[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-205556-105":59,"doc-detail-205556-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","higher-education-standards-panel-consultation-on-the-transparency-of-higher-education-admissions-processes","Higher Education Standards Panel - Consultation on the Transparency of Higher Education Admissions Processes","","Consultation paper advising on options to improve transparency of higher education student admissions policies while minimising regulatory impact. Focuses on making information more accessible and comparable across diverse course entry pathways, and on ensuring students have capacity and support to complete their studies. Explores admissions mechanisms, the role and limits of ATAR, equity-related adjustments such as bonus points, and how current and forthcoming Higher Education Standards and TEQSA influence admissions transparency.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/higher-education-standards-panel-consultation-on-the-transparency-of-higher-education-admissions-processes/205556/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/higher-education-standards-panel-consultation-on-the-transparency-of-higher-education-admissions-processes/205556.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Grenda","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-05",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",14,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the consultation paper’s main objective?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"To advise on options to improve transparency of higher education admissions policies while minimising regulatory impact.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How is the ATAR described in the paper?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The ATAR is a number out of 100 ranking students across states based on upper secondary subject results, serving as an indicator of relative standing rather than an absolute mark.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"Why does the paper say admissions processes must remain transparent?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Because the admissions process is often poorly understood, and two needs persist: transparency of student admissions and ensuring accepted students have capacity and support to complete their studies.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},205556,1788581255,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":52,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},7971474921005,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARDS PANEL Consultation on the Transparency of Higher Education Admissions Processes  \nEMBARGO-until release  \nOpportunity through learning  \nContext  \nThe Minister for Education and Training has asked the Higher Education Standards Panel to advise him on options to improve the transparency of higher education student admissions policies, while minimising regulatory impact. The Minister intends to improve the accessibility and comparability of information about the diversity of course entry pathways by ensuring greater transparency of admissions processes and standards. He is concerned about the capacity of some students to complete their courses. The Minister has asked the Panel for advice on what more needs to be done.  \nThe Panel welcomes the opportunity to explore these issues and potential solutions with stakeholders, including prospective students and their families, schools, careers advisers, as well as higher education students and their institutions.  \nPathways to higher education  \nHigher education institutions use a variety of mechanisms to determine which applicants are accepted to study the undergraduate courses they offer. The mechanisms vary according to the institution, the course, and the applicant. Figure 1 below shows the bases used for selecting students into undergraduate courses in 2014.  \nIt is perhaps surprising that more than half the students admitted in 2014 were accepted on the basis of previous vocational or higher education study, mature age entry special provisions and the like. Only 44 per cent of students were admitted on the basis of their secondary education – and only 70 per cent of these on the basis of an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) .  \nFigure 1: Basis of admission for higher education undergraduate commencements 2014  \nSource: Department of Education and Training  \nWhat is the ATAR?  \nThe ATAR is a number out of 100 that ranks students across each state based on their upper secondary school subject results. It is not itself an absolute ‘mark’ but rather an indicator of students’ relative academic standing among their peers. ATARs awarded in one state are recognised by the other states1.  \nThe ATAR approach allows the making of mass decisions about many students competing for admission to particular courses at the same time on a relatively low-cost basis.  \nOver recent years, in part driven by government policy, there has been a greater desire by higher education institutions to admit students from a wider range of social and academic backgrounds. This has seen the development of ‘bonus points’ and other strategies enabling ‘raw’ ATAR scores to be adjusted to take account various equity or other opportunity-related characteristics-e.g. disability, low SES, regional location, Indigenous background or elite sports participation. In South Australia, bonus point ‘rules’ are applied consistently across all institutions, but in other states and territories bonus point schemes differ by institution. Partly as a result of these practices, the proportion of disadvantaged students gaining access to higher education has increased.  \nOther strategies have included institutions making ‘early entry’ offers outside the usual offer rounds; the making of ‘forced offers’ to nominated students, regardless of their ATAR; or offers being made in subsequent offer rounds at ATARs much lower than those used in the first round. Too often this process remains opaque. It is poorly understood.  \nInstitutions are also extending their admissions criteria to draw on interviews with applicants, additional tests, and evidence of other experience to complement or replace the ATAR scores.  \nIn essence, the ATAR was devised as a rationing device to allocate places in courses with limited numbers of places. With the lifting of caps on places in most courses, this rationing imperative no longer applies in the same way. However, two things remain important. First, the process of student admi","cbCaieNU5eriQyUJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieNU5eriQyUJ","pdf",497992,"English","# Context\n## Purpose of the consultation\n# Pathways to higher education\n## Admissions mechanisms and 2014 selection bases\n## What is the ATAR?\n## Bonus points and equity-related adjustments\n## Other admission strategies and remaining opacity\n## Continuing importance of transparency and student support\n# Higher Education Standards Framework\n## Current 2011 Standards and information requirements\n## TEQSA regulatory role\n## New 2015 Standards from 2017\n# Proposed principles","[{\"question\":\"What is the consultation paper’s main objective?\",\"answer\":\"To advise on options to improve transparency of higher education admissions policies while minimising regulatory impact.\"},{\"question\":\"How is the ATAR described in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The ATAR is a number out of 100 ranking students across states based on upper secondary subject results, serving as an indicator of relative standing rather than an absolute mark.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper say admissions processes must remain transparent?\",\"answer\":\"Because the admissions process is often poorly understood, and two needs persist: transparency of student admissions and ensuring accepted students have capacity and support to complete their studies.\"}]","Higher Education Standards Panel - Consultation on the Transparency of Higher Education Admissions Processes | PDF",25]