The University of Wollongong is cautiously optimistic about domestic student enrolments for 2022 given more students are nowadays opting for early admissions.
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Understandably, given the delay to the 2021 HSC exams, and subsequently to the university admissions timeline for 2022, many students across the state chose to make applications directly to universities through early entry programs.
This sector-wide trend is reflected in the data for UOW.
While fewer students have applied to UOW via Universities Admission Centre's centralised admissions system, the university has seen a record number of applications through its Early Admissions program - The UAC university preference statistics released before Christmas did not include data for the Early Admission scheme.
Applications to the 2021 Early Admissions program were 4.3 per cent higher than in 2020, which at the time set a new record. Compared to the pre-pandemic 2019 program, the rise in UOW's Early Admission applications is even more significant, with a 31 per cent increase this year compared to 2019.
This year, UOW also introduced an additional early entry program, Alternative Entry, to allow students impacted by COVID-19 disruptions to be assessed on attributes other than the ATAR.
Close to 500 Alternative Entry offers have been made to date to year 12 students.
Data from the Early Admissions program shows that Nursing, Business, Primary Education, and Exercise Science are popular fields of study among potential 2021 first year students.
In particular, UOW is seeing strong demand for Nursing courses, both at the Wollongong campus and at the University's regional campuses.
UOW now has six nursing training facilities across metropolitan and regional NSW, including at the South Western Sydney Southern Sydney, Shoalhaven, Batemans Bay and Bega campuses, with training and education tailored to local health care needs.
Meantime UOW is looking forward to hosting prospective students and their families on campus at its ATAR and Enrolment Advice Day on January 20, 2022.
The event will be conducted in a COVID-safe manner and in accordance with the public health restrictions operating at the time.
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