Doing admissions differently: Building pathways that reflect potential

At UTS, we believe that the ATAR alone isn’t an adequate enough reflection of the breadth, depth, and value that a student brings to our university community. So, we’re asking a different question: How do we recognise potential, not just performance? 

This question was the driving force behind our sector first UTS Pathways Plan, a whole-of-institution commitment to widening participation and success for students from low socio-economic and First Nations backgrounds. It’s more than a policy document; it’s a blueprint for transformation that redefines how a university opens its doors. 

From access to belonging 

Through the Plan, we’ve:  

• removed adjustment point caps across all courses
• co-designed guaranteed places and scholarships for First Nations students
• lowered the ATAR threshold to 60 for applicants through the School Recommendation Scheme
• expanded non-ATAR entry programs
• piloted UniReady, a new enabling program that helps students build confidence and capability before stepping into a degree.

But access alone isn’t enough. True equity means ensuring that once students arrive, they can thrive academically, culturally, and personally. That’s why the Pathways Plan is backed by partnerships, creating local bridges that connect schools, families, and communities directly to university opportunity. 

Rethinking merit 

Last Thursday I joined colleagues at AssessFest in Melbourne to explore how universities are 'doing admissions differently', moving beyond the ATAR towards more holistic, evidence-based measures of readiness and capability. This conversation matters deeply. It’s about reimagining admissions systems that reflect the full range of human potential of resilience, creativity, leadership, and care, not just a single score.     

Key discussion points from the panel included: 

• Putting learner agency at the centre – giving young people a greater voice, choice, and authorship in how they present their learning and lived experiences.
• Embedding contextual equity in admissions – recognising that opportunity is unevenly distributed, and that fair systems must account for context, not erase it.
• Designing transitions, not just entry points – ensuring that admissions reform is matched with high support transitions that build capability, belonging, and confidence.
• Creating capability-aligned pathways – where assessment frameworks recognise 21st century skills that matter for future work and human-centred industries.
• Taking institutional responsibility – shifting from ‘fixing students’ to redesigning systems, structures, and supports that enable success for diverse learners.

These ideas are not incremental—they are foundational to any university serious about shifting the dial on equity and outcomes. 

A call to action 

Every student has a story, and every story deserves a pathway. The work of equity isn’t about lowering standards; it’s about raising the floor so more people can stand on it. 

Our collective task now is to ensure that every student, regardless of their background or circumstance, can see themselves at university. Whether they choose to pursue higher education, or take a different path, every student should feel confident and comfortable in knowing that they do belong, whatever they choose to do, and that that decision is in their hands. 

As the HSC results arrive, let’s remind our communities: your number doesn’t define you, your potential does. And at UTS, we’re building pathways that prove it.