We Answer the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Changing Uni Preferences

It's not too late to make changes.

This article is presented in partnership with RMIT.

ATAR results are barrelling towards us, and students everywhere are thinking about their uni preferences and whether they’re still the right fit.

The good news is that your preferences aren’t set in stone – you can change them until the release of your ATAR, and during certain times after the release of your results.

But, with so much going on, it can be a little bit difficult to wrap your head around how changing preferences actually works.

To help you tackle the next few months and the process of changing preferences, we’ve put together some of the frequently asked questions.

Why should I consider changing my preferences?

There’s a million reasons you might want to change your preferences.

You might have had a change of heart and are now keen to explore a completely different course, or you might want to go to a completely different uni – let’s say you found out one university is ranked higher than another in your chosen course. 

So why not check out uni rankings before ATAR results come out? You might find that specific universities, like RMIT, are among the highest ranked universities in the world for your specific course.

Or maybe your ATAR wasn’t quite what you expected – whether it’s higher or lower than you thought, there’s still going to be options for you to get stuck into uni.

Remember that changing preferences is super common, and it’s completely fine for you to want to go down a completely different path than you originally intended – it all comes down to you.  

How can I change my preferences?

The process for changing your tertiary preferences varies by what state you’re graduating in, but it’s pretty simple.

Generally, it involves logging onto your state’s tertiary admissions online portal, for example VTAC in Victoria, and amending your preferences where you initially uploaded them.

There’s a bunch of options once you’re in there, including changing the order of your preferences, adding or subtracting courses, or completely refreshing your list.

You can change anytime up until ATAR results are released (12 December in Victoria), however, once results are out, you can only update your preferences at specific times.

When can I change my preferences?

This is where it gets a little tricky – as mentioned above, you can change anytime up until 12 December, but after then, you must make changes at specific times. For example, if you want to change your preferences before the first round of offers, you have to do that between the 12 December and 14 December. 

University offers come in rounds, and after each round, there’s a period of two days in which you can amend your preferences.

This is especially helpful if you don’t get the ATAR you need, so you can update it so that your first preference is one you qualify for.

Two-day periods for changing your results follow each offer round, the first from 21 December to 22 December.

Outside of these periods, the change of preference option is temporarily locked so unis can make their decisions.

 

I didn’t get the ATAR I needed, what should I do?

First thing – don’t worry! An ATAR isn’t the only way to get into uni.

Unis like RMIT offer a host of alternative pathways and options for you to get started in your dream uni course.

RMIT offers a huge amount of help on this – head to their website to learn more about alternative pathways.

Where can I get more help?

This is all pretty confusing – we know. Luckily there’s more help out there.

RMIT has a comprehensive guide on changing your preferences, including even more FAQs, a printable guide and they’ll be hosting a FREE change of preference event on 13 December where you can have all your questions answered.

RMIT also offers plenty of resources on course options, alternative pathways and special considerations, as well as a dedicated hotline and live chat to help you figure out everything you need.