UNSW Gateway Admission Pathway
Unlock your access to UNSW
Applications for 2023 enrolment have closed, but you can start preparing your Gateway Admission Pathway application for enrolment in 2024.
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.
Step 2
Start your personal statement
As part of your application, you will need to submit a personal statement answering three questions about yourself. This is an important component for us to assess your application. Check out the Nail It! app to get started.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
Submit your application
Gateway Admission Pathway applications for 2024 will open in early 2023. To be notified when applications open, leave your name and email address.
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.
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.
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
- About
- Eligibility
- Application
- Offers
- Adjusted ATARs
- Degree-specific
More about the Gateway Admission Pathway
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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.
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All Gateway Admission Pathway applications are considered based on your written personal statement and your Year 11 results.
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In 2023, you will have the opportunity to receive either a conditional or an unconditional offer to a UNSW undergraduate degree of your choice through the Gateway Admission Pathway.
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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
Elibilty for the Gateway Admission Pathway
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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.
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No, unfortunately only domestic students can be considered through the Gateway Admission Pathway.
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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
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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?
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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.
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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.
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Yes, you can resubmit your personal statement if necessary. However, we strongly encourage you to finalise it before submitting it.
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No, we won’t have access to information about special provisions and won’t consider it as part of the application process.
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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
For conditional offer holders: to convert your conditional offer to a firm offer and secure your place at UNSW, you must preference your conditional offer degree as your highest eligible preference before December 2023.
For unconditional offer holders: to secure your place at UNSW, you must accept your offer before December 2023.
Offers for the Gateway Admission Pathway
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A conditional offer is made to you prior to sitting the HSC with an adjusted ATAR entry requirement for your chosen UNSW degree. If you meet the adjusted ATAR set for you in your conditional offer, you will receive a firm offer to that degree.
An unconditional offer is a firm offer to your chosen UNSW degree and is made to you prior to sitting the HSC. To utilise an unconditional offer, you must complete the HSC and achieve an ATAR.
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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
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No, you will only receive one offer to UNSW through the Gateway Admission Pathway.
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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 through the Gateway Admission Pathway.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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No, there is a separate entry scheme for elite athletes here. You cannot combine schemes.
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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.
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If you do not meet the ATAR requirement set out in your conditional offer, it will not be converted into a firm offer. But don’t sweat. There are a number of entry schemes and alternate pathways you may be eligible for to study your dream degree at UNSW, for more information see here.
Other options include:
- changing your UAC preferences to be considered for a degree with a lower Lowest Selection Rank
- applying for the UNSW Preparation Program (UNSW Prep 17-19)
Degree-specific information for the Gateway Admission Pathway
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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 for students who are eligible for Gateway.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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