UNSW Gateway Admission Pathway

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Undergraduate Gateway Student

Applications are now open for 2024 enrolment.
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Step 1

Map your future career

Not sure what you want to study? Use our InsideOut app to discover how your values match with different degrees at UNSW and map your future career.

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Step 2

Attend Gateway Winter Program

The Year 12 Gateway Winter Program prepares you for your HSC exams and supports you in perfecting your personal statement and submitting your Gateway Admission Pathway application.

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Step 3

Apply now

Apply for an early offer to UNSW through the Gateway Admission Pathway. You can start and save your application in the Gateway portal – but be sure to submit before applications close on Friday, 21 July.

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You're more than your ATAR

If you're in Year 12, the Gateway Admission Pathway is an alternative pathway to UNSW which considers more than just your ATAR. It offers early entry to UNSW or a significantly lower ATAR entry requirement for a range of degrees.  
Adjusted ATARs

Check your eligibility

To be eligible for the Gateway Admission Pathway, you must:

  • be an Australian resident
  • be completing an Australian Year 12 qualification in the year of application
  • attend a Gateway school or live in a low-socioeconomic area based on IRSAD and IEO indexes of SEIFA criteria.

Check our list below to see if you attend a Gateway school.
Gateway schools
Don’t see your school on the list?

You may still be eligible. Email us to check your eligibility unswgateway@unsw.edu.au 

Gateway Admission Pathway FAQs

More about the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • UNSW is committed to student equity, and we want to ensure that as many young people as possible can access and succeed in higher education. The Gateway Admission Pathway is UNSW’s primary pathway for students who are traditionally underrepresented at UNSW and in higher education more broadly.

  • All Gateway Admission Pathway applications are considered based on your written personal statement and your Year 11 results.

  • This year, you will have the opportunity to receive an early offer (with the requirement of receiving an ATAR regardless of the result) or an early conditional offer (with a significantly reduced ATAR requirement).

  • You can apply for all undergraduate degrees at UNSW Sydney, excluding degrees at UNSW Canberra.

    Note:

    • Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine has different eligibility criteria and a different application process - see Gateway Medicine Entry Scheme for more information 
    • B Aviation (Flying) has considerable costs associated and final entry to the program is dependent on additional selection criteria - see Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) for more details 
    • B Vision Science/M Clinical Optometry will prioritise places for regional/remote students and less than 10 places are available 

Eligibility for the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • To be eligible for the Gateway Admission Pathway, you must:

    • be an Australian resident
    • be completing an Australian Year 12 qualification in the year of application
    • attend a Gateway school or live in a low-socioeconomic area based on SEIFA criteria*.

    If you’re unsure whether you meet these criteria, email unswgateway@unsw.edu.au

    * Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage based on the Index of Education and Occupation and Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage.

  • No, unfortunately only domestic students can be considered through the Gateway Admission Pathway. 

  • Gateway schools are identified by taking the three-year average of Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) for schools across NSW or the three-year average of the proportion of students in the bottom SEA quartile. The ICSEA and proportion of students in the bottom SEA quartile of a school can be found on the My School website.  

Applying to UNSW through the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • You will need to upload a personal statement answering the following three questions. If you have chosen two degrees to be considered for in your application, you only need to address the degree you have listed as your first preference.

    • Why are you interested in the degree you are applying for and how does it relate to your passions and goals?
    • What are your learning strengths and how have you applied them to overcome challenges in school or other aspects of your life? 
    • Thinking about your future self at university, what do you identify as the key challenges for you and how do you plan to manage these?

  • You can choose up to two UNSW degrees to be assessed on. However, only preference two degrees if you would be happy to receive an offer for either of those degrees. When writing your personal statement, you should reference the degree you have listed as your first preference.  

    Please note whilst you can preference up to two degrees, you can only receive one offer to UNSW through the Gateway Admission Pathway. 

  • Your personal statement is a very important part of how we assess your application. Here are the key qualities we are looking for in your personal statement:  

    • A high degree of clarity
    • Address all aspects of the questions
    • Reference relevant concrete examples to illustrate sophisticated links between personal interests and chosen discipline
    • Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of your chosen degree and its requirements
    • Extensive and detailed evidence of reflective thinking and analysis of own learning strengths
    • Thoughtfully describe potential challenges and solutions for your projected future self 
    • A well-integrated, complex and thoughtfully structured paragraph
    • Sophisticated use of persuasive written language  

    Check out our Nail It! app designed specifically to help you write your personal statement.

  • Yes, you can resubmit your personal statement if necessary. However, we strongly encourage you to finalise it before submitting it.

  • No, we won’t have access to information about special provisions and won’t consider it as part of the application process.

  • If you are successful in receiving an offer you will be notified in one of the two following offer rounds. 

    Round 1 Round 2

     

    Applications open: 1 May

    Applications close: 21 July

    Offers released: 1 September

     

     

    Applications open: 2 September

    Applications close: 8 November

    Offers released: 8 December

     

     

    Firm offers will be released on Friday 15 December 2023.

Offers for the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • Early offers will be made in Round 1 only, with the requirement of you sitting the HSC and receiving an ATAR regardless of the result.

    Early conditional offers are made in both Round 1 and 2, with a significantly reduced ATAR requirement. If you meet or exceed the adjusted ATAR you will receive a firm offer to that degree.

  • In 2023, there will be two offer rounds.

    Round 1 Round 2

     

    Applications open: 1 May

    Applications close: 21 July

    Offers released: 1 September

     

     

    Applications open: 2 September

    Applications close: 8 November

    Offers released: 8 December

     

  • No, you will only receive one offer to UNSW through the Gateway Admission Pathway. 

  • Most degrees offered through the Gateway Admission Pathway are not capped.

    The exceptions are:

    • Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Clinical Optometry: Fewer than 10 places are available and students from regional and remote areas will be prioritised for these places 
    • Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine: Up to 10 places are available to students who meet the eligibility criteria and apply for the Gateway entry scheme via the Medicine Application Portal.

  • Yes. So long as you have met the requirements of your offer and converted it to a firm offer by the set date, you will be able to defer your studies for one year.

Adjusted ATARs for the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • ATAR adjustments consider additional factors when assessing a student’s capability to succeed at university. As part of UNSW's Gateway Admission Pathway, we consider the academic course requirements and the demonstrated academic standard of applicants. We then consider the Lowest Selection Rank and determine a reasonable adjustment for each degree. See our list of Gateway Adjusted ATARs for students who enrolled at UNSW in 2023.

  • Through the Gateway Admission Pathway, there are several degrees that have an adjusted ATAR of 65. See our list of Gateway Adjusted ATARs for students who enrolled at UNSW in 2023.

  • The Gateway Admission Pathway sets a reduced ATAR requirement specific to the degree you are applying for. To convert your early conditional offer into a firm offer, your ATAR will need to meet this requirement without any other adjustment factors being considered.

  • No, there is a separate entry scheme for elite athletes here. You cannot combine schemes. 

  • There are no implications. Your ATAR is only one indicator of your capacity to succeed at university, which is why we are considering other factors when assessing your application. You won’t be at a disadvantage compared to your peers.

  • We understand that sometimes things don’t always go to plan. If you don’t meet the adjusted ATAR set in your early conditional offer, you may still be considered for alternate entry schemes to study your dream UNSW degree including:

    • A Diploma program through UNSW College
    • The UNSW Prep Program

Degree-specific information for the Gateway Admission Pathway

  • Not to be confused with the Bachelor of Medical Science.

    The Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine (often referred to simply as ‘Medicine’) is a very competitive degree and up to 10 places are offered each year via the Gateway Entry Scheme.

    It is a different application process to apply for a Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine as a Gateway student and requires additional selection and eligibility criteria. Visit the Gateway Entry Scheme for more details.

  • If you apply for a Bachelor of Laws through the Gateway Admission Pathway, you do not need to sit the Law Admission Test. LAT results will not be used to assess your Gateway Admission Pathway application. However, you can still register for and sit the LAT if you would like to retain the option of entry to the Bachelor of Laws through the LAT admission process.  

  • As a Co-op scholar you are provided with up to 18 months of relevant industry experience, leadership and professional development training, mentoring and support, career planning and events to help you create professional and social networks. There are various programs available in Business, Science and Engineering streams.

    The application process for Co-op is separate to the Gateway Admission Pathway. You will need to submit an online application, nominate your Careers Advisor to complete your Schools Assessment Page and complete a video snapshot. For more information about the programs, application process and eligibility, see here.

  • Yes, you can transfer in the same way as any student at UNSW can transfer degrees.

Need more information?

If you have any questions or need personalised advice, get in touch with us via email unswgateway@unsw.edu.au