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Western Sydney University, which has been recognised as being in the top 2% of universities worldwide, is offering students a new pathway to university with its HSC True Reward initiative. This ground-breaking program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to be offered a place at WSU based on their HSC results rather than Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). It also means students get the first pick, with True Reward places being offered ahead of ATAR places.
For many students, completing matriculation and applying for a place at university is a stressful time because so much depends on achieving a good ATAR. The True Reward program alleviates much of that stress and makes the application process easier, providing peace of mind with early offers and increased transparency.
Bachelor of Business student Hannah Lee used the True Reward program to gain a place at Western. ‘It really rewards you for your own work and how hard you’ve worked in the subjects you’re really good in. The True Rewards program definitely helped me ease a lot of the stress in Year 12,’ she said.
Western is one of the first universities in NSW to offer students a chance to apply for an early offer based on subject-specific performance. Students are assessed on their performance in the relevant HSC subject bands and offered places ahead of time, which connects students to university courses where their natural strengths lie. Put simply, it is a program that recognises hard work that all too often is overlooked in the ATAR system.
Students can apply for a wide range of degree courses under the True Reward program including teaching, communication, business, engineering, information and communications technology, international studies, nursing, sciences, policing, criminal justice, languages, and many double degrees. There are also new and innovative degrees including the Bachelor of Entrepreneurship in Games Design and Simulation; the Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics and Mechatronics; the Bachelor of Cyber Security and Behaviour; and the Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Liam Golightly is studying for a double degree in Bachelor of Business & Bachelor of Information Systems. ‘It made the transition from high school to uni easier because I had to worry less about my results and getting into a university because I knew I was going to Western because of the True Reward program,’ he said.
Each degree has its own requirements for a specified Band outcome in nominated subjects. These requirements can be checked using the search tool on the website: www.westernsydney.edu.au.
Western determines the HSC subjects that match the university course based on the performance of previous students. For each course, Western assesses past students who did well and which HSC subjects they studied, as well as their band outcome. Students who gained entry through the program last year have already proven to be as successful, and in some cases more successful, than students who gained entry thorough the ATAR system.
‘The True Reward program has really given me the opportunity to get into the course of my dreams and it’s just opened so many doors to me. It offers students the opportunity to get into the degree that they love based on subjects that related to the course rather than their ATAR as a whole,’ said Nilofar Sadeqi, currently undertaking a Bachelor of Business (Advanced Leadership) & Bachelor of Laws.
Western has more than nine campuses in key locations throughout NSW, including Parramatta, Liverpool, Penrith, Bankstown, and Campbelltown. The campuses are high-tech, people-friendly hubs of learning and activity and offer a range of disciplines, including Australia’s number one Nursing and Midwifery School, alongside specialist institutes, including the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development.
Nilofar Sadeqi couldn’t be happier with her student experience at Western. ‘The experience at uni has been great. I love the people and I love the staff. It’s just a great environment to be in. It’s awesome!’
Applications are now open to all 2018 HSC students in New South Wales. To find out more, visit www.westernsydney.edu.au or call 1300 897 669 or email study@westernsydney.edu.au.
Applications close at midnight, 10 December, 2018. Offers will be made on 13 December 2018, the same day that the NSW HSC subject results are released.
Key Dates for Western Sydney True Reward:
- 10 December, 2018 (midnight) – applications close/change of preferences close
- 13 December, 2018 – HSC subject band outcomes released
- 13 December, 2018 – HSC True Reward offers released from 10am
- 21 December, 2018 – HSC True Reward offers expire at 5pm
