UNSW Portfolio Entry

UNSW Portfolio Entry includes Art & Design Portfolio Entry, Built Environment Portfolio Entry, Bachelor of Information Systems Admissions Scheme (BISAS) and the Faculty of Engineering Admissions Scheme (FEAS). Portfolio Entry gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your passion and talent, alongside your ATAR. 

UNSW Portfolio Entry is one, easy online process. You'll select up to three degrees that you're interested in and be guided through what you need to submit.

Art & Design Portfolio Entry  

• Bachelor of Design 
• Bachelor of Fine Arts 
• Bachelor of Media Arts 

Built Environment Portfolio Entry  

• Bachelor of Architectural Studies 
• Bachelor of Computational Design  
• Bachelor of Industrial Design  
• Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours)
• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)

Business School - BISAS

• Bachelor of Information Systems  

FEAS 

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
  
• Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace Engineering) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Bioinformatics) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Product Engineering) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Civil (Honours)/Surveying  
• Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Petroleum) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Photovoltaics and Solar Energy) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Quantum Engineering) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Renewable Energy) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Software) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Surveying) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunications) (Honours)
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts 
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Engineering Science
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Biomedical Engineering 
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Science 
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) 
• Bachelor of Food Science (Honours)* 
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) 
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Bachelor of Media Arts  
• Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)  
• UNSW Canberra (non-defence undergraduate students only):
  • Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)  
  • Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) 
  • Bachelor of Naval Architecture (Honours)

^{Please note, most FEAS degrees require a minimum ATAR (+ UNSW ACCESS, if applicable) of 83.00}

^{*To be eligible for this degree you can have a minimum ATAR (+ UNSW ACCESS points, if applicable) of 80.00}

All domestic applicants who are applying for an eligible degree and expecting an ATAR within 10 points of the lowest selection rank for your degree (unless otherwise stated).

A domestic applicant is anyone who is an Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or New Zealand Citizen. 

International students who are applying through UAC may also be eligible to submit a portfolio. 

Students who are applying through UAC International are also able to submit a portfolio for eligible Art & Design, Built Environment and Engineering Degrees. 

This includes:

• International students studying in Australia who are eligible to submit an application through UAC
• Students who have completed a New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3
• Students completing an International Baccalaureate Diploma
• Australian citizens who are studying overseas 

Submissions are now open for entry in Term 3 2022 and must be completed before the deadline, midday Friday 1 July. 

If you're applying for Term 1 2023, submissions are expected to open in early September and close in early December.

There are several double degrees included in UNSW Portfolio Entry, which you can preference via UAC. Check the lists of included degrees on this page.

If you're considering a double degree that's not included, you'll need to meet the entry requirements for that double degree, independent of UNSW Portfolio Entry.

However, to keep your options open, we encourage you to submit a portfolio anyway, and list an eligible single degree in your UAC preferences. That way if your ATAR is lower than expected, you could still gain entry into a similar degree.

Things don’t always go to plan and the ATAR is only one measure of your potential to succeed at university. UNSW Portfolio Entry allows us to consider your passion and potential in addition to your ATAR. It's an easy online process and can only ever boost your chances of admission.

It will take approximately one hour to complete your submission.

Depending on the degree, or degrees that you're interested in, you'll also be required to submit creative work or a video submission. The time it takes to complete these components will depend on the individual.

While completing your submission, your work will be saved automatically or with the 'save and close' button. You can revisit and edit your submission up until the deadline, but remember we're only able to consider your portfolio once you have submitted it.

Your submission will need to include:

• A cover letter to explain your interest in studying at the UNSW School of Art & Design and specific degrees. The letter should tell us about your interests and achievements and be no more than 400 words. 
• Written or visual material consisting of one of the following: 
  • Up to six images each including a title, an artist/designer statement of up to 50 words and the year you created the work
  • A URL. This could include a showreel or video or animation work, or a blog with a small collection of multi-media work
  • A 500-word critical review as outlined below

Critical review topic 

Imagine you are a critic for a newspaper with an educated but non-specialist audience, and you need to write a review of a current temporary exhibition or festival program. You can choose broadly, including art and design exhibitions or new media displays. The purpose is to inform your audience and to provide some context or background for the work. You will need to both describe and comment on the work. The purpose is to foreground your interpretation, so you are not required to do any additional research or provide biographical details for the artists or producers. 

General advice

• Have someone check your work for spelling and grammar, but ultimately the work must be your own and not copied from someone or somewhere else. 
• Submit only your best work if you have lots to choose from.
• If making or assembling is not your best skill, showcase what is. If research or enquiry is your best skill, consider the critical review. 

Your submission will need to include:

• A personal statement, of up to 150 words
• A portfolio of work up to 5 A4 Pages

Writing your statement

When submitting your application, you will need to prepare a personal statement to accompany your portfolio. The statement should be no more than 150 words. 

Your statement is an opportunity to demonstrate your interest and passion for your selected degree and to tell us about why you believe you would excel in studying and practicing in your chosen field. Use the statement to tell us about your creative strengths, areas of interest and technical abilities. 

Crafting your portfolio

Your digital portfolio submission is the main component of the application. Your portfolio is a summary of your best creative work and provides evidence of your creativity and technical skills. The portfolio can showcase a range of different mediums including photography, sculpture, digital artworks, paintings, drawings, or previously undertaken design work. Include the written or visual work that best captures your creative approach and technical abilities. The portfolio should be a maximum of 5 x A4 pages, therefore you should ensure that you curate the work you include. Hard copies or physical pieces cannot be accepted, the portfolio is a digital submission that is limited to 100MB. 

Your portfolio should be curated and crafted to showcase your best work in an interesting and engaging way. We want to see your individual style and creative approaches in the portfolio, we encourage risk taking and originality. Be sure to consider how you will layout and organise your work, you will be assessed on the quality and interest of the work submitted as well as the visual quality of the portfolio. Use the portfolio as a way of communicating your creative process, not just the final outcome. We are interested in seeing the process sketches, technical drawings, prototypes, and drafts to communicate the design process rather than just the outcome. 

We want to see your unique and inquisitive minds, your original work, and your best technical and crafted work. 

If you’re interested in more than one Built Environment degree, you will be prompted to submit a separate personal statement and portfolio for each degree. They may share some content, but you should ensure that they are tailored to each

Your submission will need to include:

• a personal statement responding to four questions
• your year 12 report
• a video submission

Personal statement

You will be asked to submit written responses to four questions in the personal statement section. 

The personal statement section will ask you: 

• Why would you like to be an information systems graduate? 
• What is it that attracts you to information systems at UNSW, and in particular, what courses in the Bachelor of Information Systems degree interest you?
• What relevant experience you have had? For example, use of digital technologies and social media, computer programming, app building, part-time job, work experience. 
• Add anything else that you left out in the responses above. 

Year 12 report

You will also be asked to upload your year 12 school report and your HSC results if you have them. You'll be able to upload this as a document or image files.

 Video submission

Your short video should demonstrate how and why you are suited to information systems studies. Your video (maximum 5 minutes) is your chance to tell us all about your motivation and passion for information systems. 

Some questions to consider when creating your video: 

• Why are you keen to study information systems? 
• How did you become interested in technology? 
• Why do you think you will be a successful information systems graduate? 
• What have you done recently to explore your interest in technology? 

You can also talk about: 

• Any technology projects you have recently been a part of 
• Types of technology subjects you were passionate about in high school and why
• Types of information systems courses you are interested in and why

Ultimately, we want to understand why you are passionate about studying information systems at UNSW. 

Length

The video can be any length up to a maximum of five minutes. You should not feel like you need to fill the entire five minutes. 

Format

Your video does not need to be high production quality. We are assessing the content, not your video editing skills, so we only require that it be of sufficient quality so that we can adequately view and hear the presentation. Videos will need to be 200MB or less to be submitted. If your video file is too big, you can compress it by saving it as a lower quality file or save it in a more efficient file format, or downsize it using handbrake.fr, open-source software for video conversions, or by compressing your video into a zip file (Windows instructions here, Mac instructions here). 

Your submission will need to include

• A personal statement responding to four questions
• Your year 12 report
• A video submission

Personal statement

You will be asked to submit written responses to four questions in the personal statment section.

The personal statement section will ask you:

• Why would you like to be an engineer?
• What is it that attracts you to UNSW Engineering and the engineering field? 
• What relevant experience have you had? For example, computer programming, model building, design projects, a part-time job and work experience. 
• Add anything else that you left out in the responses above. 

Year 12 school report

You will also be asked to upload your year 12 school report. You'll be able to upload this as a document or image files.

We will evaluate your ability in mathematics, physics and other sciences, design and problem-solving, as well as attitude and motivation towards engineering studies. 

Video submission

Upload a short video demonstrating how and why you’re suited to engineering studies. 

Some questions to consider when creating your video: 

• Why are you keen to study engineering? 
• How did you become interested in engineering? 
• Why do you think you’ll be a good engineer? 
• What have you done recently to explore your interest in engineering? 

You can also talk about: 

• Any engineering projects you’ve recently been a part of 
• Types of engineering subjects you were passionate about in high school and why. 
• Types of engineering subjects you’re interested in and why. 

Mandatory format and inclusions

• A maximum length of 5 minutes 

Identify yourself stating: 

• Your full name 
• UAC application number 
• Photo identification (Show on-screen) 
• 400MB or less, if your video file is larger than this, you can compress it using open-source software for video conversions such as  handbrake.fr. Or you can compress your video into a zip file via Windows or Mac. 

We are interested in your reasons for applying for UNSW Engineering. If you are interested in a particular area of Engineering, then this should be reflected in your FEAS application and your UAC preferences.

However, you can indicate a generic interest in Engineering. Our Faculty has a flexible first year program (UAC Code: 425000), following which you can elect to study the engineering discipline of your choice* from Year 2 onwards. If you are undecided, then let us know and we can discuss your choices and interests.

^{*Subject to academic performance and available places in preferred program.}

First, you must submit an application with UAC, and list your preferred degree as your highest eligible preference. After you have lodged a UAC application, you can submit your portfolio online via the submission portal. 

If you would like to speak with one of our advisors to guide you through submitting your application, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

UNSW makes offers based on a combination of your academic results and your portfolio submission. If your ATAR is within 10 points of the Lowest Selection Rank (LSR) for your preferred degree, we may be able to make you an offer based on the passion and potential that you’ve demonstrated in your portfolio.

If you are successful, your offer will be made in the usual way, through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). Remember, to be eligible to receive an offer, you will need to keep your preferred UNSW degree as your highest eligible preference in your UAC application.

Because we receive a large number of portfolio submissions, we are unable to provide individual feedback.

No. You must personally complete the application, and you are personally responsible for the security of your Username and Password. Submitting your application requires formal acceptance of these conditions.

Yes. An application for Portfolio Entry is not an application for admission to UNSW. You must complete a UAC application by the due date. For information on applying for admission to UNSW, visit the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) website.

No. The UNSW HSC Plus program will not have any impact on your eligibility for Portfolio Entry, which is determined primarily on your ATAR. However, performance in relevant HSC /Australian Year 12 subjects is taken into account as part of the Portfolio Entry.

Additional information on HSC Plus is available on the Admission website.

If you achieved an ATAR greater than 91.00 you do not need to apply for the FEAS or BISAS. 

FEAS applies only to those with an ATAR between 83.00 - 90.95*. BISAS applies only to those with an ATAR between 80.00 - 90.00.  

For Art & Design and Built Environment Portfolio Entry you may complete an online submission if the lowest selection rank of your preferred degree is greater than 91.00. We encourage all students to submit an application if they are expecting an ATAR within 10 points of the lowest selection rank. 

All offers are made by the Universities Admissions Centre in the normal way. Following the submission process, certain students who meet the indicated ATAR requirement may receive an offer in their chosen UNSW program via UAC through the Portfolio Entry.

^{*The Bachelor of Food Science has an ATAR requirement of 80.00}

If you have achieved an ATAR (or equivalent) less than the indicated requirement you will not be eligible for admission via Portfolio Entry. You can visit our Future Students website for information on the alternative avenues through which you may seek an admission to an undergraduate program at UNSW. 

The indicated ATAR (or equivalent) requirements are: 

• FEAS: 83.00.
  ^{Please note the Bachelor of Food Science has a FEAS requirement of 80.00.} 
• BISAS: 80.00 
• Art & Design Portfolio Entry: Within 10 points of the lowest selection rank for your preferred degree. 
• BE Portfolio Entry: Within 10 points of the lowest selection rank for your preferred degree.

If you enrol in a program at UNSW or another university, you may apply in future years to transfer to UNSW. Your eligibility to transfer will depend on the program and subjects you enrol in and your performance in the subjects undertaken.

An application to the UAC is required for most transfers. If seeking to transfer between programs within UNSW (e.g. Science to Engineering) you may not need to submit a UAC application and can instead apply for an Internal Program Transfer.