Alternative entry to university: the routes that don't rely on your ATAR

A plain-English guide to getting into university without the ATAR you hoped for: TAFE-to-university articulation, enabling and foundation programs, mature-age and special entry, portfolio entry, and non-ATAR admission schemes. How each generally works and exactly where to look them up.

Reviewed by The BTA education team, senior-secondary tutors and mentors. Last updated 2026-07-03.

There are several concrete ways into university that do not rely on the ATAR your
child hoped for: TAFE-to-university articulation, enabling and foundation programs,
mature-age and special entry, portfolio entry, and non-ATAR admission schemes.
Universities run each of these on purpose, to admit capable students whose situation
or strengths a single rank does not capture. This guide explains how each generally
works and exactly where to look it up.

How does TAFE-to-university articulation work?

Articulation is a formal arrangement where a TAFE qualification leads into a related
university degree. A completed diploma or advanced diploma can meet the degree's
entry requirement without an ATAR, and often earns credit that shortens the
degree.

Entry without an ATAR. The diploma itself is the entry ticket.
Credit for overlapping study. A diploma may count for up to a year of a related
bachelor degree, though the amount varies.
Named guaranteed pathways. Some universities guarantee entry from specific TAFE
courses into specific degrees.

It is a standard route into nursing, engineering, IT, business, community services
and the creative industries. Look up the university's pathways or credit
transfer page alongside the TAFE course outline. Our TAFE guide and
university finder help you line the two up.

What are enabling and foundation programs?

Enabling and foundation programs are university-run bridging courses that prepare
students for undergraduate study and admit them without an ATAR. They are often
free or low-cost, and many come with a guaranteed pathway into a degree on
successful completion.

Who they suit. Students who missed the rank they needed, left school early, or
are returning to study.
What they do. Build academic writing, maths and study skills, and rebuild
confidence.
Where they lead. Directly into an undergraduate course at the same university.

On each university's website, look for the program labelled enabling,
foundation, preparation, or tertiary preparation, and check which degree
it feeds into.

What is mature-age and special entry?

These two schemes recognise that a school ATAR does not fit every applicant's
situation.

Mature-age entry lets students above a set age, often 20 or 21, apply on work
and life experience, sometimes with an aptitude test such as the STAT or an
interview instead of an ATAR.
Special or educational-access schemes support students who faced disadvantage,
illness, financial hardship, disability, carer responsibilities, or major
disruption to schooling, by adjusting the selection rank or assessing the
application differently.

Both are administered through the state admissions centre or the university.
Check the access-scheme page on UAC,
VTAC or QTAC, and the
university's own equity or access page, for eligibility and how to apply.

How does portfolio and audition entry work?

For creative, design, performing arts, architecture and some communication courses,
admission can rest on a portfolio, audition or interview rather than an ATAR. A
student with a modest rank and strong work can win a place a higher-ATAR applicant
would not.

Portfolios present a body of work, artwork, writing, design, film or code.
Auditions and interviews assess performance, aptitude and motivation directly.

Because good portfolios take time to build, check each course's admission
requirements early. The careers guide and
life-after-school guide help you see where creative courses
lead.

What are non-ATAR admission schemes?

A growing number of universities run direct admission schemes that assess Year 11
and 12 students on criteria other than the ATAR, such as school results, a
principal's recommendation, a personal statement, or subject-specific achievement.
Many make early offers before results are released.

The result is that a student may hold an offer regardless of their eventual ATAR.
These schemes reopen each year, so if your child did not apply this time, they are
worth knowing about. Each university publishes its scheme under names like early
entry, schools recommendation or direct entry, check the university's
admissions page for criteria and dates.

Where do we look all of this up?

Two sources, in this order:

Source	What it covers
State admissions centre	The shared application, offer rounds, adjustment factors and access schemes
University admissions or pathways page	Course-specific entry, articulation, enabling programs and portfolios

The admissions centres are: UAC (NSW and ACT),
VTAC (VIC), QTAC (QLD),
SATAC (SA and NT), TISC (WA), and the University of
Tasmania directly. For fee and loan questions, StudyAssist
is the official source, and our cost-of-university guide
puts the money side in plain English.

None of these routes is a consolation prize. They are the deliberate design of a
system that knows a single rank cannot capture every capable student. Pick the ones
that fit your child's situation, look up the detail on the admissions centre and
university pages, and see our pathways pillar for how they
connect to the wider map of options.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main alternative entry routes into university?

The most common are: TAFE-to-university articulation, where a diploma leads into a related degree with credit; enabling and foundation programs, which are university bridging courses that admit students without an ATAR; mature-age and special entry, for students over a certain age or facing disadvantage; portfolio, audition or interview entry, mainly for creative courses; and non-ATAR admission schemes that assess students on other criteria. Each is a genuine, well-used route, not a fallback, and the details vary by university, so check each institution's admissions page.

Can you get into university without an ATAR at all?

Yes. A completed TAFE diploma, an enabling or foundation program, a mature-age application, or a portfolio can each meet a university's entry requirements without any ATAR. Universities run these routes deliberately, to admit capable students whose situation or strengths are not captured by a single rank. The specific requirements and available courses differ by institution, so look for the pathways, enabling, or alternative-entry section on each university's website and confirm before applying.

What is a mature-age or special entry scheme?

Mature-age entry lets students above a set age, often 20 or 21, apply on the basis of work and life experience, sometimes with an aptitude test or interview instead of an ATAR. Special or educational-access schemes support students who faced disadvantage such as illness, financial hardship, disability or major disruption to their schooling, by adjusting the selection rank or considering the application differently. Both are administered through the state admissions centre or the university, so check UAC, VTAC or QTAC and the institution's access-scheme page for eligibility.

Where do we look these routes up?

Start with the state admissions centre, UAC for NSW and the ACT, VTAC for Victoria, QTAC for Queensland, SATAC for South Australia and the NT, TISC for Western Australia, and the University of Tasmania directly. Then go to each university's own admissions or pathways page, which lists its enabling programs, articulation arrangements, and access schemes with current dates. The admissions centre covers the shared application process, the university covers the course-specific detail.