To be eligible to apply for the Mature-age Entry Scheme, you must:
You are not eligible to apply through this scheme if you have completed any of the following:
If you do not meet the above criteria due to holding a qualification that makes you ineligible, you may still be able to apply for admission. Learn more about how to apply.
If you are 18 years old, you may also like to consider the Tertiary Preparation Certificate Entry Scheme or the STAT Entry Scheme.
Admission into the University of Sydney is competitive and places are awarded based on academic merit. Your results must be assessed as equal to or greater than the minimum entry requirement for the course. Simply completing an eligible preparation course does not guarantee an offer to your degree. We recommend you consult the institution providing your preparation program to see how your academic results will convert into a selection rank.
You do not have to submit an additional application form to be considered under this entry scheme. We will know that you are applying through the Mature-age Entry Scheme based on the personal and educational details included in your UAC application and because you are applying with an eligible preparation course.
| Application dates | See UAC Key dates |
| Semester 2 offers made | From June Round 1 |
| Semester 1 offers made | From January Round 1 |
Preparation courses are open to everyone, you don't need any previous qualifications to enrol.
Apply with a Limited ATAR, calculated using the best five units of courses completed, including at least 1 unit of English (rather than the 10 used for a standard ATAR). You need to have completed between 5 and 9 units within the same year. A Limited ATAR is usually significantly higher than an ATAR.
The TAFE Statement in HSC Studies allows you to study all or part of the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC).
The Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation prepares you for university study. You will receive a Tertiary Entrance Score (TES), that you can use to apply for admission. We will also accept your TAFE TPC if it was completed in a state or territory other than NSW.
The University Preparation Program (UPP) at UNSW can be undertaken in one of four streams; Science, Engineering, Business, and can be used for admission to some degrees at the University of Sydney.
The Open Foundation program at the University of Newcastle can be used for admission to some degrees at the University of Sydney. If applying to a science course with Open Foundation you must complete 60 units, all other courses can be applied for with 40 units.
Explore the courses available through this scheme. Some courses have additional admission criteria you’ll need to meet, these can be found on the course page.
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
|
|
All |
| ^Last intake for this course is Semester 2 2026 | |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
|
|
All |
| ^Last intake for this course is Semester 2 2026 | |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
UNSW UPP (Business, Engineering or Science):
UON Open Foundation:
|
| ^Last intake for this course is Semester 2 2026 | |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
UNSW UPP (Business, Engineering or Science):
UON Open Foundation:
|
| ^Last intake for this course is Semester 2 2026 | |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
All |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
UNSW UPP (Engineering or Science stream):
UON Open Foundation:
|
* Includes all streams and combined degrees, except for Dalyell Scholars.
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC
|
|
All |
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC
|
|
|
|
All |
|
TAFE TPC
UNSW UPP (Science stream) UON Open Foundation:
|
|
Limited ATAR
TAFE TPC
UNSW UPP (Engineering or Science stream) UON Open Foundation:
|
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
All |
| Course/s | Accepted preparation course/s |
|---|---|
|
Limited ATAR
TAFE TPC
UNSW UPP (Engineering or Science stream) UON Open Foundation:**
|
|
Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
UNSW UPP UON Open Foundation:**
|
| B Mathematical Sciences | Limited ATAR:
TAFE TPC:
UNSW UPP (Engineering stream) |
* Any specialisations except for the advanced and Dalyell Scholars streams.
** If applying to a science course with the UON Open Foundation you must complete 60 units.
^ Last intake for this course is Semester 2 2026.
The following courses do not accept applications through the Mature-age Entry Scheme.
If you already have a recognised qualification that meets the entry requirements for your course, you can apply for mainstream admission. You are not required to apply through the Mature-age Entry Scheme simply because you are 21 or older. This scheme is for applicants who do not already have a recognised qualification that would allow them to compete for admission.
If you are over 18, you may be able to apply for admission through the Tertiary Preparation Certificate (TPC) Entry Scheme or Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Entry Scheme.
If you have an ATAR over 70, a diploma, an advanced diploma, at least one year of bachelor’s degree studies, or the equivalent of these in another recognised qualification then you already hold a qualification that you can use to apply for an undergraduate course at the University of Sydney. This means you cannot apply using the preparation programs accepted under the Mature-age Entry Scheme.
If your qualification does not meet the entry requirements for your preferred degree you can do one of the following:
Contact admission.pathways@sydney.edu.au if you have any questions.