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The University of Western Australia has made a record number of undergraduate offers to students starting in 2012, the first year of UWA's New Courses.

The number of offers has risen by nearly 6.5 per cent this year from 4,599 in 2011 to 4,896.

The new curriculum, which offers five undergraduate degrees followed by professional and other postgraduate opportunities, aligns the University with other leading international universities and will ensure that a UWA education provides the best possible opportunity for graduates to pursue careers anywhere in the world.

The University's new prestigious Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) course has attracted strong demand, with hundreds of students applying for 30 regular entry places, making the cut-off point for entry an ATAR score of 99.85.

UWA Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bill Louden, said the overall number of offers and the strong demand for the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) course represented a resounding endorsement of the new direction the University was taking.

"Universities are increasingly operating in a global environment where they must compete for the best students and offer the highest standard degrees to attract students," Professor Louden said.

While the figures for New Courses are not directly comparable to previous years' figures, there have been significant increases in those wishing to study Science and Arts.

In some other areas, such as Commerce and Engineering, which are likely to be attractive as second majors, the full picture will not be known until enrolments at the unit-level have been completed.

There were 611 offers to students in rural WA and 134 to students through the University's Mature-age Access Program.

UWA's commitment to ensuring access to all those who have the capacity to benefit from a UWA education has seen new equity and diversity programs in demand.  In this main round, 106 offers have been generated as a result of the Broadway UWA alternative entry pathway which supports students from areas traditionally under-represented at UWA, such as those from rural and remote areas.  A further 27 offers have been generated as a result of the Aboriginal Provisional Entry scheme.

Enrolment will be either on-line or in-person over the next two weeks.  A further round of offers will be made at the start of February.

PLEASE NOTE:

The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) is a challenging, four-year, research-oriented degree, which enables students to focus on their chosen area/s of specialisation (major) in any discipline or in any field of study.

The BPhil(Hons) should not be confused with the major in Philosophy, which can be taken as a major under any of UWA's undergraduate degrees.

In addition to innovative research project work, the course includes a study-abroad experience, academic mentoring, intensive high-level communication training, and an on-campus summer residence.

Media references

Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716