What Adjustment Factors (Bonus Points) Does UNSW Offer?

Are you considering studying a degree at UNSW? Thinking you might need some adjustment factors (bonus points) to help you get into your dream UNSW course? 

We’ve got you covered! In this article we’ll be looking at some of the adjustment factors offered by UNSW, how they work, and more. 

Let’s dive in!

What are adjustment factors?

How do UNSW adjustment factors (bonus points) work?

HSC Plus

Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Program (EAPL)

UNSW ACCESS Scheme

What are adjustment factors? 

Adjustment factors (bonus points) are extra points offered by universities to boost your ATAR so that you can meet the selection rank requirements for your degree. Unis have their own criteria for offering bonus points but HSC marks, athlete programs, equity and catchment are some common adjustment factors.

You can find out more about adjustment factors here!

How do UNSW adjustment factors (bonus points) work? 

UNSW offers a range of adjustment factor schemes and the maximum number of points you can be awarded will vary depending on the scheme, your degree and your eligibility.

Adjustment factors don’t exactly add to your overall ATAR but they’ll increase your selection rank, which is the number that UNSW will look at when deciding if they’ll allow you to enrol for a particular degree.

Another thing to keep in mind though, is that you can be offered a maximum of 12 adjustment factors across all the UNSW schemes. The application processes will also vary depending on the scheme you’re applying under. 

HSC Plus

One of the schemes offered by UNSW is the HSC Plus scheme which awards you up to 5 points if you perform well in Year 12 subjects that are relevant to your preferred degree.

The number of points awarded are determined based on your HSC subjects and will vary depending on the specific degree. This means that if you apply for more than one degree at UNSW, you’ll end up with a different selection rank for each course preference because adjustment factors are awarded differently for each degree. 

For example, let’s say you achieve an overall ATAR of 84 with an E3 in History Extension.

If you’ve put down a Bachelor of International Studies as your preferred course, you’ll be eligible to receive 1 bonus point. However, you’ll receive 2 bonus points if your preference is a Bachelor of Arts.

So your achievement will boost your selection rank for a Bachelor of Arts to 85.00 and you’ll now meet the ATAR cut off for your dream degree!

For a Bachelor of International Studies, it’ll boost your selection rank to 86.00 but you might not meet the 90.00 ATAR cut off. Not to worry! You might still be eligible to receive more bonus points for other HSC subjects or through other UNSW adjustment factor schemes. 

Some UNSW undergraduate degrees aren’t included in the HSC Plus scheme. So if you’ve put them down as your preference, you won’t receive adjustment factors for them.

The degrees that aren’t included in HSC Plus are: 

• Actuarial Studies (including double degrees)
• Actuarial Studies (Co-op)
• Commerce (Co-op)
• Commerce (Co-op) (Honours)
• Double Law
• Information Systems (Co-op) (Honours)
• Medicine
• Vision Science
• Vision Science/Clinical Optometry
• Psychological Science
• Psychology (Honours)

You don’t have to apply separately for HSC Plus and if eligible, the adjustment factors will be automatically added to your ATAR to increase your selection rank! 

You can calculate how many bonus points you might be awarded depending on your degree, HSC subjects and HSC marks here!

Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Program (EAPL)

UNSW also has an EAPL Program to support students by awarding adjustment factors based on both academic and elite achievements.

You might be eligible to receive up to 5 EAPL points for excellence in sport, academia, leadership, and/or music as long as those activities/commitments were undertaken in Years 11 and/or 12. 

In order to apply for bonus points under the EAPL program, you’ll need to check the eligibility of your activities using the EAPL Guide. 

If your achievements are accepted for EAPL adjustment factors, you’ll need to apply and provide some documents as evidence of your achievements. These documents might include certificates or letters from your coach, school principal, or a governing body with details regarding your achievements. 

Here are some common achievements that may be awarded EAPL adjustment factors: 

• Australian Mathematics Competition (Medal or Prize)
• Duke of Edinburgh (Gold)
• School Sport (International, National, or State Level Competition)
• Institute of Sport Scholarship & Professional Players Association 
• Leader of Section in Australian Youth Orchestra
• AMEB Grade 8 with High Distinction (A) or Honours (A)
• Member of Australian Youth Orchestra

So if you’re someone who participates in a lot of sport, academic, leadership or music, take advantage of the potential bonus points you may be eligible for!

UNSW ACCESS Scheme

The UNSW ACCESS Scheme takes your individual circumstances into consideration to ensure students get equal opportunity and access to undergraduate courses.

In order to be eligible for the Access Scheme, you need to have experienced educational disadvantage with your Year 11 and/or Year 12 studies being disrupted by challenges beyond your control. These disruptions may include financial hardships, English language difficulties, disability or long-term illness, severe family disruption, or attendance at a rural high school. 

If your circumstances reflect any of the types of disadvantage considered under ACCESS, you may receive up to 10 bonus points. If you think this might be a good scheme for you, you can apply for consideration through UAC’s Educational Access Schemes (EAS) application. 

There you have it!

Now that we’ve unpacked the different adjustment factors (bonus points) offered by UNSW, it’s up to you to start applying and get some bonus points to help you reach your dream course! 

Curious about adjustment factors at other unis? Check out our lists for the unis below:

• USYD
• UTS
• Macquarie University

Maitreyi Kulkarni is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently studying a Bachelor of Media and Communications (Public Relations and Social Media) at Macquarie University. She loves writing just about anything from articles to poetry, and has also had one of her articles published with the ABC. When she’s not writing up a storm, she can be found reading, bingeing sitcoms, or playing the guitar.