SATAC to reform bonus points and publish true cut-offs

Friday, 5 April 2013

South Australia's universities have agreed to provide improved disclosure of the way tertiary entrance scores are used for university admissions, including developing a simplified bonus point system.

The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) Board, comprising the three South Australian Vice-Chancellors and the Chief Executive of TAFE SA, agreed unanimously
at their meeting this week to refocus the bonus points system to ensure that its original purpose of assisting students of disadvantage and stimulating enrolment in priority subjects was better served.

The SATAC Board also agreed for more transparency in the use of ATARs (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank), selection ranks and cut-off scores, and will put a new system in place for the 2014 university intakes.

The details of a revised bonus point system will be developed by SATAC in the coming months, ready to help guide Year 10 students early next year, and to be implemented in 2016.

SATAC Chair and University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor and President Prof Warren Bebbington said he was delighted that all four institutions represented on the Board supported the changes.
He said students and parents would be better served by greater transparency on university entrance scores and admission criteria.

"South Australian students and their parents are entitled to have a much clearer picture of how universities select for their courses," Professor Bebbington said.

"This will be a great improvement on the information they have received to date. It will help them to plan their future study preferences with more certainty."

University of South Australia Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd said the changes had his strong support.

"We owe it to our future students to ensure that the processes around application to university are open, transparent and equitable," Prof Lloyd said.
"The changes we will roll out through SATAC are designed to ensure a level playing field exists for everyone."

Professor Andrew Parkin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Flinders University, representing Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Barber, said:
"The adoption by all three South Australian universities of a common, clear and consistent approach to university admission would be a positive step forward for applicants.
Flinders strongly supports this overdue development".

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