1. Preamble
1.1 Selection Committee
1.1.1 There shall be a selection committee for each course con- sisting of the Dean of the faculty or the Chairman of the board of studies concerned, or a person nominated by them, and such other members as may be approved by the Academic Board on the recommendation of that faculty or board of studies. If any member of a selection committee is unable to act, the Chairman of the Academic Board may approve the appointment of a sub- stitute, on the recommendation of the Dean of the.faculty or the Chairman of the board of studies concerned.
1.1.2 A selection committee shall identify those applicants to whom offers shall be made for places within the quota or sub- quotas for that course.
1.1.3 A selection committee shall make its decisions by the vote of a majority of the members present and voting and shall report those decisions to the Academic Board as soon as possible.
1.2 Applications
1.2.1 Applicants for selection should submit applications on the appropriate form' by the date prescribed-, or by such closing date as may be prescribed for the receipt of late applications.
1.2.2 No application for selection lodged after such closing date shall be considered unless the selection committee con- cerned is satisfied that special circumstances exist which justify
a later application.
1.2.3 University Regulation 1.1.2 permits the Academic Board to declare eligible for admission persons who lack qualifications ordinarily required for admission.
:< Persons wishing to be con- sidered under this Regulation should apply to the Registrar.
1.3 Special and General Principles
1.3.1 Special principles of selection for any faculty or board of studies may be approved by Council on the recommendation of the Academic Board.
1.3.2 Except insofar as is provided by general principles of selec- tion those special principles shall not conflict with the general principles.
2. Selection Procedures
2.1 Pursuant to the following principles and to any special principles approved by Council, the selection committee shall identify and rank those applicants who are considered most likely to pursue successfully the course concerned; and places shall be offered
1 The appropriate f o r m may be obtained f r o m the V i c t o r i a n U n i v e r s i t i e s A d m i s s i o n s C o m m i t t e e . 4 0 Park Street, South M e l b o u r n e , f r o m A u g u s t each year.
2 The n o r m a l c l o s i n g date is the Friday nearest to the end of October, but s h o u l d be c o n f i r m e d by reference to the V i c t o r i a n U n i v e r s i t i e s A d m i s s i o n s C o m m i t t e e or the Principal Dates as p u b l i s h e d by the U n i v e r s i t y .
3 In the past, the A c a d e m i c Board has d e c l a r e d c e r t a i n d i s a d v a n t a g e d a p p l i c a n t s , p a r t i c u l a r l y persons of A b o r i g i n a l e x t r a c t i o n , e l i g i b l e for selection under this p r o v i s i o n .
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in accordance with such ranking until the places available in the quota or sub-quotas fixed by Council have been filled.
2.1.1 Selection shall be based primarily on academic merit as judged by reference to the results of the applicant in the Vic- torian Higher School Certificate examinations.
: t2.1.2 (a) Where applicants have not attempted the Victorian Higher School Certificate examination, their qualifications shall as far as possible be accorded such standing as will enable their academic merit to be compared with that of other applicants for selection in the relevant quota or sub- quota for that course.
(b) In assessing the relative likelihood of success of appli- cants who have not attempted any subject at the Victorian Higher School Certificate examination prescribed by special principles of selection as a prerequisite subject for a course, a selection committee shall give due credit to an applicant who has successfully completed a subject which, in the opinion of the selection committee, is not substantially different in content or standard from the prerequisite sub- ject prescribed.
2.1.3 In establishing the relative likelihood of success of any applicant, a selection commitee may, at its discretion, also take into account:
(a) the results of any examinations attempted subsequent to the Victorian Higher School Certificate or equivalent ex- amination;
(b) the age of an applicant when attempting any examinations relied on as qualifying the applicant for admission;
(c) any illness, war or military service, or serious hardship as a result of which the studies or examination perform- ance of an applicant have, in the opinion of the committee, been adversely affected;
(d) physical handicaps or disabilities;
(e) school principals' reports, where those reports may assist the selection committee in evaluating the effect of factors referred to in paragraph (c) or ( d ) .
'2.1.4 A selection committee may conduct interviews to elucidate the matters referred to in section 2.1.3 above or for such pur- poses as may be provided for in special principles of selection.
2.1.5 A selection committee may also take into account any special principles of selection or other factors approved by Council on the recommendation of the faculty or board of studies concerned and the Academic Board.
2.1.6 No selection committee shall take into account to the pre- judice of an applicant the fact that the applicant has expressed a lower preference for the course concerned than other applicants with whom the applicant would otherwise be directly comparable.
3 The details of u n i v e r s i t y entrance requirements based on the V i c t o r i a n Higher School Certificate E x a m i n a t i o n are set out in t h e separate statement f o r m i n g A p p e n d i x 2 to this H a n d b o o k .
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A p p e n d i c e s 2.2 In assessing a c a d e m i c m e r i t as j u d g e d by reference to results in
the V i c t o r i a n Higher School Certificate e x a m i n a t i o n , the f o r m u l a a d o p t e d by the V i c t o r i a n U n i v e r s i t i e s A d m i s s i o n s C o m m i t t e e shall be used w h e r e a p p l i c a b l e p r o v i d e d t h a t :
" 2 . 2 . 1 special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n may p r o v i d e that a p p l i c a n t s m u s t have o b t a i n e d a grade of D or higher in certain subjects at the H i g h e r School Certificate e x a m i n a t i o n or its equivalent as a p r e r e q u i s i t e for selection into a course may further p r o v i d e that the results o b t a i n e d in one or more prerequisite subjects shall be s u b s t i t u t e d for the results o b t a i n e d in one or more of the 'best f o u r ' subjects r e f e r r e d to in the f o r m u l a . W h e r e the results in prerequisite s u b j e c t s are so s u b s t i t u t e d they shall be s u b s t i t u t e d for the subject or s u b j e c t s in w h i c h the a p p l i c a n t has o b t a i n e d the lowest r e s u l t s .
" 2 . 2 . 2 special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n may p r o v i d e that results o b t a i n e d in particular subjects shall not be i n c l u d e d either as one of the 'best f o u r ' subjects or as b o n u s subjects, or b o t h , in c a l - c u l a t i o n s made under the f o r m u l a .
" 2 . 2 . 3 . w h e r e an applicant has a t t e n d e d for more years than are usual in the senior years of s e c o n d a r y school before s i t t i n g f o r the Higher School Certificate e x a m i n a t i o n or its equivalent, special p r i n c i p l e s of selection may p r o v i d e that any advantage w h i c h the a p p l i c a n t may have thereby received be taken i n t o con- s i d e r a t i o n .
" 2 . 2 . 4 unless special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n p r o v i d e o t h e r w i s e , f o r courses w h e r e the results of p r e r e q u i s i t e subjects m u s t be i n c l u d e d in the 'best f o u r ' s u b j e c t s , w h e r e an a p p l i c a n t has, o n m o r e than one o c c a s i o n , o b t a i n e d a grade of D or higher in at least f o u r s u b j e c t s :
(a) if the a p p l i c a n t has o b t a i n e d a grade of D or higher in any p r e r e q u i s i t e subject on o n l y one of those o c c a s i o n s , the a p p l i c a n t shall be given c r e d i t for that result in d e t e r m i n i n g the 'best f o u r ' s u b j e c t s .
(b) If the a p p l i c a n t has o b t a i n e d a grade of D or higher in any p r e r e q u i s i t e subject on m o r e than one of those o c c a s i o n s , the a p p l i c a n t shall be g i v e n c r e d i t for the best of those results in d e t e r m i n i n g the ' b e s t f o u r ' s u b j e c t s .
" 2 . 2 . 5 special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n may p r o v i d e for special d e b i t s and bonuses to be a p p l i e d to an a p p l i c a n t ' s score de- t e r m i n e d under the f o r m u l a .
2 . 2 . 6 in d e c i d i n g between a p p l i c a n t s at or near the b o r d e r l i n e , the relative a c a d e m i c m e r i t of the a p p l i c a n t s as d e t e r m i n e d by the f o r m u l a may be a d j u s t e d after c o n s i d e r i n g the results o b t a i n e d in particular subjects.
" 2 . 3 Unless special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n p r o v i d e o t h e r w i s e or in t h e absence of special reasons, a p p l i c a n t s w h o have not yet c o m p l e t e d a course at a u n i v e r s i t y or any other tertiary i n s t i t u t i o n shall be p r e f e r r e d to a p p l i c a n t s w h o have c o m p l e t e d such a c o u r s e .
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*2.4 Unless special principles of selection provide otherwise and notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2.1.1, applicants who have completed a course at a university or any other tertiary institution will be considered in the light of their entire academic records and such other written information which they may submit.
2.5 The number of overseas applicants admitted to any course shall not normally exceed by more than 10% the annual average num- ber of such applicants admitted to that course over the preceding three years
4. No overseas applicants shall be selected in prefer- ence to an Australian applicant of equal or superior merit.
2.5.1 An overseas applicant means an applicant who has been or may be permitted to enter Australia as a temporary resident or whose permanent home in the opinion of the selection com- mittee is overseas but does not include an applicant who is an Australian citizen resident overseas.
"2.5.2 Special Principles of Selection may provide that in con- sidering an overseas applicant for selection, account may be taken of the availability to the applicant of a specified type of education in any other country and the existence of any agreed programmes of assistance to any other country.
*2.6 Special principles of selection may provide that in the selection of applicants whose permanent home is, in the opinion of the selection committee, outside Victoria, the committee may take into account the availability to the applicant of a specified type of education in other states and territories of Australia.
2.7 An applicant who is not selected into the course for which a first preference has been expressed shall be considered for the course of second and, if necessary, subsequent preference and shall be ranked for selection in preference to any other applicant of inferior academic merit.
3. Reservation of Places in Quotas (Deferment)
' 3 . 1 For applicants who have been selected as a result of having completed the full Higher School Certificate examination or its equivalent in one of the two years prior to the year of selection, places in the succeeding year's quota shall be reserved for appli- cants at their request provided that a faculty or board of studies may fix the number of places to be reserved in any year, having regard, where appropriate, to the number of applicants who have requested the reservation of places in previous years. Special principles of selection may further provide that deferment may be granted either with or without reasons for other categories of applicants who have been selected.
4. Faculties f r o m t i m e to t i m e offer places to certain overseas students w h o , pursuant to the p r o v i s i o n s of the Overseas Students Charge C o l l e c t i o n Act 1 9 7 9 , are sponsored by the C o m m o n w e a l t h or, in c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s , by another Government or under a specified reciprocal exchange between the U n i v e r s i t y and an overseas tertiary i n s t i t u t i o n . Up to two such applicants may be selected by each f a c u l t y in any year in advance of the n o r m a l process, if the f a c u l t y selection c o m m i t t e e c o n s i d e r s that the a p p l i c a n t s are of equal or superior merit to other a p p l i c a n t s likely to be selected for that year into the course for w h i c h the overseas a p p l i c a n t s have a p p l i e d .
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" 3 . 2 W h e r e a f a c u l t y or board of s t u d i e s l i m i t s the number of places w h i c h may be reserved in the s u c c e e d i n g year's q u o t a , special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n shall p r o v i d e for a m e t h o d of c h o o s i n g between a p p l i c a n t s w h e n the n u m b e r of a p p l i c a n t s exceeds t h e number of places f i x e d . P r o v i s i o n may be made for the use of reports f r o m school p r i n c i p a l s .
" 3 . 3 Special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n may further require an a p p l i - cant w h o is ranked in the l o w e s t 2 0 % of those to w h o m places have been offered and w h o has requested the reservation of a place in the s u c c e e d i n g year's quota to s u b m i t a reason for the request. A s u b m i s s i o n f r o m a s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l may also be c o n - s i d e r e d . If, in the o p i n i o n of the s e l e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e , t h e reason is insufficient, it may refuse the request.
3 . 4 The selection of an a p p l i c a n t to a course in the year f o r w h i c h selection is p r i n c i p a l l y being m a d e shall not be p r e j u d i c e d by an a p p l i c a t i o n for reservation of a place in the s u c c e e d i n g year's quota having been m a d e prior to or at the t i m e of a c c e p t i n g the offer of a place.
" 3 . 5 W h e r e an a p p l i c a n t has been g r a n t e d a d e f e r r e d place pursuant to paragraph 3 . 1 , the a p p l i c a n t shall n o t i f y the f a c u l t y or board of studies c o n c e r n e d by J a n u a r y 1 5 t h in the s u c c e e d i n g year,, or by any earlier date as may be p r e s c r i b e d by special p r i n c i p l e s o f s e l e c t i o n :
(a) w h e t h e r or not the place so reserved w i l l be taken up in that s u c c e e d i n g year;
( b ) w h e t h e r a f u r t h e r d e f e r m e n t for a second year is s o u g h t . A selection c o m m i t t e e m a y , a f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g such e v i d e n c e a n d c o n d u c t i n g such i n t e r v i e w s as it t h i n k s fit, and subject t o any special p r i n c i p l e s of s e l e c t i o n , g r a n t a d e f e r r e d place for a second p e r i o d of one year.
Makes provision for Special Principles to be p r o p o s e d .
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APPENDIX 2