VTAC preferences – dates & details for Year 12 students

Looking at securing your preference list for next year, and want to make sure you’re across all the info?

VTAC preference applications for courses starting in 2025 will open on 29 July.

Here’s everything you need to know about preferences, offer rounds and important dates – so you can head into 2025 confident about your options and choices.

VTAC guide for year 12

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) processes university applications, some TAFE applications, some scholarships and the Special Entrance Access Scheme (SEAS).

If you are applying for uni you need to apply through VTAC. To start your uni course in 2025, you will need to submit a VTAC preference application via the VTAC website. This applies even if you might study in 2025, but haven't made a final decision.

If you are applying for TAFE, you may still need to apply through VTAC. Some VU TAFE courses take applications through VTAC, while others are direct application only. Check your course page on our website. If your course is open on VTAC, you’ll need to apply for the course through VTAC. If course doesn't appear on VTAC website, you may be able to apply direct – it's best to rely on the information on your specific course page.

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is state government organisation that manages applications for tertiary courses, as well as scholarships and the Special Entrance Access Scheme (SEAS).

VTAC forwards applications and supporting information to institutions, including Victoria University (VU), and sends out offer messages to successful applicants on behalf of each institution.

The Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) covers access and entry programs offered by VU and other institutions.

There are four categories:

How do you apply for scholarships?

You can apply for a scholarships such as Access Scholarships via VTAC for VU courses (applications require evidence of financial hardship).

We also provide many other scholarships to help our students get a head start at uni – explore what we offer and how to apply.

How do you apply for VU before exams?

If you’re a current Year 11 or 12 student at a Victorian school, you can also apply for the VU Early Entry program.

You still need to apply for the course via VTAC as well. To be eligible, you need to list a VU course as your first preference.

How to apply for a course via VTAC

VTAC preference applications for courses starting in 2025 will open on July 29, 2024.

In the meantime, familiarise yourself with the steps on how to complete your application:

  1. Create a VTAC account on vtac.edu.au.
  2. Log in with your VTAC ID and PIN.
  3. Enter details of your secondary school studies, following the prompts.
  4. List your course preferences:
  5. Enter any additional info required (like for example, if you want to specify a nominee who can be contacted on your behalf), following the prompts. Review your application and make sure it’s all correct.
  6. Pay the VTAC application fee – for timely applications (before 30 September), this is $60 for all current Year 12 students and $95 for all other applicants. You will be asked to pay online at the end of your course application, and you can pay via PayPal, or by Visa or MasterCard.
  7. Submit!

What if I change my mind?

You can change the order of your preferences and add or remove courses from your list after you have submitted your application – right up until the cut-off date of 14 December (VCE only, December offer domestic round). So if you’re still exploring options or aren’t 100% certain on which course you want to do the most, you still have time to submit and rethink your options.

And, you'll even have some breathing space after you receive your final results on Thursday 12 December, so you can reorder or rethink if need be. You'll have from 7am, Thursday 12 December to 12pm, Saturday 14 December to change your preferences – and VU will be holding a Change of Preference event within this time frame to help you with all the support you need in person.

Key dates

Find the cut off dates and times for submitting VTAC preference applications and when each round offers are sent out.

30 September 2024 – submit your VTAC preference application

Submit your VTAC preference application by 5pm.

This is the deadline for timely applications. You can submit an application after this point, but the VTAC fee increases if the application is late or very late. The timely application fee is $60 for current year 12 students, and $95 for all other applicants.

Remember you can reorder your preferences if you want to, so it’s a good idea to submit a timely application if you can, and avoid the late fees.

11 October 2024 – scholarship applications close

Last chance to submit any SEAS and VTAC scholarship applications.

11 October 2024 – VU Early Entry applications close

Last chance to apply for VU Early Entry .

1 November 2024 – late applications for VTAC

You can submit a late application up until 1 November at 5pm, but you will need to pay VTAC a late fee of $150.

You even have an option to submit a very late application up until 6 December at 5pm, but you will need to pay a very late application fee of $195.

12 December 2024 (7am) – receive your Year 12 results/ATAR

Congratulations on completing Year 12! Remember, if you didn’t receive the ATAR or results you were hoping for, there are so many pathways available to you to achieve your course and career goals.

Our course advisors can assist with your specific situation, providing details on the study options available to you for 2025 and tailored advice about how to get into your dream course.

We'll have 1:1 consultations available to book into so you can get the support you need – watch this space for the booking link.

14 December 2024 (12pm) - Change of Preference period closes

After you receive your VCE results, you'll have a few days to change any preferences or reorder where you feel you need to. This period will end at 12pm, Saturday 14 December 2024, and VU will be holding a Change of Preference event within this time frame to help you with all the support you need in person.

23 December 2024 – December round offers go out

An offer for your highest eligible course preference will be emailed to you, and will be available in your VTAC account in the morning.

If you don’t receive an offer there are plenty of things you can still do:

  1. Don’t panic! Not all offers are made in the December round.
  2. Review your preference and ensure you meet the pre-requisites, you may receive an offer in January or a later round.
  3. Consider applying for a VU TAFE course. Many will allow you to pathway into a degree without any additional study time. Visit our Pathways to VU webpage to find out more.

10 January 2025 – January round offers go out

An offer for your highest eligible course preference will be emailed to you, and will be available in your VTAC account from 2pm.