UNSW has changed the way we issue offers

The Australian Government’s proposed international student enrolment limits as part of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 (ESOS Bill) did not become legislation in 2024.  It is therefore unlikely there will be international student limits for 2025. 

This is welcome news as we value the diverse perspectives international students contribute to our campuses, classrooms and wider community. This news also allows us to provide wider consideration to the way in which we assess and make offers for our upcoming intakes. 

UNSW has recently made changes in our approach to admissions offers. These changes will remain in effect to help streamline the admissions process. Offers to study at UNSW Sydney in 2025 will be made in specific rounds, with the following key changes applied: 

  • Complete applications, which mean all supporting documents have been provided, will be prioritised according to academic merit and subject to program availability 
  • Offer deferrals will no longer be automatically approved  
  • Offer rounds have been introduced   
  • Issued offers will have a 10-day acceptance period  
  • Change of program requests will only be considered with a new application 

New Applications

We know applicants will be keen to understand when UNSW’s 2025 application pause will be lifted. UNSW is currently working through timelines and processes and will advise before the end of this year when applications for Term 2 and Term 3 2025 will open.

Our focus remains on working through the implications of the changing government policy as quickly as possible. We will continue to update our FAQs as the situation evolves. Please check this page regularly for updates.


FAQs

    • Although there won’t be further applications invited for Term 1, UNSW is currently working through timelines and processes and will advise before the end of 2024 on dates of re-opening Term 2 and Term 3 2025 applications. For now, ensure that you have registered your interest in study at UNSW through our expression of interest form found on our course pages. 

      The UNSW Full-Time MBA (8351), the UNSW Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine (3805), Graduate Diploma in Legal Professional Practice (5213), UNSW Online ProgramsUNSW HDR Programs, and UNSW Canberra Programs are excluded from the application pause, with applications to be submitted via Apply Online as usual.

      UAC applications for relevant international cohorts remain open. 

      Express your interest

    • UNSW will be prioritising releasing full offers during our offer rounds. Applicants must submit all outstanding documentation to be considered for an offer round. 

      To be considered for the final offer round for Term 1 2025, outstanding documentation must be submitted by 12 December 2024. 

    • Applications are currently open for 2026, however, UNSW does not expect to issue any 2026 offers until after February 2025.  If you are interested in studying at UNSW in 2026, please submit an application via Apply Online.

  • Beware of scams

    There are reports of individuals posing as entities who are targeting international applicants across Chinese social media platforms, claiming that they can help students get their offers re-issued if they have been withdrawn. These claims are fraudulent and are not official representatives of UNSW. You can report any approaches from these companies to the UNSW Conduct & Integrity Office here.

    UNSW has an official network of agent partners and representatives with whom we work closely to provide support to future students. You can find a list of official representatives here.

    Please note that only the UNSW Admissions & Scholarships team can issue offers to students. If you are unsure of the validity of your offer letter, you can log onto the Accept Online portal to check or submit an Admission enquiry.

    For more scam alerts, please visit our Beware of Scam website.

     

    • Applicants who meet minimum entry requirements for UNSW programs will be placed on our Offer Waitlist. Those on the Offer Waitlist may be eligible for an offer should additional places become available in their program. Offers will be released to students from the Offer Waitlist during UNSW Sydney’s offer release rounds throughout the year.

      The Offer Waitlist is not an offer to study at UNSW Sydney.

    • UNSW is expanding the range of programs that we will release offers to for during the upcoming December 2024 offer rounds. In addition to our program prioritisation list, offers will be released for most undergraduate and postgraduate programs (excluding the 8543 Master of Information Technology, 9201 Master of Laws and the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science / Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology). 

      Further to these new offers for Term 1 2025, UNSW will be releasing deferral offers for all programs to previous offer holders who have requested a deferral from Term 3 2024.

      UNSW is currently working through timelines and processes and will advise before the end of 2024 on dates of re-opening Term 2 and Term 3 2025 applications. Term 2 and Term 3 2025 Offer Rounds will also be published early 2025.

      UNSW will be issuing Term 1 2025 offers via offer rounds. The below table shows the schedule of offer release dates and offer acceptance deadlines: 

      Round

      Offer Release Date

      Offer Acceptance Deadline^

      Next Offer Round

      Group A Programs 

      Postgraduate  

      21 November 2024 

      30 November 2024 

      5 December 2024 

      Group B Programs 

      Undergraduate* and Postgraduate  

      28 November 2024 

      7 December 2024 

      12 December 2024 

      Group B Programs (Additional offer round)

      Undergraduate* and Postgraduate#

      19 December 2024  28 December 2024 N/A 

      Group C Programs 

      Undergraduate* 

      23 December 2024 

      1 January 2025 

      N/A 

       



      ^Offer holders will have until 11:59 pm (AEDT) to accept their offer on the acceptance deadline date. 

      #This offer round will exclude the 8543 Master of Information Technology, 9201 Master of Laws and the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science / Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology

      *All undergraduate programs offered via UAC international, including the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science/Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology

    • UNSW will prioritise offers for some programs during the T1 2025 Offer Rounds. In addition to our program prioritisation list, offers will be released for most undergraduate and postgraduate programs (excluding the 8543 Master of Information Technology, 9201 Master of Laws and the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science / Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology). 

      The below table shows the programs being prioritised and the schedule of offer release dates:

      Group A Programs: Postgraduate*
      Offer Release Date 21 November 2024

      Master of Animation and Visual Effects

      Master of Applied Economics

      Master of Architecture

      Master of Construction & Project Management / Master of Property and Development

      Master of Design

      Master of Education

      Master of International Business

      Master of Materials Technology Master of Science in Health Data Science (Extension)

       

      *Additional programs may be added to this list on 5 December​

      Group B Programs: Undergraduate* and Postgraduate  
      Offer Release Date 28 November 2024

      Bachelor of Advanced Science (Hons)

      Bachelor of Architectural Studies

      Bachelor of Aviation (Flying)

      Bachelor of Biotechnology (Hons)

      Bachelor of Design

      Bachelor of Material Science & Engineering (Hons)

      Bachelor of Medical Science

      Bachelor of Nutrition / Master of Dietetics and Food Innovation

      Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Medicine / Master of Pharmacy

      Bachelor of Psychological Science

      Bachelor of Psychology (Hons)

      Bachelor of Science

      Bachelor of Vision Science / Master of Clinical Optometry

      Master of Actuarial Studies (Extension)

      Master of Commerce (Extension)

      Master of Professional Accounting (Extension)

       

      *Additional programs may be added to this list on 28 November

       

      Additional offer round programs: Undergraduate and Postgraduate  
      Offer Release Date 19 December 2024

      Most undergraduate and postgraduate programs (excluding the 8543 Master of Information Technology, 9201 Master of Laws and the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science / Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology).

      Group C Programs: Undergraduate 
      Offer Release Date 23 December 2024 

       

      All undergraduate programs offered via UAC International including the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science/Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology.

    • UNSW Sydney is not able to provide updates on positions of prospective students on the Offer Waitlist. More information will be communicated to Offer Waitlist students via email when updates are available.

    • All applications made ahead of the UNSW Sydney application pause that have not received an offer was moved to our offer waitlist.  

      UNSW will provide every opportunity that we can to make full offer to students in available programs during our offer rounds. For those that have outstanding documentation on their application, please submit this as soon as possible to considered for our December offer rounds. 

      UNSW is expanding the range of programs that we will release offers to for during the upcoming December offer rounds. In addition to our program prioritisation list, offers will be released for most undergraduate and postgraduate programs (excluding the 8543 Master of Information Technology, 9201 Master of Laws and the 3896 Bachelor of Exercise Science / Master of Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology). 

    • UNSW College students with packaged conditional offers to study at UNSW Sydney have already been included in UNSW Sydney’s indicative enrolment limit. Please note that you must still meet any academic and/or English requirements stipulated as a condition in your package offer in order to secure your place at UNSW Sydney. 

    • No, conditional offers are not being issued for the Term 1 2025 offer rounds. 

    • Applicants can submit their outstanding documentation via Apply Online >  “Student Actions” > Upload documentation to “Additional Supporting Document”

      Note that if applicants have applied via agents, only agents are able to upload documentation on behalf of the applicant.

      Applicants must submit all outstanding documentation by 12 December 2024 to be considered in the December offer rounds for Term 1 2025.

    • Whilst the Australian Government’s proposed international student enrolment limits as part of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 (ESOS Bill) did not become legislation, there is a high degree of uncertainty on the Australian policy environment. We are unsure of the impacts of any future proposed legislation and are unable to guarantee places to articulation students applying to continue their studies at UNSW Sydney at this stage. 

      UNSW will provide every opportunity that we can to make full offers to students in available programs during our offer rounds.

      If you are planning to continue your studies at UNSW, we recommend that you act early by submitting any outstanding documentation as soon as you can.

      Students studying at UNSW College with a conditional offer to study at UNSW must still meet any academic and/or English requirements stipulated as a condition in your package offer in order to secure a place at UNSW Sydney.

    • Deferral requests can still be submitted in Accept Online, subject to approval by UNSW.  

    • If you require an English package and would like to defer, you will need to request a deferred offer from UNSW. Once you have the deferred offer, it should be provided to UNSW College Admissions, who can issue an updated offer for your English course. Please note, deferral requests are not guaranteed to be approved. 

    • Students who are still on the offer waitlist after Term 1 offer rounds have passed will be contacted with further options in early 2025. 

    • UNSW expects to make a number of offers through UAC for International Students. The majority of these offers will be made in the UAC December Round 2 offer round. 

    • From 21st November 2024, most UNSW international offer holders will have a personalised offer expiry date to accept, decline or defer their study at UNSW. The offer expiry will be active from the date that you receive your offer and your offer will lapse after the offer expiry date. 

      Offer holders will have until 11:59 pm (AEDT) to accept their offer on the acceptance deadline date. 

      The following cohorts will not have an offer expiry: 

      • Sponsored Students 
      • UNSW College packaged offers 
      • Conditional offer holders (until their status is changed to admit) 
      • Fully online (offshore) and PGRO students 
      • Internal Program Transfer (IPT) students 
      • HDR Students 
      • Non-award students including Study Abroad and Exchange 
      • Current UNSW Students applying for a new program

      UAC International Offer Holders will also receive a personalised offer expiry and must accept within this period.  

    • Given the proposed legislation changes, it is likely that demand for our courses will increase. We recommend that you act early by meeting any condition on your offer and accept your place of study with us as soon as you can. We will update UNSW Sydney offer holders with further information as this becomes available. 

    • You may check your offer expiry date on your offer letter or UNSW Accept Online.  

      From 21st November 2024 most UNSW international offer holders will have a personalised offer expiry date to accept or decline their study at UNSW. The offer expiry will be active from the date that you receive your offer and your offer will lapse after the offer expiry date. 

    • You can see your offer expiry date on your offer letter and on UNSW Accept Online. 

    • You will need to reapply to study at UNSW. From 16th October 2024, UNSW Apply Online will be paused for all 2025 international applicants. International applicants who do not have an offer from UNSW will need to register in the application waitlist on the relevant Degree Finder webpage. 

      Current UNSW undergraduate students applying for UNSW postgraduate programs and sponsored students will be exempt from this application pause and can submit an expression of interest to receive further information on how to apply. The UNSW Full-Time MBA (8351), the UNSW Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine (3805), and UNSW Online Programs will also be excluded from the application pause, with applications to be submitted via Apply Online as usual. 

      UNSW will only approve for an extension on an offer under special circumstances. This also applies for UAC International students who have missed the deadline.  

      The below reasons are not accepted as reasons for extension of an offer: 

      • You are waiting on an outcome from another institution  
      • You are waiting for another UAC offer round after the offer expiry date 
      • You did not see your offer expiry date 
      • You just missed your offer expiry 
      • You missed deadline and program is now full 

      If you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact your agent. 

    •  UNSW will only approve for an extension on an offer under extreme special circumstances. This also applies for UAC International students who have missed the deadline.  

      The below reasons are not accepted as reasons for extension of an offer: 

      • You are waiting on an outcome from another institution  
      • You are waiting for another UAC offer round after the offer expiry date 
      • You did not see your offer expiry date 
      • You just missed your offer expiry 
      • You missed deadline and the program is now full 
    • You will not receive another offer letter, however you can see the revised expiry date on UNSW Accept Online.

    • Most UNSW offer holders will have a set time period to accept, decline or defer their study at UNSW. The personalised offer expiry is specified in the offer letter and UNSW Accept Online.  

      If you are in one of the following cohorts, you will not have a personalised offer expiry: 

      • Sponsored Students 
      • UNSW College packaged offers 
      • Conditional offer holders (until their status is changed to admit) 
      • Fully online (offshore) and PGRO students 
      • Internal Program Transfer (IPT) students 
      • HDR Students 
      • Non-award students, including Study Abroad and Exchange students 
      • Current UNSW Students applying for a new program 
    •  

      As UNSW has withdrawn your offer, your application fee as per the UNSW Admission to Coursework Programs Procedure will be refunded, unless you have joined the Offer Waitlist.  

      By joining the Offer Waitlist, you are confirming your intention to continue your application to study at UNSW. Therefore, the application fee you have paid will not be refundable. 

      Please refer to your email for additional information on the Offer Waitlist. 

    • If you have not joined the Offer Waitlist, your refund will be automatically processed*, and you do not need to apply for the refund. 

      *Application fees will only be refunded to eligible applicants who have paid an application fee.

       

    • If you have not joined the Offer Waitlist, you will receive your refund automatically. Please allow up until 20 December 2024 to receive your refund.  

    • As per the UNSW Admission to Coursework Programs Procedure, if you decide to withdraw from the Offer Waitlist, the application fee is non-refundable. 

    • No. The application fee will be refunded to the original payment source (e.g. credit card, bank account) that was used to make the application fee payment. In the event that the refund is unsuccessful, we will contact you or your agent for further details to process the refund. 

    • The application fee will be refunded to the original payment source (e.g. credit card, bank account) used to make the application fee payment. We will not require further details from you to process the application fee refund. In the event that the refund is unsuccessful, we will contact you or your agent for further details to process the refund. 

    • No, the application fee will not be refunded as the assessment of your application is still in progress. 

    • No, the application fee will not be refunded as the assessment of your application is still in progress. 

    • When UNSW re-opens Apply Online for 2025, you will be contacted to submit a formal application. 

    • Yes, your refund has been issued. 

    • Yes, your refund has been issued. 

Update from the leadership team

Catch-up on the update from UNSW Sydney's leadership team on our 2025 International Admissions Process. 

The information contained within this webinar is correct as at 19 November 2024. UNSW reserves the right to change any degree, admission requirement, or other information herein without prior notice.

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