Increased demand for places at Deakin University in 2009

Deakin University today released data from Round One of the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) offers in 2009 for undergraduate students. The data shows that Deakin University has not only met its targets for undergraduate students, but also increased ENTER scores in many of its courses due to increased demand from students. The number of students who placed Deakin as their first preference increased by 14.9% in 2009.

In 2009, Deakin will make almost 6,000 offers for undergraduate Commonwealth Supported Places. This includes offers to more than 1,000 applicants who have made an application on the basis of the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS).

Professor Sally Walker, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, said that Deakin was becoming increasingly popular with students. "Deakin has been working hard to continuously improve what it offers for students in terms of the quality of teaching and learning and the wider student experience; we listen to what students want and we try to ensure that our courses are 'industry- relevant'.

"While cycles of supply and demand can fluctuate from year to year, Deakin has maintained an upward trend over the past four years.

"The popularity of Deakin University is heavily underscored by its own students' 'word of mouth' marketing," Professor Walker said.

Deakin University received an additional 568 Commonwealth Supported Places in 2009 as compensation for the abolition of domestic fee-paying undergraduate places. Deakin also received additional Nursing and Early Childhood Educationplaces. Despite these increased places, ENTER scores have risen in most courses reflecting the increase in demand from students to study at Deakin.

Arts courses at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood and at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds, Science and IT courses at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood and Science courses at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds have shown the most significant increases in 'clearly in' ENTER scores.

Professor Walker added, "Demand for generalist courses such as Arts and Science has increased and so has demand for 'niche' programs such as Criminology, International Relations, Visual Arts, Biological Science and Marine Biology and for the combined degrees that Deakin offers. I am delighted to see that demand has increased for courses at all of Deakin's Campuses including those at Geelong and Warrnambool."

For Editors:

Some significant increases in 'clearly in' ENTER scores at Deakin University:

• Bachelor of Arts at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 8.10 to 77.55
• Bachelor of International Studies at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 8.80 to 72.65
• Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 14.65 to 75.55
• Bachelor of Information Technology at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 5.55 to 60.55
• Bachelor of Multimedia Technology at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 5.25 to 61.45
• Bachelor of Science at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 4.95 to 72.05
• Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 5.00 to 78.70
• Bachelor of Biological Science at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 5.55 to 72.50
• Bachelor of Public Relations at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 11.65 to 66.60
• Bachelor of Criminology at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 11.70 to 76.45
• Bachelor of Science at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 15.35 to 66.40
• Bachelor of Law at the Warrnambool Campus – up 6.40 to 74.80
• Bachelor of Marine Biology at the Warrnambool Campus – up 18.75 to 70.20

Many of Deakin's combined courses have also proved popular with increased 'clearly in' ENTERs, including:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood – up 7.00 to 77.50
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 16.55 to 75.40
• Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Commerce at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 5.30 to 64.95
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Management at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 7.05 to 67.05
• Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds – up 5.50 to 67.85

About ENTER scores:
VTAC defines the 'clearly in' ENTER as the rank at or above which all ranked (eligible) applicants who applied for that course were offered a place; many of those offered places will in fact have ENTER scores significantly higher than the 'clearly in'. An increase in the 'clearly in' ENTER score from one year to the next is generally seen as suggesting that there is an improvement in the quality of those receiving an offer as they have performed better in the VCE. The 'clearly in' ENTER can, however, also be affected by the supply of more or fewer places – if there are more places offered, one would usually expect ENTER scores to decrease; if they do not decrease, it suggests that demand for places at that university has increased.