Adjustment factors

These are used in combination with your Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) and can increase your selection rank. Put simply, adjustment factors increase your chances of being chosen for a degree.

Common adjustment factors include financial hardship, disability or illness, and family disruption – like the death of a family member.

You can also get adjustments based on outstanding performance in subjects related to your degree. ANU does this on a case-by-case basis when we assess your application.

Bachelor degree

This is an undergraduate award of three or more years full-time or equivalent part-time study. This is probably the degree you’ll be enrolling in if you’re starting uni for the first time.

College

American TV and movies can make this term confusing*, because going to university there is often referred to as going to college. At ANU, this term refers to the academic faculties that deliver our degrees. For example, the College of Arts and Social Sciences would be your ‘college’ if you’re studying a Bachelor of Arts, as it administers most of the courses in that degree.

*As can living in Canberra, where college also refers to the school where students complete Years 11 and 12.

Course

Think of a course the way you might a subject at high school, just more specific. Each degree is made up of a number of courses.

Some examples of courses offered at ANU include Web Development and Design, Life Physics, and Archaeological Field Methods. At the start of each semester, you’ll enrol in the courses that make up your degree

Direct applicant

If you’re in Year 12, ANU lets you apply early in the year, before the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) starts accepting applications. If you lodge your application in that period, you’re a direct applicant.

Applying this way is free for current Year 12 students, whereas applying through UAC carries a fee.

Early offer

If you’re a direct applicant in Year 12, your application is assessed based on your Year 11 results. If you’re successful, you’ll receive an offer from ANU in September – this is called an early offer as UAC does not make offers until December or January.

Flexible Double Degree

This is a unique way to study two degrees simultaneously. At ANU, the Flexible Double Degree takes less time to complete than two single degrees. Upon completion, you’re awarded two degrees.

A double degree is a great way to study something you love alongside something that aligns with your career aspirations.

Major

A major is a set of related courses that create an area of specialisation. For example, the Asia-Pacific Politics major includes courses like The Politics of China, Democracy in Southeast Asia, and Global Governance in the Asia-Pacific. Majors feature on your academic transcript.

Minor

Like a major, a minor is a collection of related courses. A minor has half the units of a major and doesn’t feature on your academic transcript.

For example, there’s a significant overlap between an Asia-Pacific Politics major and minor. However, if done as a minor, you would only complete four courses – compared to eight for a major.

Orientation Week (O-Week)

This is your chance to get to know all aspects of the ANU Campus. It typically includes introductions to clubs and colleges (faculties), tours and workshops.

O-Week comes with a detailed program that covers all the events.

Program

ANU commonly refers to degrees as programs, but there’s no practical difference. Sometimes you’ll hear your degree referred to as a program or even a degree program.

Residence

This is another term for student accommodation, which allows you to live on or near campus.

Selection rank

ANU assesses your school results and any adjustment factors you may have to determine your selection rank. The higher your selection rank is compared to others’, the more likely you are to receive an offer.

Semester

Generally, a semester is a 12-week study period with a two-week mid-semester break in the middle. ANU has two semesters a year.

Specialisation

An area of study with its own courses that can be taken with a specific, related major.

Testamur

The formal certificate you receive at the end of a degree.

Undergraduate degree

Undergraduate degrees are entry-level tertiary programs. At ANU, these are bachelor degrees. They can be part of a pathway to postgraduate study later, such as to a master’s degree and then a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

University Admissions Centre

Commonly abbreviated to UAC, the Universities Admissions Centre handles admissions for undergraduate courses for several unis, most of them in NSW and the ACT.

ANU accepts direct applications early in the year, but if you miss this window, you will have to apply through UAC later in the year, around October.

Universities in other states may use other organisations to process applications. For example, many Victorian universities use VTAC – the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre.