Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Think ATAR is the only pathway to uni?

Think again. An ATAR of 70+ may give you more course options, but there are other pathways into university that don't even require an ATAR. Follow your passion at ECU.

Why study at ECU?

  • QILT - Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching

    A great student experience

    As an ECU undergraduate, you can expect the best overall student experience of any of the 38 public universities in Australia. More about QILT.

  • The Good Universities Guide - teaching quality

    The highest quality teaching

    ECU is one of the best unis in Australia for teaching. We've had 18 straight years of 5-star ratings in the Good Universities Guide to prove it!

  • THE World University Rankings Top 100 Young

    One of the world's young guns

    We're ranked one of the world's best universities under 50 years old, and we've already established a global reputation for such a young institution.

Enquire Apply

University Preparation pathways

UniPrep

Our popular and free university preparation course that, if completed successfully, can get you into almost all ECU undergraduate courses. The course runs for one full semester, starting the same day as undergraduate courses.

UniPrep Summer

UniPrep Summer is the same course as the full semester version, but it runs from late November until the end of January and you have to be on-campus for most of it.

Exams for most subjects are in late January or early February, so it's possible to successfully complete the summer course in time to start uni in Semester 1.

How a high school 'dropout' discovered the magic of physics

ECU student Nathan Pittaway loves Physics. He's now living his dream thanks to discovering he really could get into university after working for years - via UniPrep.

Read Nathan's story

Portfolio and Experience Based pathways

Creative Humanities Portfolio Entry

This pathway allows you to be considered for entry to specific undergraduate courses in creative humanities disciplines without an ATAR. It's based on a digital portfolio of your work.

Experience Based Entry pathway

This pathway allows you to be considered for entry to an undergraduate course through an assessment of your ability to succeed in higher education. It's based on your portfolio of evidence.

Certificate IV pathway

If you complete a Cert IV you may meet entry requirements for an undergraduate course. You may need to satisfy our English competency requirements.

Edith Cowan College Diplomas

Edith Cowan College offers alternative entry pathways for Year 12 students who may not meet direct entry requirements to ECU undergraduate courses – whether you've completed ATAR or General subjects.

ECC's Year 2 Diplomas are equivalent to the 1st year of an ECU bachelor's degree. So on completion, you'll gain entry into the 2nd year of the corresponding ECU degree.

Find out more

Finding your thing at university

Like many school leavers, working out what to study at uni was a bit of a challenge for Paige Smith. She had a passion for all things science from a very young age but ended up trying more than one course before she found her thing.

Read Paige's story

ATAR based pathways

ATAR entry

This is the usual pathway for school leavers with an ATAR, requiring you to submit your course preferences via TISC.

Note: If you don't get your expected ATAR, you should consider a UniPrep Accelerate course.

Predicted ATAR (Early Offers)

This pathway gives you the opportunity to obtain an early offer for a place at uni before you start your Year 12 exams. All you need is your predicted ATAR and/or a copy of your latest school results.

Can you get a 90 ATAR?

What about really stretching your brain cells and smashing the 97 barrier?

Simply put ECU as your first TISC preference and you could receive a new ATAR achievement scholarship for Year 12s.

ATAR High Achievement Scholarship
For an ATAR of 90 or higher (unadjusted) you could receive a $3000 scholarship in your first year.

ATAR Outstanding Achievement Scholarship
For an ATAR of 97 or higher (unadjusted) you'll receive $5000 for each full year of study.

We support you like few other unis can

ECU's legendary student support is all about helping you adjust to being a uni student. That includes learning advisers and buddies to help with assignments and academic requirements, as well as career advisers, a medical centre and a free counselling service.

Study Advice and Assistance

We help students adjust to university level study, including assignment techniques, technology advice and career planning, through services like:

  • Learning advisers
  • Peer leaders and buddy programs
  • Library specialists
  • Career advisers, job skills and search

Health and Wellness

We help students maintain physical and mental health or assist with specific study challenges through services like:

  • On-campus medical centres
  • Free counselling service
  • Equity, diversity and disability service
  • A Student Success team

Download a guide

If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.

Domestic Students

Undergraduate course guide

International Students

Create your own guide International student guide

Parents

Parents' guide

Creative thinkers start here

Experience Year 12 Pathways at ECU.

View our facilities

ECU Experience

Our campuses offer much more than excellent lecture theatres, libraries and cool study spaces. You'll also find a whole range of services to support you through uni, including student accommodation, a medical centre, cafes, gyms and more.

Find out more

Life on campus

Uni isn't all about lectures, assignments, and exams. When you're here, you've got loads of opportunities to expand your interests, improve your career prospects, and meet new people. Join in the fun!

Clubs and Societies

ECU has loads of clubs for students to join. We cater for every interest imaginable. The best place to start is our Student Guild.

Do some volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to meet other students, get out into the community and to grow your employability skills while doing good things.

ECU sports and fitness

Our campuses have excellent sports and gym facilities, plus opportunities to join group fitness classes, social sports teams, and plenty more.

Do you have any questions about Year 12 Pathways?

Student stories

UniPrep was a great pathway into my undergraduate course

I chose ECU after a lengthy consideration of which university could provide me with the best designed course in my chosen field.

ECU combined psychology and business with a major in HR that I felt would give me the best employability skills.

I genuinely believe that UniPrep offered by ECU provided me with both the opportunities to investigate my chosen career, and also gave me the transferrable skills I now apply every day.

The support and encouragement I have received from my lecturers and tutors has been incredible. ECU has been an amazing experience for me academically.

Una Caitlin

The Important Things

Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.

Course Entry

There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.

Fees & Scholarships

Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.

Applying

Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.

ECU Experience

Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.