UNSW Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme

UNSW Portfolio Entry includes Arts, Design & Architecture Portfolio Entry and the Faculty of Engineering Admissions Scheme (FEAS). Portfolio Entry gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your passion and talent alongside your ATAR. 

Successful applicants will receive an early conditional offer with an adjusted ATAR entry requirement up to 10 ATAR points below the lowest selection rank for a specific degree or range of related degrees. If you meet or exceed the adjusted ATAR requirement for an eligible degree and list this as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the specified UAC offer round, then you’ll be issued a firm offer to that degree.

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

Arts, Design & Architecture Portfolio Entry  

• Bachelor of Architectural Studies**
• Bachelor of Construction Management and Property
• Bachelor of City Planning
• Bachelor of Design
• Bachelor of Design/Education (Secondary)*
• Bachelor of Design/Media*
• Bachelor of Fine Arts^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Arts*^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Media*^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Education (Secondary)*^
• Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours)
• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts/Education (Secondary)*
• Bachelor of Media
• Bachelor of Media/Arts*
• Bachelor of Media/Social Sciences*
• Bachelor of Social Sciences
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Arts*
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Social Sciences*

^{*Portfolio entry submissions for double degrees only require you to include to criteria for the degree with the higher entry requirement.} 

^{**While most early conditional offers will include a range of degrees students are eligible for, due to competitiveness applicants will only be considered for an early conditional offer that includes the Bachelor of Architectural Studies if they select this degree as their preferred option when applying via the Portfolio Entry portal.}

^{^Please note that acceptance into the Music specialisation requires you to meet the adjusted ATAR requirement in your early conditional offer and to also successfully complete an audition. For more information, visit UNSW Music auditions.}

^{Please note: Due to a publication error, a print version of the UNSW 2024 Domestic Undergraduate Guide incorrectly listed the Bachelor of Education (Primary) (Honours) as included in the Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme. This is not an eligible degree within the Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme for 2024 entry.}    

FEAS 

• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) 
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Electrical)
• 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 (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 Fine Arts/Engineering (Honours)^
• Bachelor of Food Science (Honours) 
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)* 
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Arts*
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Bachelor of Fine 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 that acceptance into the Music specialisation requires you to meet the adjusted ATAR requirement in your early conditional offer and to also successfully complete an audition. For more information, visit UNSW Music auditions.}

^{*While most early conditional offers will include a range of degrees students are eligible for, due to competitiveness applicants will only be considered for an early conditional offer that includes Computer Science if they select these degrees as their preferred option when applying via the Portfolio Entry portal.}

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.

Applicants can apply for one degree or a double degree as part of UNSW Portfolio Entry and must select this when first completing their application.

If your application is successful, your early conditional offer letter will specify the adjusted ATAR requirement you need to meet for either a single degree or a range of degrees related to your original selection.

Due to the volume of applications received, applicants are unable to change the initial degree selected after they’ve submitted their Portfolio Entry application.

No. Applicants who apply for both the Gateway Admissions Pathway (GAP) and Portfolio Entry, and who are competitive for an early offer for both schemes will only be issued one early offer/early conditional offer. This offer will be for the Gateway Admissions Pathway as this scheme provides the most advantageous adjusted entry requirements for applicants who are eligible for both schemes.

As such, applicants who are eligible to apply for both schemes should only submit an application via the Gateway Admission Pathway, given this scheme provides the most advantageous benefits for applicants.

You can reach out to our knowledgeable Future Student Advisers for further information on the eligibility requirements for both schemes. 

If you change your mind about what you want to study, you can select an alternate degree from the list of eligible degrees within your Early Conditional Offer letter. To be eligible for an offer, you will need to have met the ATAR requirement listed and ensure this is your highest eligible preference for the December Round 2 UAC offer round (or January Round 1 for interstate/IB applicants).

If you would like to select a degree program other than those listed on your Early Conditional Offer letter, then you will need to list this as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the applicable offer round and meet the Lowest Selection Rank (ATAR + Adjustment Factors) in order to be competitive for an offer. 

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.

Depending on your ATAR results, you may also consider entering an eligible single degree through Portfolio Entry and then applying via UNSW’s Internal Program Transfer (IPT) scheme to transfer into your preferred double degree after completing a minimum number of units of credit, subject to meeting eligibility criteria and your academic performance.

Applicants can only receive one early conditional offer through UNSW Portfolio Entry. This will specify an adjusted ATAR requirement for either a single degree or a range of related degrees.

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. 

Applicants are unable to edit a submitted portfolio. We advise applicants to only submit their portfolio when it's the final version as you will be unable to edit your submission once it's submitted.

No, unfortunately only domestic applicants can be considered through the Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme.

UNSW Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Applications for Term 1 2024

The Portfolio Entry opening and closing dates for the ‘on time’ and ‘late round’ applications for Term 1 2024 are shown below.    

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

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

It'll take approximately one hour to complete your submission.

Depending on the degree 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’ve submitted it.

Due to the volume of applications received, once a portfolio application has been assessed it’s not possible to update this or resubmit another portfolio entry application.

No. You must personally complete the application and you’re 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.

If successful for an early conditional offer, you’ll need to meet the adjusted ATAR requirements and list an eligible UNSW degree preference as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the specified UAC offer round to receive a firm offer.

Yes. If you receive an early conditional offer for the Bachelor of Fine Arts and want to pursue the Music specialisation, you must meet the adjusted ATAR requirement and also successfully complete an audition. For more information, visit UNSW Music auditions.

Your submission will include: 

• A cover letter to explain your interest in studying at UNSW’s Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture and degree(s) of choice. The letter should tell us about your interests, passions, strengths and abilities that’ll help you excel in studying chosen fields (maximum 400 words).

In addition to a cover letter your portfolio submission will need to meet the criteria for your chosen degree(s): 

Criteria A

• A portfolio of original 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 of video or animation work, or a blog with a small collection of multimedia work
  • A 500-word critical review

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. Hard copies or physical pieces cannot be accepted - the portfolio is a digital submission, which 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’ll lay out and organise your work – you’ll 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’re 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 mind, your original work, and your best technical and crafted work. 

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

Critical review topic 

Imagine you’re 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’ll need to both describe and comment on the work. The purpose is to foreground your interpretation - you’re not required to do any additional research or provide biographical details for the artists or producers. 

The following degrees require criteria A for your submission:  

• Bachelor of Architectural Studies
• Bachelor of Construction Management and Property
• Bachelor of Design
• Bachelor of Design/Education (Secondary)*
• Bachelor of Design/Media*
• Bachelor of Fine Arts^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Arts*^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Education (Secondary)*^
• Bachelor of Fine Arts/Media*^
• Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours)
• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)

Criteria B

• A portfolio of work that demonstrates your ability and interest in studying your chosen degree. This could include an article, essay, blog, social media campaign, website, photos, video, school report or a letter of recommendation. 
• A written critical reflection outlining a problem you’ve tackled and the impact you've made. This could include discussing a problem you solved in a project for a relevant school subject or a personal experience in any setting. You’ll need to include your perspective of what succeeded, what failed, what you learnt and if you could have done anything differently (maximum 500 words).

Crafting your portfolio

Your digital portfolio submission is the main component of the application. Your portfolio is a summary of your best work and provides evidence of your ability and interest in studying your chosen degree(s). The portfolio can include written articles, essays, blogs, social media posts or campaigns, built websites or webpages, photographs, videos, a school report or letters of recommendations. The portfolio should be a maximum of 5 x A4 pages.  Hard copies or physical pieces cannot be accepted - the portfolio is a digital submission, which 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 talents and abilities. We encourage risk taking and originality. Be sure to consider how you’ll lay out and organise your work - you’ll be assessed on your innovation, creativity and project skills. Use the portfolio as a way to communicate your technical proficiency in your chosen field. We’re interested in seeing the process and drafts to showcase your project skills, considerations and experimentation, rather than just the outcome. 

Critical reflection

A reflection is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information. It’s a 'processing' phase where thinking and learning take place. There are no right or wrong ways to be reflective - just questions to explore. In your 500-word critical reflection, you should reflect on a problem you've faced and tackled, and describe the impact you had on the outcome. Your reflection should include description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). This could be done by discussing a problem that you set out to solve in a relevant subject, drawing from your experience at school, work, family or in the community.

Consider including answers to questions such as:

• What succeeded?
• What didn't?
• What did you learn?
• What could you do differently? 

The critical reflection is your opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills and help make comparisons or connections between what you’re learning and your prior experiences. 

The following degrees require criteria B for your submission:

• Bachelor of Arts 
• Bachelor of Arts/Education (Secondary)*
• Bachelor of City Planning
• Bachelor of Media
• Bachelor of Media/Arts*
• Bachelor of Media/Social Sciences*
• Bachelor of Social Sciences
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
  
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Arts*
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)/Social Sciences*

^{*Portfolio entry submissions for double degrees only require you to include to criteria for the degree with the higher entry requirement.}

^{**While most early conditional offers will include a range of degrees students are eligible for, due to competitiveness applicants will only be considered for an early conditional offer that includes the Bachelor of Architectural Studies if they select this degree as their preferred option when applying via the Portfolio Entry portal.}

^{^Please note that acceptance into the Music specialisation requires you to meet the adjusted ATAR requirement in your early conditional offer and to also successfully complete an audition. For more information, visit UNSW Music auditions.}

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. We want to know what you’re passionate about!

Your submission will need to include:

• A personal statement responding to four questions
• Your latest year 12 school report (e.g., a term, half-yearly or yearly report)
• A video submission

Personal statement

You’ll 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 engineer?
• What is it that attracts you to UNSW Engineering and the engineering field? 
• What relevant experience have you had? (e.g., computer programming, model building, design projects, a part-time job or work experience)
• Add anything else that you left out in the responses above. 

Year 12 school report

You’ll also be asked to upload your latest year 12 school report (e.g., a term, half-yearly or yearly report). You'll be able to upload this as a document or image files.

We’ll 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’re 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 five minutes 
• 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

Identify yourself stating: 

• Your full name 
• UAC application number 
• Photo identification (show on-screen)

We’re interested in your reasons for applying for UNSW Engineering. If you’re 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. The Faculty of Engineering 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’re undecided, let us know and we can discuss your choices and interests.

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

A Portfolio Entry early conditional offer is an offer with an adjusted ATAR requirement. You need to meet the adjusted ATAR requirement in order to be eligible for an offer to a specific degree or range of related degrees.

If you meet or exceed the adjusted ATAR requirement and list an eligible degree as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the specified UAC offer round, you’ll be issued a firm offer to that degree.

No. Adjustment factors awarded under other schemes such as the HSC Plus, the Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Scheme, and the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) don’t contribute towards the adjusted ATAR requirement you need to meet as part of your Portfolio Entry early conditional offer. Applicants are assessed on their raw ATAR issued by UAC (without adjustment factors).

To receive a firm offer, you’ll need to follow the steps outlined on your early conditional offer:

1. Meet or exceed the adjusted ATAR requirement listed on your early conditional offer for the specified degree or range of degrees
2. List one of these eligible degrees as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the specified UAC offer round

Unfortunately, you cannot defer your early conditional offer. This will only be valid for the UAC offer round specified on your early conditional offer letter.

However, if you receive a firm offer to UNSW, then for most degrees you can defer your start date. For information regarding the deferral process please visit our Deferral website.

For Term 1 2024 entry, firm offers for Portfolio Entry will only be issued in UAC December Round 2 (NSW & ACT applicants) and January Round 1 (Interstate & IB applicants).

Applicants can only apply once through Portfolio Entry, submitting in either the ‘on time' application round or ‘late round’ of applications (if applicable).

No. Submissions are assessed equally regardless of which round an applicant applies in – it won’t impact your competitiveness for an early conditional offer. However, early conditional offers are released at different times throughout the year depending on which round you apply in.

No, only one Portfolio Entry submission per applicant is considered. However, there are many pathways to studying your dream degree at UNSW. You can visit our this page for more information regarding admission pathways into UNSW.  

Yes, you can apply via Portfolio Entry. Based on your portfolio and your previous academic performance, if you’re competitive through this pathway then when early conditional offers are released, you’ll receive correspondence from UNSW confirming your competitiveness for a place at UNSW and the next steps to be eligible for a firm offer.

There are many pathways to studying your dream degree at UNSW. You can visit our this page for more information regarding admission pathways into UNSW or reach out to one of our knowledgeable Future Student Advisers.