Work and Life Experience - STAT

Applicants with work and life experience are those who left secondary education more than two years ago (i.e. those who are not classified as recent secondary education applicants) and have not undertaken vocational education training (VET) or higher education study since then.

Eligibility for Special Entry (STAT)

If you did not achieve a competitive result from year 12, TAFE/RTO or previous university study, you may qualify for special entry into your preferred program by choosing to sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT).

The STAT is a two-hour test made up of 70 multiple choice questions designed to test your aptitude for tertiary level study. Your STAT results will be used to create a ranking that you can use to compete for entry against other special entry applicants into your chosen program. To sit the STAT you will need to book via the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Fees apply.

To be eligible for special entry, you must be aged over 18 by 1 February (or 1 July for midyear) in the year you wish to commence your study. If you have been enrolled at higher education level in the last 2 years, contact the Future Student Enquiries team to discuss your eligibility.

Some programs may also consider employment experience or a personal competencies statement with a special entry application. The weighting of employment experience and/or a personal competencies statement may vary between degrees. Employment experience is based on an applicant’s occupation and period of employment, using the Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Standard Classification of Occupations and Personal competencies are assessed through a Personal Competencies Statement. Visit the SATAC website to check eligible programs.

Do you have Year 12 Results?

You can still use your year 12 results for entry into UniSA degrees, even if you completed year 12 more than two years ago, as long as you have not completed more than two years of equivalent full-time study at a higher education institution. As you will be competing against the recent secondary education students, you will need to check if your results are competitive with the current year 12 Selection Ranks. If you are not sure, contact the Future Student Enquiries team for advice.