What Adjustment Factors (Bonus Points) Does UTS Offer?

Considering studying a degree at UTS? Perhaps you’ve been really set on a certain course, but you haven’t quite got the marks — some adjustment factors, or bonus points, could be really helpful for entry into UTS.

Preparing to get into your dream course at uni can be stressful, but don’t worry — we have your back! We’ll run you through what bonus points/adjustment factors and bridging courses are on offer at UTS, and what you can do to achieve them.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

What are adjustment factors (bonus points) at UTS?

Year 12 Subject Scheme

Educational Access Scheme

Elite Athletes and Performers

Specific Study Area Schemes

What are adjustment factors (bonus points) at UTS? 

As you likely know by now, almost all courses require you to apply through UAC using your ATAR. Most universities offer some kind of point-boosting system for students who want to study their courses, but do not have the required marks. 

Generally, you will apply like normal through UAC and the university will automatically add points you are eligible for to bump up your raw ATAR — which becomes your selection rank.

This is why you sometimes see two ranks advertised on uni sites as being their minimum ATAR; one is the lowest raw ATAR they accept with no adjustment factors, and the other is the lowest selection ranks accepted after points were added. There are also some bonus points at UTS that you will need to apply for manually. 

To learn more about adjustment factors in general, head here! If you’re thinking about early entry or other alternate pathways, you can check them out here.

There are also bridging courses available — we won’t go into those as much in this article. What you need to know is that if you received the right marks for your degree, but have not studied a subject that is required for entry, you may be able to do a short course to learn that subject. 

Okay, now that we have explained it all, let’s get into what’s on offer!

Schemes at UTS

Most bonus points offered at UTS are awarded through a ‘scheme’. This is basically a fancy way of saying that the university has put in steps for students to apply to degrees outside of their ATARs. 

We are going to work through all the major schemes that offer adjustment factors now.

#1: Year 12 Subject Scheme

This scheme evaluates a student’s performance in high school subjects relevant to the course they wish to study and offers bonus points accordingly. To be eligible, you must have applied for a UTS course that awards adjustment points, have a minimum ATAR of 69, and have completed relevant HSC subjects. 

Unfortunately, the Faculty of Law does not offer this scheme, along with Education courses in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. This can change each year — but if you want to learn about the requirements for Law at UTS, you can check here!

This scheme can give you a maximum of five bonus points. You will not need to apply for this scheme, as UTS evaluates it automatically. 

You can find what adjustment factors at UTS you may be eligible for here!

#2: Educational Access Scheme

The Educational Access Scheme (EAS) is an umbrella scheme for several different initiatives designed to make uni accessible to students of diverse backgrounds. They assist with financial hardship, academic disruption and provide increased opportunity to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. 

Most of these schemes are offered directly through UAC in conjunction with UTS, so they need to be applied for on the UAC site. 

Some of the initiatives that offer bonus points are:

inpUTS

This scheme helps students who have experienced long-term disadvantages that have impacted their education. Up to ten points can be added to your ATAR.

To be eligible, you must be able to demonstrate this hardship. You’ll also need a minimum ATAR of 69, or 80 for Law. There are a couple of other requirements, which can be checked on the page.

This scheme must be applied for directly through UAC, and can be done so here. 

Schools recommendation scheme (Equity Stream)

For this stream, you will need to be recommended by your principal of Careers Advisor (it’s a good idea to get in contact with them early if you think you may be a candidate!).

To be accepted for this, you must be recognised as having financial or socio-economic disadvantage, or  some degree of school environment disadvantage under the inpUTS scheme.

You will also need to have achieved an ATAR of 69, or 80 for Law. Then, you can apply directly through UAC.

The Jumbunna Pathways Program

Though this scheme does not explicitly offer bonus points, we are going to include it as a great way for ATSI students to gain entry to university! You can apply to be admitted straight into a UTS course, into a skill-building course called Unistart, or into UTS College. 

#3: Elite Athletes and Performers

Sometimes, extra-curricular takes a tool of academic work — UTS recognises this. If you are an elite athlete or performer who has represented your school at a state or national level, you may be eligible for this scheme. 

To gain potentially five bonus points, you’ll need to be able to prove that you are involved in a significant amount of productions of competitions throughout the school year. You may be an actor, dancer, public speaker, debater, musician or sportsperson. 

You will also need to apply for this scheme. Applications currently require your UAC number and details, a personal statement, a statement from a coach or manager, and your weekly training or rehearsal schedule. You’ll also need to get a statement from someone within your school explaining how your sport or arts impacted your education. 

You might want to check out some alternative entry pathways here!

#4: Specific Study Area Schemes

A number of UTS faculties recognise potential in students who did not achieve the ATAR for their chosen degree. Some of these schemes offer bonus points — we will go through these now!

It’s also great to look at this page for further options, because students can be accepted directly into courses through some of the schemes. 

You may also be eligible for up to five bonus points if you completed work experience relevant to your course (this applies to Engineering and IT, as well as Business and Science degrees only).

Engineering and IT Portfolios

Through this scheme, students who are 1-3 points below the required ATAR for a course may still be considered if they provide a portfolio to support their UAC application.

You will need to submit the portfolio online, and have UTS Engineering or IT listed as your first UAC preference for the second round of December offers.

You’ll also need to have achieved a selection rank of 75 (which may include other adjustment factors). This scheme is not applicable if you wish to take a combined Law degree or your chosen course is full. 

Women in Engineering, IT and Construction

If you are a female applying for Engineering, IT or Construction, we have great news for you! You are automatically eligible for 10 adjustment factors.

These will be automatically applied to your ATAR when you place one of these courses as a UAC preference. 

There you have it!

As you can see, UTS offers many opportunities for bonus points to students. It’s certainly worth looking at what you are eligible for. Your school Careers Advisor is also a great contact, as they know what is available and what might be a good fit for you. 

Remember to check back regularly, as bonus points change a little each year! 

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

• USYD
• UNSW
• Macquarie University

Lucinda Garbutt-Young hopes to one day be writing for a big-shot newspaper… or maybe just for a friendly magazine in the arts sector. Right now, she is enjoying studying a Bachelor of Public Communication (Public Relations and Journalism) at UTS while she writes on the side. She also loves making coffees for people in her job as a barista, and loves nothing more than a sun shower.