Unis increase qualifying places

Universities have significantly increased the places in enabling courses for students who did not get the results needed for normal admission.

Tertiary Institutions Service Centre figures show university offers to be sent out today include 1250 for enabling courses, compared with 761 last year - a 64 per cent increase.

Enabling courses are aimed at those who do not achieve the minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank cut-off for a particular institution, or who do not complete the WA Certificate of Education exams. If they complete a course satisfactorily, students can go into an undergraduate course.

_The West Australian _understands one reason for the increase is to get more students in the pipeline in preparation for a shortfall of school leavers at the end of this year when a smaller than usual group of Year 12s will graduate because the school starting age was changed when they were in Year 1.

Murdoch University figures were not included in the TISC data, but a spokeswoman said it had offered an extra 86 places in enabling courses.

"Murdoch is targeting non-school leaver applicants, providing alternative entry routes for school leaver applicants who do not meet direct entry requirements and seeking to build international and postgraduate student numbers to offset the reduction in load and income resulting from the half cohort," she said.

TISC figures also show 87 per cent of the 18,000 people who applied for university have been offered a place in the main round of university offers today.

TISC chief executive Steve Hoath said that, compared with last year, the total offers made had fallen 2.2 per cent, mainly because of a drop in applications from non-school leavers. Offers made to school leavers were up 2 per cent, with 92 per cent of those who applied receiving a place.

Mr Hoath said 78 per cent of the 15,800 applicants who got an offer in the first round had been given their first preference. He expected most would accept their offer, but those who had not got their first preference had the opportunity to reserve that offer through to the second round of offers.

Applicants can rearrange preferences or add courses to their preferences until Wednesday.