Unlike primary and secondary education, Institutes of TAFE or universities do not allow everyone to enrol. Gaining a place at TAFE or university involves a three-stage process:
- Apply for admission to one or more courses/programs
- Be selected for entry to one of your course/program choices
- Enrol in the course that best suits you
Application for admission
To apply for admission you complete and lodge an application with the specified fee (if applicable). For university undergraduate course/programs and some postgraduate course/programs you apply through the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) University Admissions Service. From 2004 onwards, you apply through the SATAC TAFE Admissions Service for all Government purchased places.
See the SATAC TAFE Course and Admission Guide or the SATAC University Guide for further information.
Selection for entry
Even though you may have the qualifications to apply for admission, you may not necessarily be accepted into a course/program. Each course/ program has a limited number of places known as a quota.
For course/programs at TAFE or university there are often a number of entry categories (eg Year 12, TER, TAFE or tertiary qualification, tertiary transfer) and the whole quota is broken down into sub-quotas for each entry category. Because there are often more qualified applicants than places available, before selection can take place applicants are ranked according to merit.
You may be eligible for selection into more than one course/program. However, you will receive only one offer — to the highest listed preference for which you are eligible and to which your ranking entitles you to a place.
In the letter of offer will be details of how you indicate your acceptance.
Enrolment
If you accept the offer, the TAFE or university at which the course/program is taught will then ask you to provide administrative information and to identify the subjects you want to study. Assistance to do this is available from the disability liaison officer or student support officer if required. In some courses/programs there is a lot of subject choice, while in others there is none at all. This process is known as enrolment.
Before you enrol you need to consider how many subjects you want to study at one time.
If you are working, have substantial family or other commitments, or the nature of your disability means that the routine aspects of your life require great effort, you may find a part-time study load appropriate. You will need to check whether the course/program you want to study can be done part-time and if any financial support available will be affected.