# University and college admission

University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.
In many countries, prospective university students apply for admission during their last year of high school or community college. In some countries, there are independent organizations or government agencies to centralize the administration of standardized admission exams and the processing of applications.

## Armenia

Admission to the Armenian state institutions of higher education is centralized. Students apply to universities during their last year of high school. The standardized university admission tests are administered every summer right before the start of the new academic year starting each September. Currently, there are 26 registered State and private universities in Armenia. Admission to private universities is dependent upon the policies of each private institution.

## Australia

As Australia uses a Federal system of government, responsibility for education, and admission to Technical and Further Education colleges and undergraduate degrees at universities for domestic students, are in the domain of state and territory government (see Education in Australia). All states except Tasmania have centralised processing units for admission to undergraduate degrees for citizens of Australia and New Zealand, and for Australian permanent residents; however, applications for international and postgraduate students are usually accepted by individual universities. The Australian government operates the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (This has been replaced by the very similar HECS-HELP - Higher Education Loan Program) for undergraduate students, so admission is rarely limited by prospective students' ability to pay up-front. All states use a system that awards the recipient with an ATAR, and the award of an International Baccalaureate meets the minimum requirements for admission in every state. ATARs are awarded based on the level of attainment in each State's individual secondary schooling exams (such as the NSW HSC). For individuals without an ATAR, or recent secondary schooling certificate, the Special Tertiary Admissions Test is used as the standard test to provide an ATAR. The maximum possible ATAR is 99.95, indicating that the student has achieved better than 99.95% of their peers.

### New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) processes applications for admission to most undergraduate courses at participating institutions, mainly in NSW and the ACT.
It also:
* processes applications for admission to many postgraduate courses
* calculates the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and notifies NSW HSC students of their ATAR
* administers tertiary admissions tests, such as the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)
* processes applications for Educational Access Schemes (EAS) and for some Equity Scholarships.

### Northern Territory

The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) accepts applications for Northern Territory tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and must meet course requirements.

### Queensland

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) accepts applications for Queensland tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded an Overall Position, based on their performance in class subjects and their school's average result in the Queensland Core Skills Test, as well as meeting course requirements.

### South Australia

The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) accepts applications for South Australian tertiary institutions. Year 12 students are awarded the South Australian Certificate of Education, and must meet course requirements. Their year 12 results are compared with students from the same year to determine their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.

### Tasmania

Tasmanian school leavers applying for entrance at the University of Tasmania need to apply directly to the university. Tasmanian school students receive a Tertiary Entrance Rank on successful completion of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education. Students wishing to study at the University of Tasmania must directly apply through the University.

### Victoria

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) accepts applications for Victorian tertiary institutions. Applications consist of standardised test results and meeting institutional requirements. The standard certification for school leavers is the Victorian Certificate of Education.

### Western Australia

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) accepts applications for Western Australian tertiary institutions. The standardised test for school leavers is the Tertiary Entrance Examination.

## Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium

Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium have a comparatively open system of university admission, where anyone with a Matura or equivalent qualification may enroll in most subjects at public universities. In Belgium as well, the only prerequisite for enrolling in university studies is to have obtained a high-school diploma. In both Switzerland and Belgium, medical studies are an exception, which have a numerus clausus system due to overcrowding. This open admission system has resulted in higher enrollment rates in popular fields of study such as psychology and journalism, which has coincided with higher dropout rates in these areas.. Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice issued on July 7, 2005, which forces Austria to accept nationals of other EU Member States under the same conditions as students who took their Matura in Austria, a law was passed on June 8 allowing universities to impose measures to select students in those fields which are subject to numerus clausus in Germany. Starting in 2006, the three medical universities (in Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz) did introduce entrance exams. There are no intentions to introduce a numerus clausus in any subject field.

## Brazil

In Brazil, the most common selection process happens via the ENEM - Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (National High School Exam). Annually designed for high school seniors and open to people of any age, it allows people with a high school certificate to enter public and private universities. There are also different types of entrance exams in public and private universities, since not every higher education institution accepts the ENEM score. Around 3 to 8 million people register each year to take the exam.

### Vestibular

In order to enter university in Brazil, candidates must undergo a public open examination called "Vestibular", which lasts about 1 week and takes place once a year. Some universities may run Vestibular twice a year, for two yearly intakes instead of only one. This option is popular with private universities, while public universities usually run Vestibular only once every year (in November, December or January). Universities offer a limited number of places, and the best-ranked candidates according to their overall Vestibular grade are selected for admission. Although the Vestibular format changes from university to university, it typically consists of a week-long examination on compulsory high school subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, Portuguese language and literature, and a foreign language (usually English). Private universities usually "condense" this week-long examination into a couple of days, but some public universities still require a week-long marathon.
In Brazil, public universities are tuition-free, leading to high levels of competition for limited spots, especially in popular programs. Due to the high number of applicants, the Vestibular at some public universities may include a preliminary elimination phase (known as "Primeira Fase"), typically consisting of multiple-choice questions and held between one and two months before the subject exams. A minimum cutoff score is normally required at the elimination phase to advance to the second part of the Vestibular.

### National Unified Admissions System

In recent years, university admission criteria have been considerably changed by the introduction by the federal government of a new national secondary school exam known as ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio) and the creation of a unified, national university application system known as SISU (Sistema de Seleção Unificada). Candidates in any Brazilian state can now apply for admission into courses available in the SISU system, even if the course of interest is offered by an out-of-state university. Places in any given course within the system are then filled based on the ranking of the applicants in descending order according to their overall grade in the ENEM. The application process is divided into three stages and candidates who fail to get a place in their course/university of interest in a given stage may re-apply either to the same or to a different course/university in subsequent stages.
In theory, any Brazilian university, either public or private, is free to join the SISU system and select their incoming freshman class based on ENEM marks. As of today, most public universities have joined SISU, but a few of them, most notably some of the most prestigious federal universities (e.g. UNIFESP, UFRJ, UFMG, UFRGS) have retained their own independent Vestibular exams, on top of the national ENEM, either for admission into all or part of their undergraduate courses.
Sometimes the ENEM replaces the old elimination Part I ("primeira fase") of the Vestibular. Alternatively, ENEM results may be used as part of the final overall grade in the Vestibular. More rarely, a few public universities have decided not to use ENEM grades at all and continue to base their admission criteria on the Vestibular only. Notable examples in the latter group include the highly prestigious federal military schools like ITA and IME. Some public universities have opted to retain their independent Vestibular exams, citing concerns about the comparative selectiveness and rigor of the national federal ENEM exam.

### Admission quotas

Another important recent development in university admissions in Brazil has been the introduction in most public universities of a quota system in which a certain number of places is reserved a priori to applicants of a certain racial/ethnic background who have completed their pre-university studies in a public (i.e. state-funded) school. Candidates who qualify may apply to a course of interest under the quota system either through the national SISU system or directly at their university of choice (in case that university uses both its independent Vestibular and the national ENEM exam to select applicants). Also, a few universities, such as UNICAMP, have instituted a Vestibular for indigenous applicants that studied in public secondary schools, thus boosting their chances of securing a place in college.

## Canada
### Post-secondary preparation

There are a number of factors affecting a successful transition from high school to post-secondary institutions which should be taken into account when planning programs and interventions to assist students with the move from high school. Student affairs professionals in Canada support high school students in the transition to post-secondary institutions through a wide variety of services and programs. High school guidance counsellors and student affairs practitioners work together to provide information, programs, and workshops to high school students such as program prerequisites, post-secondary admission and application requirements, scholarship opportunities and application processes. Specific information and services related to the application and admissions process for post-secondary institutions in Canada are managed provincially. For example, in Ontario, post-secondary program information is provided through the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) and Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC).

### Undergraduate entry

In Canada, students applying from high school generally hear back from a college or university between late March and late May, though offers of admission may be extended to high achievers (through GPA or other submissions) as early as November–January. International/US applicants are likely to receive an offer or rejection by early April, depending on the original submission of documents. In some cases, an institution may offer admission in a high schooler's Grade 11 year, if monetary fees are sent in early.

#### Dual admission

Many Canadian universities offer dual admission (admission to both the university and a partnered institution, such as a college) to students upon completion of their graduation requirements.
For example, grade 11 and 12 students at Columbia International College can apply for dual admission at Canadian universities such as York University, University of Alberta, Brock University and Cape Breton University.

#### College vs. university

Acceptance to a Canadian university or college often requires completion of a high school diploma (or equivalent). Some colleges or universities accept applicants based on other outcomes, such as the General Educational Development test, age and life experience, admissions testing, or other criteria.
In Canada, the difference between college and university is significantly different from the typical interpretation in the United States or even the United Kingdom. A Canadian college is more similar to an American community college. In contrast, a Canadian university is comparable to an American university, and virtually all Canadian universities have endowments over $20 million, most frequently above $100 million. Almost all Canadian post-secondary institutions are publicly funded (that is, government-subsidized). The few private institutions that are not government-supported are not widely known at all, have generally only been established since the 1980s, and are mostly located in British Columbia.
In the Canadian education system, which varies from province to province, colleges are geared toward individuals seeking more specific technical careers, such as graphic design or animation whereas universities are geared to individuals seeking more academic careers where a university degree is a prerequisite for entrance, such as medicine or law. There are other systems in place for students to enter traditional trades (called "skilled trades" in Canada), and some provinces have unique preparatory systems or schools, such as Quebec's pre-university college level.

#### Admissions requirements

Admission to colleges and universities in Canada has been a direct process since the 1970s. Students generally rank their chosen institutions in order of preference and submit their transcripts to the institution or provincial application service for evaluation. In the majority of cases, acceptance is based entirely on marks, with potential for elevation depending on what province an applicant may be from. In some Canadian provinces, students applying to in-province universities may face slightly lower grade requirements compared to out-of-province applicants. For instance, a student applying from an Ontario high school to a university in Alberta or Quebec is likely to require marginally elevated grades as opposed to applying to any school in Ontario itself, where universities and colleges may have lower requirements for their own province's high school graduates.
In most cases, Canadian universities require students' high school transcript along with an application for admission. Applications for admission outline additional academic and extracurricular achievements that cannot be expressed through a student's transcript. Generally, universities require that students have taken a university-prep grade 12 English course. Additionally, programs involving mathematics and/or natural science often require students to take a university-prep grade 12 calculus course, as well as university-prep grade 12 biology, chemistry, and physics. Overall, universities base admission around a pupil's academic performance in university/advanced level courses in their grade 11 and 12 years. Also, most universities establish GPA cut-offs for admission. This cut-off is established based on the competitiveness of individual programs at specific universities. A more competitive program could have a cut-off average of 90 percent or higher, while most prestigious programs maintain cut-offs around 80 percent. Universities with more liberal application processes could have admission cut-offs as low as 65 percent.

#### College

College requirements vary more significantly, though none have entrance requirements above 85 percent from a Canadian high school. In general, though, many colleges (such as George Brown College, and Mohawk College) accept a very high proportion of students with averages above 70 percent, although they may place no limiting minimum for acceptance, and consequently take students with averages below 60 percent. Unlike universities, colleges do not have admission cut-offs and as long as students have a passing average and the necessary courses, they can gain admission to most colleges. Incidentally, even the newest Canadian universities have larger endowments than any Canadian college, with no Canadian college having an endowment above $10 million. See List of Canadian universities by endowment.
In addition, many education systems in Canada have established different courses with varying intensity in order to curtail a pupil's desired future. Ontario has gone the furthest with this idea, establishing two different streams in its secondary education system. The university stream includes courses that will prepare students for future studies at university, while the college stream is more applied and less intense, preparing individuals for the future pursuit of a college degree. Universities require these advanced courses for admission, while colleges will admit pupils from either stream.

#### Special cases

Students with an IB Diploma can generally enter either college or university more easily than other Canadian high schoolers, due to the material covered in the program. Like students with AP credits, they may also clip courses in university with faculty consent.
In the case of more select university programs, and for almost all international students, an essay, statement of intent or personal statement of experience must be submitted directly to the faculty being applied for. Additionally, letters of reference, examples of extracurricular involvement, additional community service endeavours, athletic participation, awards and scholarships won and more may all be required for acceptance to some of Canada's top programs.

#### Comparability of admissions

There is an array of highly competitive programs within Canadian institutions, on par with some mid to top-tier programs in the United States. Institutions like the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University find themselves ranked among the world's top universities. In addition, a large portion (upwards of 30%) of university graduates in Canada continue to pursue further education beyond an undergraduate degree.

### Post-graduate entry

Post-graduate schools in Canada are, as with other parts of the world, restricted to universities (i.e. One cannot get a master's degree from a Canadian college). Admission to any post-graduate program in Canada is difficult, with many universities having world-renowned programs, and Canadian graduate schools being the sites for many famous inventions and discoveries.