An increasing number of Australian school students are applying for an early offer to university, before they have their exam results back.
Last Thursday, nearly 16,000 students in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory got an early offer through the University Admissions Centre, after a 3% growth in applications from last year. This follows a 19% increase in applications between 2023 and 2024.
But amid some concerns about the popularity of these schemes – what does it do to students’ motivation for their final exams? – there has been little research into who is doing this and why.