How Does the Schools Recommendation Scheme Work?

A student finishes Year 11 with fairly ordinary results, then makes a significant improvement in Year 12. They want a university offer before their ATAR is released. Will the university consider that improvement?

Not through the Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS). For the 2026 application cycle, universities assess Year 11 results, not Year 12 results, when making early offers through SRS. They may also consider a school’s assessment of a student’s abilities and, in some cases, educational disadvantage.

The Schools Recommendation Scheme is a UAC-administered pathway that allows eligible Year 12 students to receive early undergraduate offers from participating universities and colleges. It gives institutions a way to assess applicants using information beyond their final ATAR. However, UAC processes the application; individual institutions decide who receives an offer.

There is an important distinction between SRS and the many other early-entry programs advertised by universities. They are not all part of the same scheme, and their application processes, eligibility requirements and deadlines can be quite different.

Current-cycle note (9 November 2026): Applications for the 2026 SRS cycle closed on 11 September, and the course preference deadline for the first SRS offer round was 5 November. The first offers will be released on 12 November 2026. If you missed the SRS application deadline, you cannot now submit an application for this cycle, but you can still pursue the ordinary UAC admission process.

01What is the Schools Recommendation Scheme?

Think of university admission as having two possible assessment stages.

The usual pathway relies heavily on your completed Year 12 results and ATAR. SRS allows participating institutions to assess you earlier, using available academic information and other evidence, before your final ATAR is known.

For eligible students, a single SRS application through UAC can be considered by multiple participating universities and colleges.

The scheme is designed to give institutions a broader picture of an applicant’s potential for university study. It does not guarantee an offer, replace the HSC, or mean that every course is available through early entry.

02What evidence do universities use?

This is the most important part of understanding SRS. Your application is not assessed using one universal score. Participating institutions can choose from several assessment criteria, and they do not all use the same combination.

There are three main sources of evidence.

1. Your Year 11 academic results

For NSW HSC students, UAC receives your Year 11 results through the relevant school and NESA data processes.

You do not need to upload your Year 11 school report to support an SRS application if you are completing the NSW HSC.

Universities use these results to assess your academic progress before your final Year 12 results are available.

UAC explains that Year 11 results are evaluated using the same academic principles that underpin the ATAR calculation. However, this does not mean your Year 11 marks are simply converted into an ATAR.

To have your Year 11 results assessed, you need to have completed sufficient assessable senior subjects and be enrolled in a program that makes you eligible for an ATAR in Year 12.

There are two important limitations.

• Year 12 results are not included. Even if your Year 12 Semester 1 results are available before SRS offers are released, universities cannot use them in the Year 11 assessment.
• Some VET results cannot be included. NSW Board Developed VET courses are recorded as unscored competency-based results, so they cannot be included in the Year 11 academic assessment. You can still be assessed using other eligible subjects.

Your Year 11 assessment is an early indication of academic progress, not a prediction or replacement for your final ATAR.

2. Your school’s rating of your abilities

This is where the word recommendation comes into the scheme.

After receiving your SRS application, UAC contacts your school principal. The principal can then nominate a staff member to assess your abilities in four areas:

• Capacity for abstract thought and analysis.
• Ability to organise ideas and communicate a position orally and in writing.
• Ability to work and learn independently.
• Motivation to achieve long-term goals.

These ratings give universities information about qualities that aren’t necessarily captured by examination results alone.

For example, a student might demonstrate strong independent learning skills, organise complex assignments effectively and communicate ideas clearly, even if their examination results do not fully reflect those abilities.

However, there is an important qualification: school participation is optional.

UAC invites secondary schools to provide ratings, but it cannot guarantee that every school will submit them. There is no statewide requirement that every school must provide a rating for every SRS applicant.

If your school does not participate, you can still have an SRS application. However, an institution that relies heavily on school ratings may not have all the information it would otherwise consider.

3. Your Educational Access Scheme application

Some universities may also consider information from an Educational Access Scheme (EAS) application.

EAS is designed to recognise educational disadvantages that have affected a student’s studies. Circumstances may include financial hardship, illness, or significant family disruption.

If you have experienced circumstances that meet the eligibility criteria, an EAS application allows you to provide information and supporting documentation for institutions to consider.

However, EAS and SRS are separate processes.

Submitting an SRS application does not automatically mean you have applied for EAS. You need to complete the relevant EAS application and provide the required evidence.

Not every institution uses EAS information when assessing SRS applicants. Some may also have their own deadlines or additional requirements.

You can check the current requirements through UAC’s Educational Access Scheme information.

How the evidence fits together

A useful way to think about SRS is that universities can consider different combinations of evidence.

An institution might assess you using SRS criteria alone. Another might combine SRS information with an ATAR or selection rank, or consider equity criteria as well.

There is no single formula that applies to every university.

03Who controls each part of the process?

It helps to separate the responsibilities of NESA, UAC, universities and schools. They all have different jobs.

NESA: You still need to complete your HSC

An early university offer does not change your NESA requirements.

You must still satisfy the requirements for the Higher School Certificate, including the relevant pattern of study, course completion requirements and examination obligations.

For example, the NSW pattern of study requires at least 12 Preliminary units and 10 HSC units, alongside specified English and subject-combination requirements.

You must also meet the other HSC eligibility requirements, including making a serious attempt at the required examinations.

NESA, not UAC, determines whether you satisfy the requirements for the HSC.

You can check the NESA ACE Rules and the HSC Rules and Procedures.

UAC: It administers the application, not the selection decision

UAC provides the central application process and passes relevant information to participating institutions.

It also manages the course preference system and coordinates university offer rounds.

However, UAC does not decide whether you deserve an offer or whether your application is competitive enough for a particular course.

That decision belongs to the institution.

Universities: They set their own selection criteria

Each participating institution determines how it uses SRS information.

For example, one institution might place considerable emphasis on Year 11 results, while another might focus more heavily on school ratings.

Some institutions also require additional steps, such as:

• An interview.
• A portfolio.
• An audition.
• A course-specific test.
• Meeting particular subject prerequisites.
• Attending a school in a specified region.

Some courses are excluded from SRS altogether.

This means that applying to an institution that participates in SRS does not automatically make you eligible for an early offer to every course it offers.

Schools: Their participation is optional

Your school may have its own internal procedures for handling SRS requests and organising staff ratings.

These are school-level arrangements, not universal NESA requirements.

If you have applied for SRS, it is sensible to check with your school whether it participates and whether there are any internal steps you need to complete.

Do not assume that every school follows the same procedure.

04Is SRS the same as other early-entry programs?

No. This is a common source of confusion.

Universities advertise a range of early-entry opportunities, but they do not all use UAC’s Schools Recommendation Scheme.

The main differences are:

For example, a university might operate a direct early-entry program that assesses Year 11 results, personal statements and interviews.

That program is not automatically part of SRS, even if the same university also participates in SRS.

You may need to submit two separate applications if you want to be considered for both pathways.

UAC maintains a list of early offer schemes for Year 12 students. Check whether the program you are interested in is administered through SRS or directly by the institution.

A note about illness and misadventure

There is another distinction worth understanding.

Suppose you experienced a sudden illness immediately before an HSC examination, and it affected your performance.

NESA has an illness and misadventure process for these situations. It requires a separate application and appropriate supporting evidence.

This is different from EAS, which addresses educational disadvantage in university admission.

The two processes can be relevant to the same student, but one does not replace the other.

Read the NESA illness and misadventure requirements if an unexpected event affects your HSC examinations.

05How do you apply for SRS?

For an eligible student, the application process is relatively straightforward.

You first need a UAC undergraduate application. SRS is then accessed through that application.

The general process is:

Step 1: Submit your UAC undergraduate application.

You need to be an eligible Year 12 applicant. For the 2026 cycle, this included students completing the NSW HSC and other Australian Year 12 qualifications, as well as eligible International Baccalaureate students.

NSW HSC applicants also need their Year 12 student number and UAC PIN.

Step 2: Open the Entry schemes section.

After submitting your undergraduate application, follow the link to the Entry schemes tab and select Apply for SRS.

Step 3: Check your Year 11 school details.

For NSW HSC students, your Year 11 study information should already be displayed.

Check that the school details are correct.

You do not need to upload your Year 11 report.

Students completing other qualifications, including the IB, generally have additional Year 11 report requirements.

Step 4: Submit your SRS application.

Read the SRS terms and conditions and submit the application.

You can only submit one SRS application.

Step 5: Check your UAC course preferences.

Your SRS application is automatically linked to your undergraduate course preferences.

You do not create a separate list of SRS preferences.

This is important because the order of your UAC preferences influences which courses institutions consider for offers.

How should you order your preferences?

You should order your UAC preferences according to which courses you genuinely want to study.

Do not automatically put a course first just because you think it is easier to receive an early offer.

For SRS, institutions consider eligible preferences in the order you list them. If you are not selected for an unconditional offer to your first preference, you can be considered for your next eligible preference.

Also remember that a course can be excluded from SRS even when its university participates in the scheme.

For more detail, read How to Order Your UAC Preferences for University Offers.

06Which universities participate in SRS?

Not every Australian university participates in the scheme.

For the 2026 cycle, UAC lists participating institutions including:

• Charles Sturt University.
• Macquarie University.
• University of Newcastle.
• University of New England.
• University of Canberra.
• University of Notre Dame Australia.
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
• Western Sydney University.
• National Art School.
• International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS).
• SAE University College.

Other listed providers include the Academy of Music and Performing Arts, AIE Institute, Australian College of Physical Education and Torrens University Australia.

This is not a promise that every course at these institutions is available through SRS.

For example, a university might accept SRS applications for several undergraduate degrees but exclude a highly competitive course.

Some institutions may also require an interview or portfolio, even if there is no minimum ATAR for their early-offer assessment.

Always check the UAC institution-specific SRS criteria before choosing your courses.

07When are SRS applications and offers released?

The dates depend on the application cycle.

For students completing Year 12 in 2026 and applying for university entry in 2027, the important dates are:

As at 9 November 2026, both the SRS application deadline and the first-round preference deadline have passed.

If you have already applied and finalised your preferences, the next important date is 12 November.

If you submitted an SRS application but missed the first-round preference deadline, check UAC’s subsequent offer-round dates and preference requirements. Your SRS application may also be considered in later rounds before ATARs are released.

If you did not submit an SRS application by 11 September, you cannot enter the 2026 SRS cycle now.

However, you can still pursue ordinary UAC undergraduate admission. UAC lists 26 November 2026 as the deadline to apply and pay to be considered in the main semester 1 offer round on 23 December.

Does SRS cost anything?

There is no additional fee to submit an SRS application.

However, you must first submit a UAC undergraduate application, which has its own processing charge.

For 2027 semester 1 applications, the standard UAC undergraduate application fee is $215 for applications submitted between 1 October 2026 and 5 February 2027.

The earlier application fee was $82 for applications submitted by 30 September.

You can check the latest charges through UAC’s application fees page.

08What happens when you receive an SRS offer?

There are two main types of offers: unconditional and conditional.

Understanding the difference is important because receiving an early offer does not always mean you have secured a place without further requirements.

Unconditional offers

An unconditional offer has no additional conditions attached.

If you receive one, you do not need to meet a further ATAR threshold or submit additional material to satisfy the offer conditions.

However, you must follow the institution’s instructions and accept the offer by its specified deadline. Otherwise, you may lose the offer.

Domestic students can receive one unconditional SRS offer in the first November round.

Conditional offers

A conditional offer means the university is prepared to offer you a place if you meet specified requirements.

These might include:

• Achieving a minimum ATAR.
• Meeting course prerequisites.
• Submitting a portfolio.
• Attending an interview or audition.
• Completing a personal statement or test.

Conditional offers are only made in November Round 1, but they can be made for any course preference.

If you receive a conditional offer, read the conditions carefully. Meeting the minimum ATAR is not enough if the offer also requires a portfolio or a particular subject prerequisite.

For domestic applicants, eligible conditional offers can become unconditional in subsequent offer rounds.

However, there is an important restriction: you can only convert one conditional SRS offer into an unconditional offer in December Round 2.

If you receive multiple conditional offers, you need to decide which course you most want to secure. You must satisfy all its conditions and place that course at the top of your UAC preferences by the relevant December Round 2 change-of-preference deadline.

What if you receive an unconditional offer but want another course?

You do not necessarily have to stop pursuing your preferred courses.

If you receive an unconditional offer to a lower preference, UAC can still consider you for higher preferences in subsequent rounds.

If you want to remain eligible for further offers to other preferences, UAC advises that you:

1. Accept your existing unconditional offer.
2. Move that course to the bottom of your preference list or remove it entirely.
3. Keep your other preferred courses in the order you genuinely want them.

Once you have accepted an offer, removing its course from your preference list does not cancel the accepted offer.

This gives you a way to retain an existing place while remaining in consideration for another course.

One final detail: UAC coordinates the process, but institutions make the selection decisions. If you do not receive an SRS offer, UAC does not necessarily send you a notification explaining that outcome. Check your UAC application and email, and contact the institution if you need an explanation of its selection decision.

09Questions and solutions

The following scenarios test whether you can distinguish the different parts of the SRS process rather than simply remember its definition.

Question 1

A NSW HSC student has submitted a UAC undergraduate application but has not submitted an SRS application. Can they still receive an SRS offer in November 2026?

Solution 1

No. Submitting a UAC undergraduate application does not automatically enter you into SRS.

SRS is an additional application accessed through the Entry schemes section of your UAC undergraduate application.

For the 2026 cycle, SRS applications closed on 11 September. A student who submitted only the undergraduate application cannot now enter the first SRS offer round.

However, the undergraduate application can still be used for ordinary university admission, provided the relevant application and course deadlines are met.

The important distinction is that applying to university and applying for SRS are two related but separate steps.

Question 2

A student received the following results:

• Year 11 academic results: mostly mid-range grades.
• Year 12 Semester 1 results: significant improvement.
• School rating: strong in independent learning and communication.

The student applies for SRS in 2026.

Can the university combine the Year 11 results with the improved Year 12 Semester 1 results to calculate the student’s SRS academic assessment?

Solution 2

No. The Year 12 Semester 1 results cannot be included in the SRS Year 11 academic assessment.

UAC’s assessment uses the student’s Year 11 results, even when Year 12 results are available before early offers are released.

The school rating may provide additional information about the student’s abilities, depending on the institution’s selection criteria.

This means the student’s improved Year 12 performance cannot directly change their Year 11 SRS assessment.

However, it remains important for the student’s final HSC results and subsequent ATAR-based admission opportunities.

The tempting assumption is that universities will use every available result to make the most current assessment. SRS does not work that way. Its early academic assessment is based on Year 11 information.

Question 3

A NSW student applies for SRS but discovers that their school does not participate in the optional school-rating process.

The student also completed a Board Developed VET course in Year 11, with competency-based results, alongside several assessable academic subjects.

Does this automatically prevent the student from being assessed through SRS?

Solution 3

No. The student is not automatically excluded from SRS, but the institution may have less evidence available when assessing the application.

School participation in the rating process is optional. A school is not required to submit ratings simply because one of its students has applied.

The student’s assessable Year 11 academic results can still be considered by institutions that use them.

However, the Board Developed VET course’s unscored competency-based results cannot be included in the Year 11 academic assessment.

The other assessable subjects may still provide sufficient information for an assessment.

The key distinction is between eligibility to apply and the evidence available to an institution. Missing school ratings do not automatically disqualify a student, but an institution that relies heavily on those ratings may reach a different decision than one using several assessment criteria.

Question 4

A student experiences significant educational disadvantage throughout Year 11 and Year 12. During one HSC examination, they also experience a sudden illness that affects their performance.

The student submits an EAS application through UAC and an illness and misadventure application through their school.

Are these applications addressing the same issue, and can one replace the other?

Solution 4

No. The applications address different processes, and neither replaces the other.

The EAS application provides universities with evidence of educational disadvantage that may be considered when making admission decisions.

The NESA illness and misadventure application addresses the unexpected illness affecting the student’s HSC examination performance.

The distinction is the decision being requested:

• EAS asks an institution to consider educational disadvantage when assessing university admission.
• NESA illness and misadventure asks NESA to consider an unexpected event affecting a particular HSC examination or component.

The student must follow the evidence requirements and deadlines for both processes independently.

If an SRS institution considers EAS information, that evidence may also contribute to its admission assessment. However, submitting an EAS application does not automatically resolve the HSC examination issue.

This is why it is important to identify which organisation is responsible for each decision.

Question 5

A domestic NSW HSC student receives three SRS offers in November:

• Course A: a conditional offer requiring a minimum ATAR and completion of a specified HSC subject prerequisite.
• Course B: a conditional offer requiring a minimum ATAR.
• Course C: an unconditional offer.

After ATAR release, the student meets the minimum ATAR requirements for both A and B but has not completed the required HSC subject for Course A. They have met all the conditions for Course B.

The student prefers Course B and wants to retain Course C as a backup.

Can both conditional offers become unconditional? What should the student do?

Solution 5

Only Course B can become unconditional in this situation, and the student must follow the preference and offer-acceptance rules to retain their options.

There are three separate constraints.

First: Meeting an ATAR requirement does not satisfy every course condition.

The student has achieved the minimum ATAR for Course A, but has not completed its specified subject prerequisite.

The student therefore has not met all the conditions for Course A. Meeting the ATAR alone cannot convert that offer into an unconditional one.

Course B is different. The student has met its minimum ATAR and all other stated requirements, so it is eligible for conversion.

Second: Only one conditional SRS offer can be converted in December Round 2.

Even if the student had satisfied both conditional offers, they could only convert one into an unconditional offer in that round.

In this case, Course B is the viable choice because the student has satisfied its conditions and prefers it.

Third: The existing unconditional offer can be retained.

The student should accept Course C by the institution’s deadline.

They can then move Course C to the bottom of their UAC preference list or remove it, without losing the accepted offer.

They should place Course B at the top of their preference list by the December Round 2 change-of-preference deadline, ensuring that it remains eligible for consideration for conversion.

The student can then pursue Course B while retaining the accepted place in Course C as a backup.

The tempting approach is to focus only on the ATAR thresholds. But university offers involve more than a numerical result. Course prerequisites, additional selection requirements, the number of offers that can be converted and the preference system all interact.

An early offer is only useful if you understand exactly what you need to do to secure it.

10What should you remember about SRS?

The Schools Recommendation Scheme gives eligible Year 12 students another pathway into university, but it is not a replacement for the HSC or the normal ATAR-based admission process.

The most important points are:

• SRS is administered by UAC for participating universities and colleges.
• Universities assess students using Year 11 results, optional school ratings and, where applicable, EAS information.
• NSW HSC students do not need to upload their Year 11 reports.
• Year 12 Semester 1 results are not included in the SRS Year 11 assessment.
• School participation in the rating process is optional.
• Not every university or course participates.
• Individual institutions decide who receives offers and set their own additional requirements.
• Conditional offers require you to meet every specified condition, not just an ATAR threshold.
• SRS does not remove your NESA HSC obligations.

Once you understand how SRS works, the next step is making sure the courses you are considering are realistic options for your HSC subject combination.

Check each course’s prerequisites before choosing your subjects, using our guide to checking university prerequisites before choosing HSC subjects.

It is also worth understanding the difference between your ATAR and selection rank, particularly when universities use admission adjustments or alternative selection criteria. Our guide to the difference between an ATAR and a selection rank explains how these numbers relate to university admission.

SRS can give you an earlier opportunity, but keeping your HSC performance, course eligibility and UAC preferences on track gives you more ways to reach the degree you actually want.