A selection rank is the number a course actually compares you with: your ATAR plus any adjustment factors the institution applies for that course. An adjustment is an uplift added when you are ranked, and it never changes the ATAR on your results.
This page covers the main kinds of adjustment and who awards each (QTAC for some, the institution for others), how to apply for the Educational Access Scheme, the deadlines for 2027 entry as of October 2026, whether adjustments stack, what they cannot do, and how to check one course. How the ATAR itself is produced is in how the Queensland ATAR is calculated. Here we start from the ATAR and follow what happens next.
ATAR versus selection rank: what is the difference?
QTAC's selection rank page separates the two. The ATAR is "an achievement measure indicating how a student performed relative to their peers", and it "is then converted into a selection rank, which may or may not include additional adjustments". A selection rank is "a numerical value used by tertiary institutions to assess an applicant's suitability for a specific course".
ATAR
Your rank against the potential Year 12 population, calculated by QTAC from your scaled results.
What it does: it is the starting point, and it is the same whichever course you apply for.
Selection rank
The number an institution uses to judge how competitive you are for one particular course.
What it does: it can differ between courses and institutions even when the ATAR is identical.
Adjustment factor
In QTAC's words, "additional points that may be added to your ATAR or other eligible qualifications to calculate your QTAC selection rank for specific courses".
What it does: lifts your selection rank where it applies and leaves the ATAR alone.
Minimum selection threshold
The lowest ATAR or selection rank that earned an offer for a course, as QTAC publishes it.
What it does: gives you a guide to compare against. It is not a promise.
Applicants without an ATAR are ranked on their assessable qualifications instead, per QTAC's admission criteria page. This article stays with the Year 12 route.
What ATAR do I need? Compare your selection rank with the course
"What ATAR do I need?" is a sensible question with a slightly wrong target. QTAC places everyone competing for a course in "order of merit", highest rank first, and makes offers down the list until the places are filled. The lowest rank that earns an offer is the minimum selection threshold, which QTAC describes as the minimum adjusted rank required for an offer. So the like-for-like comparison is your selection rank for that course, not your bare ATAR.
QTAC is direct about what a threshold is not. It says the threshold is not set in advance, is a guide to possible future cut-offs, typically stays stable but can change, can differ between offer rounds in the same semester, and reflects supply and demand rather than course quality. Last year's number tells you roughly where to look, not where the line will fall this year.
A rank only counts once you meet the course's other requirements. In QTAC's words, "You will always have to meet Admissions Criteria to gain entry to a course." Prerequisite subjects are part of that, and choosing Year 11 subjects in Queensland explains how to read them. Once you know your selection rank, the next job is ordering your preferences and understanding the offer rounds, which is covered in QTAC offers, preferences and deferral.
Which adjustments exist, and who awards them?
Every adjustment involves two jobs: judging your evidence, and deciding what it is worth. QTAC does the first for some schemes. The institution always does the second. QTAC says each institution "has its own criteria for when adjustment factors can apply" and that adjustments "may not be applicable for all courses or all applicants".
QTAC handles your evidence
QTAC assesses Educational Access Scheme and Elite Athlete applications, and Rural Access coversheets go to QTAC too. The institution still decides what an adjustment is worth.
Institution decides, QTAC applies
Year 12 subject, location and school-based adjustments follow each institution's rules. QTAC adds them to your application, so there is usually nothing to submit.
| Kind | What it recognises | Who decides | Do you apply? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational access (EAS) | Circumstances that hurt your recent studies | QTAC assesses evidence. The institution sets the value | Yes, in your QTAC application |
| Year 12 subject | Particular subjects, or a university course taken at school | The institution | Usually automatic |
| School-based | The school you attend, for example a measure of school disadvantage | The institution | Usually automatic |
| Location, regional, rural | Where you live or go to school. Rural Access can also mean reserved places | The institution. QTAC collects Rural Access paperwork | Mostly automatic. Rural Access needs a coversheet |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | Special entry schemes and support | The institution | Identify on your QTAC application, or apply to the institution |
| Elite athlete and performer | Sporting demands on your studies over two years | QTAC assesses the athlete form. Performer schemes sit with the institution | Yes |
The scheme names follow QTAC's assistance schemes page.
Educational Access Scheme (EAS)
EAS is for applicants whose recent study was affected by challenging circumstances. QTAC's EAS page lists five categories.
- Financial Hardship: low-income backgrounds.
- Home Environment & Responsibilities: for example family conflict, unstable housing or caring duties.
- Personal Illness or Disability: a disability, a medical or psychological condition, or learning difficulties.
- School Environment: for example remote schooling, a long daily trip to school or excessive teacher changes.
- English Language Difficulty: profound difficulty studying in English.
School Environment and English Language Difficulty are not available to adult applicants. EAS is optional, and QTAC says applicant information is treated with strict confidentiality. If it succeeds, "institutions adjust your selection rank for a particular preference or course; your ATAR does not change." Some institutions and courses do not accept EAS: as of October 2026 QTAC lists Bond University, SAE University College, Torrens University and Griffith College as accepting it for no courses, and the same page names individual excluded courses elsewhere.
Year 12 subject adjustments
QTAC's examples are a Language Other Than English, Specialist Mathematics or a university enrichment course taken in Year 12. The rule that matters: "Institutions decide which subjects they give adjustment for, and how many." They are for current Year 12 applicants only, and QTAC's FAQ says the answer is no if you completed Year 12 more than a year ago.
School, location and rural adjustments
QTAC's FAQ says location adjustments are based on your proximity to the institution offering the course, and are "made to your QTAC application automatically, after you apply". School-based schemes can work the same way: UQ's School Opportunity Scheme reads the school listed in your application. Rural Access is the exception that needs paperwork, and it is not only a rank adjustment. QTAC says some institutions reserve places in their courses for rural and remote applicants (it names CQUniversity, Griffith, James Cook, UQ, UniSC and UniSQ), while at QUT it describes an adjustment to most courses, and UQ lists two rank adjustments. QTAC's rule is that you have lived in a rural or remote area (Modified Monash Model MM2 to MM7) for five years consecutively (60 full months) or ten years cumulatively (120 full months), then you complete the coversheet and submit it with your documents by the due date on the form.
Elite athletes and performers
The Elite Athlete Adjustment Scheme looks at how sporting demands affected your education over the past two years. As of October 2026, QTAC runs it for eligible courses at Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology and the University of the Sunshine Coast. You nominate "Elite Athlete" when you apply, then complete and upload the scheme's form. QTAC says references, news articles and certificates are not acceptable in place of the form, and school sport alone does not qualify. Scholarships go to the institution separately, as do performer schemes.
Is there a Schools Recommendation Scheme in Queensland?
Not as a QTAC rank adjustment. "Schools Recommendation Scheme" is the name of an early-offer pathway run by UAC, the admissions centre for NSW and the ACT. UAC's scheme page describes it as a chance at an early offer "using criteria beyond the ATAR". It is an early offer, not a rank uplift, and it does not appear on QTAC's list of assistance schemes.
Queensland institutions can run early-offer schemes of their own, and some use a school's recommendation in place of the ATAR. CQUniversity, for example, runs a Principal's Recommendation Scheme, which QTAC's CQUniversity profile describes as an early offer scheme that lets Year 12 students apply on their principal's recommendation rather than an ATAR. UniSC describes an Early Offer Guarantee on the same basis on its admissions page. Those schemes carry the institution's own eligibility and dates and sit outside QTAC adjustments, so read the institution's page and ask what it means for your QTAC preferences.
How do I apply for the Educational Access Scheme?
EAS is the one adjustment you start yourself, and the slowest. This follows QTAC's own steps.
Choose the categories that fit
You can apply under every category relevant to you. Read the eligibility and documentation notes for each first.
Nominate them in your QTAC application
If you did not nominate categories when you applied, you can still apply: download each coversheet and submit it with your documents through QTAC's upload form. You will need your QTAC application number.
Ask your support person early
Some categories need a statement from a school representative or a registered healthcare professional. Give them the coversheet and a clear date.
Upload clear PDFs
QTAC asks for legible PDFs, one per category where possible. Keep copies.
Watch for requests from the assessors
QTAC says its assessors "only have time to write to you once", so supply everything the request lists, and check Application Services and your email regularly.
The evidence depends on the category. As of October 2026, QTAC lists:
| Category | What QTAC lists |
|---|---|
| Financial Hardship | A coversheet plus income evidence such as tax or Centrelink documents. If you personally receive a maximum-rate Centrelink benefit, QTAC can verify it electronically with your permission, and then no coversheet is needed |
| Home Environment & Responsibilities | A coversheet with a brief personal statement, and at least one document independently confirming your claim, such as a statement from your education provider or a letter from a GP or counsellor |
| Personal Illness or Disability | A coversheet with a personal statement, and a patient statement from a registered healthcare professional |
| School Environment | A coversheet with a personal statement, and a school statement from a school representative |
| English Language Difficulty | A coversheet with a personal statement, and a school statement from a school representative |
QTAC says an EAS application can take up to six weeks to assess. For Financial Hardship the outcome appears in the applicant online services. For the other categories you call or email QTAC to find out whether an adjustment was approved. If you disagree with an outcome, QTAC asks you to set out your reasons in writing and request a formal review.
Deadlines for 2027 entry (as of October 2026)
These dates come from QTAC's key dates page, read on 2 October 2026. Adjustments depend on documents arriving in time. Only the dates that matter for documents are listed here, and the full offer-round table is in QTAC offers, preferences and deferral.
- 4 Aug 2026
QTAC applications for 2027 open.
- Thu 5 Nov
Due date to apply and submit documents for the Friday 20 November offer round.
- Mon 7 Dec
Due date to apply and submit documents for both the Wednesday 23 December and Thursday 14 January rounds.
- Tue 8 Dec
Due date to apply and submit documents for both the Thursday 21 January and Thursday 28 January rounds.
- Fri 18 Dec, 9:00am
ATAR release for 2026.
Four cautions apply. QTAC calls the document due dates guidelines that "do not guarantee applicants will receive an offer or be assessed in time for the Offer Round". Its How to Apply page cites "the due date of 8 December 2026" without naming a round, while the table gives 7 December for the 23 December and 14 January rounds and 8 December for the 21 and 28 January rounds. The table has one column for applying and submitting documents, so the dates differ by round, not by document type. If you are aiming for the 23 December round, plan around 7 December and confirm on the key dates page. Many courses also have early or fixed deadlines of their own. And the Rural Access coversheet says its due date is "outlined on the form", so read the form as well as the table.
Work backwards from QTAC's figures: EAS can take up to six weeks, and in November and December QTAC is often processing applications submitted two to three weeks earlier. Six weeks before 7 December is 26 October. That is our arithmetic, not a QTAC rule, but it is a reason to send EAS documents in October. QTAC itself suggests submitting "as soon as possible". If you are in Year 11, these dates are not yours yet, so check the key dates page for your own cycle.
Do adjustments stack, and is there a cap?
Adjustments can combine, but not without limit. QTAC's ATAR page says: "All institutions limit the maximum adjustments that will apply to your selection rank (for example some may cap the increase to your selection rank to 5 points)." The cap, the amounts and how schemes combine are each institution's decision. QTAC's EAS page adds that institutions "each have their own rules about the maximum EAS adjustments they allow, as well as how EAS is weighted and combined with other adjustments".
Two institutions show how far the rules differ. These figures come from the University of Queensland's admission schemes page and the University of the Sunshine Coast's Access UniSC page, read on 2 October 2026. QTAC's own UniSC profile repeats UniSC's overall cap of 10 and its maximums for subjects, EAS, regional and school adjustments. Both institutions change their rules, so use the table to understand the mechanism, not to plan.
| Kind of adjustment | UQ | UniSC |
|---|---|---|
| Total across schemes | Up to 5 points | Up to 10 selection ranks |
| Educational Access Scheme | Up to 5 | Up to 6 |
| Year 12 subjects | Up to 3, for a C or higher in Units 3 and 4 of an approved language or Specialist Mathematics, or completing a university enrichment course | Up to 6. UniSC's page lists Specialist Mathematics, languages, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Headstart courses, so check it for the current list |
| Rural or regional | 2 | 2 (Regional Preference) |
| School-based | Up to 4, from the school's ICSEA value | 2 (Disadvantaged School) |
The same EAS evidence is worth different amounts at the two institutions, and each picks its own subject list. UQ's individual maximums, including 5 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, also add up to far more than its overall limit of 5, so for an applicant who qualifies for several, the cap decides the final number.
A worked example, with made-up numbers
These numbers are invented to show the mechanism. They are not any institution's real values, and "University P", "Q" and "R" do not exist. Imagine one student with an ATAR of 82.00 and three preferences.
| Preference | Adjustments that institution would give | Selection rank | Last round's lowest offer (made up) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course A at University P (cap of 5) | Subject 2, location 2, EAS 4. The total of 8 hits the cap | 82.00 + 5 = 87.00 | 86.00 |
| Course B at University Q (cap of 10) | Subject 2 only. No EAS accepted, no location scheme | 82.00 + 2 = 84.00 | 86.00 |
| Course C at University R | No adjustment schemes | 82.00 | 80.00 |
The ATAR is 82.00 throughout, yet one student has three selection ranks, one per preference. The cap trimmed 8 points down to 5. And a rank above last round's lowest offer is encouraging, not a guarantee, because QTAC says thresholds can move.
What adjustments do not do
- They do not change your ATAR. QTAC says adjustment factors and your adjusted selection rank "are not displayed in the ATAR Portal", so do not expect to see them there.
- They do not create ATAR eligibility. An adjustment is added to a rank you already hold. Eligibility depends on your subjects and results, as explained in choosing Year 11 subjects.
- They have no role in your QCE. The QCAA administers the certificate. Adjustments belong to university admission, which comes later.
- They do not satisfy prerequisites. If a course lists a prerequisite subject, you still need it, however high your selection rank is.
- They do not apply everywhere, or guarantee an offer. Institutions and courses choose whether to give each one, and you are still ranked in order of merit for the places available.
- They are not "reasonable adjustments" in assessment. Those are access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) that change the conditions under which you complete a task at school. See AARA, illness and misadventure.
How do I check what applies to one specific course?
No single page adds your adjustments for you. Build the number yourself, then confirm it.
Start with your ATAR
After release it is in QTAC's ATAR Portal. Before then, the Queensland ATAR calculator estimates it from the results you expect. It estimates the ATAR only. Adding adjustments is a separate step.
Open the course in QTAC Course Search
Check the prerequisites and the minimum selection threshold, which QTAC shows where applicable. Its FAQ describes the threshold as the lowest rank, ATAR or selection rank, that received an offer in the most recent round.
Read the institution's adjustment page
QTAC's institution profiles and the institutions themselves list their schemes. QTAC's profile for UQ, Griffith's adjustment factors and QUT's adjustment schemes are examples. Note the cap, course exclusions and whether the scheme is automatic.
Do the sum, then apply the cap
Add the adjustments you believe apply to your ATAR, trim to the cap and compare the result with the threshold. Do it once per preference, because each course can differ.
Ask QTAC for the confirmed number
QTAC says to call it on 1300 467 822 to confirm your selection rank. Do that before relying on your own sum when a preference is close.
