Domestic undergraduate applications and offers at semester 1 closing 2024

The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) processed domestic undergraduate applications for 31 institutions in 2023–24, mainly in NSW and the ACT. Applications for tertiary study opened on Wednesday 5 April 2023 and closed at 11.59pm on Friday 2 February 2024.

UAC received 72,444¹ domestic applications in the 2023–24 admissions year.

A total of 98,911 offers were made to these applicants.²

• Download the semester 1 closing application statistics for 2023–24
• Download the semester 1 closing offer statistics for 2023–24

Many students also applied directly to individual universities through our portals to maximise their chances of receiving an offer. UAC has processed another 124,901³ of these applications on behalf of individual universities⁴.

As applications made directly to institutions have grown, applications through UAC have decreased.

¹ Applicants can only apply once through UAC, so this figure indicates unique applicants.

² There are more offers made than there are applicants because, even though applicants can only receive one offer in each offer round, they can receive an offer in more than one round. Read more at Offers FAQ.

³ Applicants may apply directly through our portals to several universities, so this figure is not the count of unique applicants, but the total number of applications received.

⁴ UAC processes direct applications on behalf of Australian Catholic University, Australian College of Physical Education, Australian National University, CQUniversity, Macquarie University, University of New England, University of Newcastle, University of Tasmania, University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong, UNSW Sydney and Western Sydney University.

Applications and offers by applicant type

Applicants are divided into four types: NSW Year 12, ACT Year 12, interstate and International Baccalaureate Year 12, and non-Year 12.

Applications by applicant type

The following chart shows total applications by applicant type for the last 13 admissions periods.

Offers by applicant type

The following chart shows total offers by applicant type for the last 13 admissions periods.

Gender analysis

The gender split of applicants was similar to the previous year: 55 per cent of all Year 12 applicants were female, while 57 per cent of non-Year 12 applicants were female.

Age analysis

Almost all Year 12 applicants in 2023–24 were 19 years old and under (99.8%). Around 80 per cent of non-Year 12 applicants were 24 years old and under. The breakdown by age group for non-Year 12 applicants is shown in the following chart.

First preference analysis

Applicants can choose up to five course preferences. Their first preference is the course they would most like to study.

First preferences by field of study and applicant type

The top five fields of study listed as first preferences by NSW and ACT Year 12 applicants were almost identical. Both groups had most first preferences in Society & Culture and Health.

For non-Year 12 applicants as well as for interstate and International Baccalaureate Year 12 applicants, most first preferences were in Health, followed by Society & Culture.

Overall, Health has once again taken the top spot as the favoured field of study, with 25 per cent of UAC’s applicants listing it as their first preference, Society & Culture received 21 per cent of first preferences across all applicant types.

First preferences by field of study and gender

While both females and males had most first preference courses in Health, the spread of first preference courses across fields of study was greater for males than for females.

Over half of female applicants listed their first preference course in either Health (31%) or Society & Culture (24%). In contrast, popular fields of study for males included Health (18%), Society & Culture (16%), Management & Commerce (16%), and Engineering & Related Technologies (16%).

Compared with males, a smaller proportion of females had first preference courses in Engineering & Related Technologies, Management & Commerce, and Information Technology. In contrast, a smaller proportion of males than females had first preference in Health, Society & Culture and Education.

Offer analysis

Applicants only receive one offer in each offer round but they can receive another offer in later offer rounds by changing their preferences.

Offers by field of study and applicant type

The majority of offers to Year 12 applicants were for courses in the field of Society & Culture. For non-Year 12 applicants, the majority of offers were made in the field of Health.

Overall, most offers were made in the field of Society and Culture with 22 per cent of offers made to a course in this field, while 19 per cent of offers were made to a course in the field of Health.

Offers by field of study and gender

The spread of offers across fields of study was greater for males than for females.

Nearly half of female applicants received an offer to a course in the fields of Society & Culture (26%) or Health (23%). Slightly more than half of males received an offer in Management & Commerce (18%), Engineering & Related Technologies (17%) and Society & Culture (17%).

Compared with males, a smaller proportion of females received an offer in Engineering & Related Technologies, Information Technology and Management & Commerce. In contrast, a smaller proportion of males than females received an offer in Health, Society & Culture and Education.

Visit UAC’s statistics pages for more application and offer data.