- PHYS1210 and a foundation for the GAMSAT
- Foundations for engineering units such as MECH1001, CIVL1001, ENGG1000, ENGG1050.
For more information, contact fse.physacadmin@mq.edu.au or call (02) 9850 4244.
Macquarie University bridging courses
Other admission options
Macquarie Leaders and Achievers
The Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme considers your commitment to service, engagement and leadership, as well as your Year 11 school results.
If you’re selected for this scheme, Macquarie University will make you an early offer. The scheme is available for most Macquarie degrees.
Macquarie Leaders and Achievers
Academic Entry Program
Our Academic Entry Program matches your strengths to our world-class degrees. The program considers your performance in individual subjects and matches your strengths to a degree that suits you.
We review your results for the NSW HSC Board Developed Courses (Category A subjects only) that correspond to select Macquarie degrees and make you an offer dependent on your performance in these subjects. The program is available for most Macquarie degrees and is processed centrally through UAC.
Schools Recommendation Schemes
Macquarie University participates in the Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS), which is processed centrally through UAC. SRS allows your school to recommend you for an early university offer. Your Year 11 academic achievements, as well as your school’s rating of your aptitude and learning ability, will be considered. If you are found to be suitable, you'll be made an early offer. The scheme is available for most Macquarie degrees, including some distance degrees.
How Schools Recommendation Schemes work
Gifted and Talented Entry Program
The Gifted and Talented Entry Program allows high-achieving students the opportunity to undertake Macquarie first-year units while in Years 11 and 12. If you successfully complete your units with the necessary marks, you may be eligible to receive an early offer for a select number of Macquarie degrees once you complete Year 12.
Gifted and Talented Entry Program
Limited ATAR
Under certain circumstances, you may be admitted based on a Limited ATAR.
If you’ve previously undertaken tertiary studies, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your overall record of academic merit – for both secondary and tertiary study. If you have tertiary award studies but you haven’t completed a Year 12 certificate, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your tertiary rank.
Previous Macquarie University students
If you’re a Macquarie student applying to return to the same undergraduate degree, you may apply via UAC. If you’ve been previously excluded from Macquarie University and have finished the exclusion period, apply via UAC.
Admission is competitively based on academic merit. We recommend that you undertake further studies to improve your academic performance to gain entry into your desired program.
You’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your overall record of academic merit – for both secondary and VET study. If you have VET award studies but haven’t completed a Year 12 certificate, you’ll be considered for selection on the basis of your VET rank. If you’ve completed a specified diploma or advanced diploma, you could be eligible for articulation into specified Macquarie degrees.
Other entry programs
Macquarie University College
Macquarie University College offers diplomas that will help you transition into university study. Developed specifically to meet Macquarie’s entry requirements, the College offers a number of undergraduate certificates and diplomas that are designed so that upon successful completion you can go straight from your pathway studies into the second session/year of your chosen Macquarie University bachelor degree, provided you meet the entry criteria.
If you don’t receive a competitive offer based on your academic ranking, Macquarie University offers other pathways to degree study.
Next Step
Next Step allows you to study Macquarie units and, if completed successfully, get credit towards your chosen bachelor degree even if you don’t have the required ATAR or equivalent for entry. This pathway gives special consideration to mature-aged applicants who do not have a sufficient qualification and allows you to articulate into a number of Macquarie degrees.
Open Universities Australia
Open Universities Australia allows you to study Macquarie units at your own pace, building towards a full Macquarie degree. Study is completely online for most units and is open to students with an ATAR below entry requirement or even no ATAR at all.
If your highest level of education is the Higher School Certificate (or equivalent), you’ll be assessed on the basis of those results.
Some courses require you to attend an interview. Visit the Macquarie University Coursefinder to learn more about entry requirements for your course.
If you don’t have adequate formal education qualifications, but you do have informal learning and work experience, you can submit a portfolio for entry into a diploma or foundation program offered by Macquarie University College.
Pathways
If the above entry programs don't meet your personal circumstance you will have options. Explore the following pathways:
- diploma, foundation and intensive programs
- internal transfer programs (enrol in a course with a lower ATAR and transfer into your desired course)
- Next Step pathway (study Macquarie units and, if completed successfully, get credit towards your chosen course even if you don’t have the required ATAR or equivalent for entry into a bachelor course)
- Open Universities Australia (study Macquarie University units online and at your own pace, building towards a full Macquarie degree)
- Special Tertiary Admissions Test.
If you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia with overseas qualifications, check the commonly accepted overseas secondary qualifications.
Alternatively, you can seek information about eligibility for admission to Macquarie University before submitting an application through UAC. If you apply on the basis of overseas qualifications, you may be required to sit an English language proficiency test.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entry Pathway is an equity initiative aimed at increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation within bachelor degrees. It provides opportunities to Indigenous Australians who may not have completed their HSC or acquired a necessary selection rank for entry into their degree of choice.
This pathway involves a two-stage process: an online application and then a face-to-face interview. Offers will be made according to merit, based on demonstrated capacity and readiness to undertake university study.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the Indigenous Student Support Officer prior to applying. Call (02) 9850 8624.
In recognition of your ADF service, your selection rank for an undergraduate degree will be increased by 5 points. The points will be allocated when you declare and provide valid proof of your ADF service in your UAC application.
Postgraduate applicants
The basic admission qualification for postgraduate courses is completion of a relevant recognised bachelor degree. Admission is competitive and you’ll be considered on the basis of academic merit and any other criteria as specified by the university. Details of admission qualifications and any additional requirements such as work experience, supplementary forms or interviews are listed in the individual course descriptions in the course search.
Overseas qualifications and English language proficiency
If you’ve undertaken studies overseas, you may have to provide proof of English language proficiency.
You may have to submit additional material as part of your application process; this will depend on the course/s for which you’re applying. Submit your material by the date specified in the individual course descriptions.
For details, check individual course descriptions in the course search.
In recognition of ADF service, successful applicants may be eligible for a 10 per cent discount on their postgraduate coursework fee.
General information for Macquarie University
Location
Ground Floor, 18 Wally's Walk, Macquarie University,
North Ryde NSW 2109