Mature Study

If you wish to study a course at TAFE you must apply and meet the minimum entry requirements. Many TAFE institutes require students to apply directly to the tertiary admissions body/centre in their State or Territory or to the institute itself. Tertiary admission bodies/centres administer the application process on behalf of participating tertiary providers and produce the annual TAFE course guide. Information on the method of application, extra requirements and application costs are published in this course guide.

Before submitting your application make sure that you confirm the details of your course. Some courses require the completion of forms, the sitting of an aptitude test or the submission of a folio as part of the application process. Some TAFE institutes also allow students to apply to have their previous education, work or life experiences credited to their application and to apply for special consideration based on equity grounds.

For further information see special entry requirements and tertiary admissions bodies/centres.

To be selected for a course a student must meet the minimum entry requirements. These requirements can vary greatly between courses so it is important that they are identified well in advance. Even if a prospective student meets the minimum entry requirements they may not be accepted in their course or program due to the limited number of places available. In some instances there may be more applicants than places available and some qualified applicants will miss out. To assist TAFE offer places they rank applicants according to merit and set aside a number of different entry categories. For example year 12 applicants, tertiary transfer students and mature age applicants.

Once an application has been received it will be assessed and assigned a selection rank, index or position number which will determine its success. If an applicant is eligible for entry into more than one of their chosen courses they will be offered the highest preference listed on their application form.

Prospective students cannot be assigned a selection rank, index or position number until they submit an application. However this ranking may be calculated prior to submitting an application to assist prospective students identify eligible courses. There is usually a charge associated for this service.

Once you have been offered a place at TAFE you will be asked to enrol. This requires you to provide administrative information to the education provider and to identify the subjects that you wish study (if applicable). In some courses there will be a lot of subject choice and in others there will be none at all depending on the course that you will be undertaking. The TAFE institute will send you information about their enrolment processes as they differ between education providers.

Before you enrol you will need to consider how many subjects you want to study at one time. If you are working and have substantial family or other commitments or the nature of your disability means that routine aspects of your life require great effort, then you may need to explore studying part time or externally. IMPORTANT indicate on the enrolment form that you would like to be contacted by disability staff to ensure that any study supports you need can be organised before your course begins.

To apply for a TAFE course you must lodge your application by the end of September in the year before you wish to study. NOTE that the date for applications may vary between States and Territories. For example you must apply by the end of September 2008 to start your course in 2009. Applicants that apply after this date are subject to a processing charge that increases each month after the September deadline. The amount of this fee depends upon the tertiary admission body/centre processing the application. Key dates in the application process are listed on the websites of the tertiary admission body/centre in each State and Territory and in the TAFE course guide.

For further information see important dates found under each State and Territory.