UAC course preferences: 5 things you need to know

Choosing your course preferences – otherwise known as the exciting part of your UAC application! This is where you get to dream big and plan for your future, choosing from thousands of study options across more than 30 universities and colleges.

The tricky part can be knowing what order to list your preferences, how and when to change them, and what to do once you’ve accepted an offer.

Here are five things you need know to make the most of your course preferences.

1. How many course preferences can I choose?

Undergraduate applicants can choose up to five preferences across institutions in their UAC application. (International and postgraduate applicants can choose up to six preferences.)

UAC preferences are designed so that you can list your dream course and also include options that are more attainable and might still help you transfer to your dream course at a later stage.

We encourage you to use all of your preferences: every preference is an opportunity to gain admission into university!

2. What order should I list my course preferences?

The golden rule: list your course preferences in the order you would like them to be considered.

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

Many students believe that you have a lower chance of getting into a course if it’s further down your preference list – this is not the case. You'll receive an offer for the first course in your list for which you’re eligible.

Here are our top tips for selecting your top 5:

1. Start with your dream course – Choose the course you want most, your top pick no matter what.
2. Another top choice – Choose a similar course or one you’d be just as happy to study.
3. A strong match – Choose a realistic course based on your results and interests, which could help you transfer to your dream course.
4. Your safe option – Choose a course you feel confident you'll get into and that could help you transfer at a later stage.
5. Your back-up – Choose your ‘just in case’ course to give you the best opportunity to start your study journey.

3. What should I do with my preferences if I’ve applied for SRS?

If you’ve applied for an early offer through the Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS), the preferences in your undergraduate application will be considered for the November Round 1 offer round (13 November 2025). The deadline for changing your preferences before this round is 11.59pm 6 November.

Remember, not every university participates in the SRS and not every course is eligible. We recommend that you check each institution’s criteria or contact them directly to see if a course is covered by SRS.

If you receive an early offer through SRS, UAC recommends accepting the offer, as it may expire. If you wish to be considered for other courses in future offer rounds, you will need to remove the offered course from your course preferences list.

4. How many times can I change my preferences?

You can change your preferences as many times as you like, for free.

Remember, however, there are short periods before each undergraduate offer round when you are unable to change your preferences in your application. Keep an eye on preference deadlines in UAC's key dates, and check the closing dates for the courses you are applying for. Some courses (eg Medicine) may have dates that are different to UAC preference closing dates.

You can add, delete, or change the order of your courses by logging in to your application. How to change your course preferences

5. What should I do with my preferences if I’ve accepted an offer?

If you receive an offer, congratulations! UAC advises that you accept any offer that you receive. You should then remove the successful course from your preferences list to prevent it blocking offers to lower preferences in future rounds.

(Note: If you are accepting more than one offer from the same institution, it's worth checking with them about their policy for accepting multiple offers.)

If you accept more than one offer, you are then in a position to choose which course you'd like to proceed with. Remember to withdraw from the other courses before the census date to avoid being charged tuition fees.

Changing your preferences after you receive an offer