NSW Vice Chancellor’s Committee chair Barney Glover,who is leading the review of the early offer program,said they will discuss concerns about the “proliferation of offers made before students get their ATAR” in December.
“Protecting the integrity of the HSC is critical. Early offer programs must be justifiable and transparent,” said Glover,who is the Western Sydney University vice chancellor.
Students and some principals say early offers can ease the stress of high-stakes exams,butcritics have warned it is increasingly leading to students slacking off before the HSC starts.
“We are looking to create a set of underlying principles that should guide all universities in their early offer programs,and admission requirements should ensure the students we admit have every chance of success.”
Students can apply for early offers directly through universities or via the schools’ recommendation scheme processed by the University Admissions Centre (UAC). Early offers have been made to students for about a decade,but numbers surged during the pandemic.
On Friday,UAC will hand out a single-round record 15,746 early offers - based on year 11 results and the school’s assessment of abilities and aptitude. These offers are only made after exams are completed.