When students are looking in to university study, they often come across words or terms they are unfamiliar with. So, here are a few of the more commonly used terms to help students understand what is being talked about!
| Associate Degree | An associate degree is generally a two-year qualification that is made up of two-thirds of a bachelor degree, and may be offered by both TAFEs and universities. Students often use this as a stepping stone to the full Bachelor Degree. |
| Assumed knowledge | Refers to subjects the university recommends or prefers a student to have studied at school before starting the course. |
| ATAR | Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank - the figure used by UAC and VTAC to calculate the entrance ranking for a university course. |
| Bachelor Degree | The award/qualification a student gains when they have completed studies in an undergraduate course, which takes between 3 or 4 years of full-time study. This is the traditional starting point of a university qualification. |
| Bridging Course | An introductory course to help students achieve the preferred entry level to a degree, e.g. a bridging maths course for students who do not have the preferred maths but need it to access a course. |
| Census Date | The last day a student can withdraw from their university course and not owe fees. |
| Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) | A student's enrolment in a university degree for which the Commonwealth government makes a contribution towards the cost of that student's education (formerly known as a HECS place). |
| Credit | If a student has previously studied - perhaps at TAFE - and has Recognised Prior Learning (RPL), the student may be able to receive credit for a subject or subjects in their course. Also often referred to as Advanced Standing. |
| Double degree | A student can choose to complete a double degree - this integrates studies in two degrees resulting in an award of two degrees, usually after a minimum of 4 years of study. Often also referred to as Combined Degrees. |
| Defer | A student may choose to delay starting their course. Deferring an offer of a place might mean delaying for 6, 12, 18 or 24 months. Deferment ensures the student is guaranteed their place in their selected course. |
| Elective | A subject that is not core to the degree and is often from another faculty, e.g. a commerce student might choose psychology (from the Arts Faculty) as an elective. |
| Faculty | A department within a university devoted to a particular area of study - so, Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Science. |
| FEE-HELP | An Australian Government loan scheme that assists eligible students (not CSP) to pay all or part of their tuition fees. |
| HECS-HELP | An Australian Government loan scheme that assists students with a CSP place to pay their contribution. Students may choose to pay their fees upfront and receive a 10% discount, or choose to defer payment via the HECS-HELP loan scheme. |
| Honours | Many Bachelor degrees offer a fourth (or extra) year - called an Honours year. The Honours year allows students to further focus on a particular an area of interest. The Honours year can either be integrated into a 4-year Bachelor degree or be offered as a separate year after completion of a 3-year Bachelor degree. |
| Lecture | A period of teaching given by a lecturer to a large group of students in a lecture theatre; can often be as many as 300 students in a lecture. |
| Major study | An area within a course that allows in-depth study in a particular field. More than one major may be allowed in some courses. |
| Minor study | A grouping of subjects allowing a broader understanding of a few subjects, with less emphasis on in-depth study. |
| OP | Your Overall Position (OP) is a Queensland statewide rank based on overall achievement in approved subjects. It is used for the purpose of allocating tertiary education places. |
| Prerequisite | A set of conditions - usually a completion of a subject - that must be met before enrolment in a subject or course is allowed. |
| QTAC | Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) - all students wishing to study at universities in Queensland must apply online through QTAC. |
| Transcript | This is the university academic record each student receives, like a school report. |
| Tutorial | A period of teaching given to a small group of students - involving discussion and participation. |
| UAC | Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) - all students wishing to study at universities in ACT and NSW must apply online through UAC. |
| Undergraduate | A student studying at university for a first level degree, e.g. a Bachelor degree. |
| VET-FEE HELP | An Australian Government loan scheme for students undertaking higher level Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses. This applies to Diploma (and some Certificate IV) level courses. For some students, 20% loan fee applies. |
| VTAC | Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) - all students wishing to study at universities Victoria must apply online through VTAC. |
| Workplace learning | Practical training in a workplace, such as internships or practical work experience. This is a hands-on experience - some universities call it Industry Based Learning or Work Integrated Learning. |