Access and Equity Program

Deakin is committed to helping people who might not otherwise be able to participate in higher education - via its Access and Equity Program and the Rural and Regional Bonus Scheme.

Deakin's Access and Equity Program (in conjunction with VTAC's SEAS program) allows people whose education has been adversely affected by a variety of circumstances to apply for undergraduate study.

Deakin's Rural and Regional Bonus Scheme is applied to all VTAC applicants to Deakin University for undergraduate courses in 2013 (see below).

Who can apply for the Deakin Access and Equity Program?

Deakin's Access and Equity program is available to applicants for undergraduate courses whether you apply through VTAC or direct to Deakin.

Deakin Access and Equity Category	Criteria	VTAC SEAS Category equivalent
Mature-age	Applicants must be 21 years or over by 1 January of the year of intake	Category 1
Non-English speaking background	Applicants must: have been born overseas in an non-English speaking country speak a language other than English at home	Category 2
Indigenous Australian	Applicants must: identify as an indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islander or be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent be accepted as such by the community in which they live or have lived	Category 1
Difficult family circumstances	Applicants must: provide documentation and description of long-term and severe difficulties experienced provide an assessment and reference from an appropriate person as to the impact of the circumstances on the educational preparation of the applicant and a supporting statement on the applicant's potential to succeed in higher education study Examples of difficult circumstances are: Severe family disruption (divorce/separation of parents) Long-term illness of a family member Abusive living environment Disruption of education due to constant relocation Homelessness Excessive family responsibility Death of an immediate family member or friend Natural disaster	Category 3
Disadvantaged socio-economic background	Applicants must be in possession of a Centrelink benefit or have demonstrated personal or family taxable income below the Commonwealth Student Contribution repayment threshold depending on independence status	Category 4
Rural or isolated applicants	Applicants must come from a rural or isolated area as defined by the Australian Standard Classification of Geographical Remoteness	Category 1
Applicants from under-represented schools	Applicants must be current year 12 students at schools identified as under-represented	Category 1
Women or men in under-represented disciplines	Applicants must be applying for a course identified as an under-represented discipline	Category 1
Disability or long-term medical condition	Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have suffered educational disadvantage as a result of their disability or severe long-term illness	Category 5
Refugee	Applicants must: supply a certified copy of their refugee status papers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and/or a copy of their current visa and passport photo page and initial entry stamp from arrival in Australia and submit a statement describing how the circumstances leading to them being a refugee have adversely affected their education	Category 3

How do I apply for the Deakin Access and Equity Program?

VTAC applicants

For courses offered through VTAC (undergraduate courses only) you must apply through the VTAC SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) application system.

It is important that you read the SEAS information from the VTAC website, under the 'Making an application' section.
Complete the SEAS access and equity online application (Current year 12 students will need their VCAA student number and PIN; non-school leaver applicants will need their application number and PIN).
Do not submit your application directly to Deakin.

Applicants for SEAS must submit a VTAC tertiary application before the SEAS application or access to the SEAS online application will be denied. Applicants must complete the relevant questions under each category in the SEAS application.

Direct to Deakin applicants

For courses offered directly by Deakin you need to submit:

An online application through Deakin's Course and Scholarship Applicant Portal and complete the appropriate question about Access and Equity.
A personal statement (additional to any other personal statement required by the course / faculty application). This should outline which access and equity group you are applying under (you can apply under more than one category) and how your particular circumstances have had an impact on your education.

Documentary evidence

Please ensure that all photocopies are legible and on A4 paper. Visas and stamps must be easy to read. Please attach all photocopies to your application. Only correctly certified copies of documents will be considered. Do not send originals of official documentation as they are not able to be returned.

When do I apply for the Deakin Access and Equity Program?

SEAS applications will be open through VTAC from 6 August 2012 to 9 October 2012 (5pm). For further information visit the VTAC website.

Access and Equity applications for courses applied for direct to Deakin through the Course and Scholarships Applicant Portal must be submitted at the same time as the course application.

Deakin's Rural and Regional Bonus Scheme

Deakin's Rural and Regional Bonus Scheme will be applied to all applicants to Deakin University through VTAC for 2013. It will be applied as follows:

Bonus points are applied automatically to the aggregate score of all applicants who come from rural and regional and low socio-economic status postcodes as defined by the government.
Bonus points are automatically applied to the aggregate score of applicants from under-represented schools and those participating in the Deakin Engagement and Access Program (DEAP).
No more than 10 bonus aggregate points will be given to any applicant.
No bonus aggregate points will be given to applicants with an ATAR below 50.

You don't have to do anything to participate in this scheme, your application will be assessed automatically by VTAC to see if you match any of the criteria.

To check your likely bonus based on your postcode or school, visit our Bonus Point Scheme website.

For information about the ATAR aggregate see VTAC's Terms and Definitions.