University of Sydney April 2025 update

Please see below for multiple updates from the University of Sydney that will also assist you in your 2026 recruitment efforts.

1. Adjustment to PTE English Test Requirements

Following a comprehensive review and approval by the Academic Board, the University of Sydney will adjust the PTE English entry requirements for all courses to enhance overall language standards and align with other leading universities, ensuring admitted students possess stronger English proficiency.

This change will take effect fromFriday, May 9, 2025, applicable tonew applications for the first semester of 2026 and beyond.

The changes apply to the following scenarios:

1. Direct applications submitted after May 9, 2025, will be assessed under the new PTE requirements.

Applications submitted before May 9, 2025:

If the PTE transcript is received before May 9, it will be assessed under the old requirements;

If the transcript is received on or after May 9, it will be assessed under the new requirements.

2. Deferred Admission (Deferral)

Conditional offers not yet meeting language requirements: New PTE requirements will apply for deferral requests made after May 9; Conditional offers already meeting language requirements: Original language assessments will continue to apply (if the course allows deferral);

Unconditional offers: If the course allows deferral, the original offer will be retained;

If the course does not allow deferral, a new application for the next semester will be required, and reassessment will be conducted under the new PTE requirements.

3. CET Course Related CET packaged courses applied before May 9: Old PTE requirements apply;

CET packaged courses applied after May 9: New PTE requirements apply;

PTE submitted during CET study: If old requirements are met, the old standards will still apply;

CET students who have completed but not met language requirements, if applying with old PTE scores for the same semester, they remain valid; if deferred to the next semester, they will be assessed under the new requirements;

After CET completion, only changing the main course, the old requirements still apply; After CET completion and language requirements met, if deferring admission and the course allows, the original offer will be retained.

USFP and HAPP Explanation on PTE Requirement Updates:

• For USFP PTE requirements, please refer to: https://www.taylorssydney.edu.au/how-apply/entry-requirements/
• For the HAPP (High Achievers Preparation Program), PTE requirements will be changed.

Specific explanations are as follows:

1. If the HAPP application was submitted before May 9, 2025, regardless of whether the offer has been accepted, the old PTE requirements will apply.
2. USFP students who have completed the pathway course but have not met the language requirements:

• If students decide to take the PTE test and meet the standards under the old criteria, the old PTE requirements will still be recognized for the same admission semester. If students apply to defer their unconditional offer at this time, as long as the course allows deferral, the offer will still be retained.
• If students decide to defer their conditional offer to the next semester to have time to repackage the course or retake the PTE, then the new PTE requirements will apply.

1. USFP and HAPP students who have completed the pathway course and apply to change the main course in the same admission semester: the old PTE requirements will continue to apply.
2. For all nursing-related majors, if students choose to meet the nursing language requirements through PTE: the old PTE language standards will continue to be recognized.

2. Acceptance of AP Exam Scores + High School Diploma

Approved by the University of Sydney Academic Board, effective immediately, for applications tothe first semester of 2026 and beyondfor undergraduate courses, the University of Sydney will acceptAdvanced Placement (AP) exam scorescombined with a **High School Diploma** as valid proof of academic qualification.

The specific conditions for accepting AP and High School Diploma combined applications are as follows:

1. Proof of completion of secondary education (High School Diploma) must be provided.
2. The GPA of the High School Diploma must meet the requirements of the applied undergraduate major. GPA is calculated based on unweighted grades from 11th and 12th grades (i.e., sophomore and junior years in the US). GPA will be assessed according to the US academic grading standard (0–4.0). If the applicant has completed a course equivalent to a US high school course, their grades will be converted to the US GPA grading standard.
3. The Admissions Office must be able to verify AP exam scores online.
4. Applicants must provide scores from at least 3 AP exam subjects as the basis for admission assessment. The total score will be calculated based on a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 AP exam subjects. If an applicant provides more than 4 scores, the best 4 scores will be selected for the total score calculation.
5. Only AP exam scores of 3, 4, or 5 will be counted towards the total score. Scores of 2 or below, as well as **Calculus AB subgrades**, will not be counted towards the total score.
6. All AP exams must be completed within the same year or in batches over two years.
7. The following English AP subjects can be included in the total score calculation; if students score at least 3 in these subjects, they will be considered to have met the language requirements. If the following English subjects are not taken or the score is below 3, the standard English entry requirements of the University of Sydney must be met:
• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition
• AP English Language

**Note:** Some pre-registration undergraduate nursing degrees are subject to external registration/accreditation requirements and need to meet higher English language requirements, so the above standards do not apply.

The following content is theadmission equivalency schedulefor this policy. If translation is needed, it can also be provided.

3. New SAT / ACT Assessment Standards

The University of Sydney updates SAT and ACT entry score assessment standards

Approved by the University of Sydney Academic Board, the University of Sydney will implementnew SAT and ACT score assessment standardsdeveloped by the Sydney Future Students team to assess the qualifications of students applying for undergraduate degree courses.

This new standard applies to the following two types of applicants:

• Local students studying overseas but whose high school diploma is not considered equivalent to Australian Year 12
• All international students applying for the first semester of 2026 and beyond

You can click the following links to view the new SAT and ACT score assessment standards (new SAT schedule,new ACT schedule), the content is clear and straightforward.

This new standard will officially take effect forapplications for the first semester of 2026submitted from **Friday, May 9, 2025**.

ACT changes will apply to the following situations (2026 S1 and beyond):

Direct Applications:

1. Applications submitted on or after May 9, 2025: New SAT/ACT requirements will apply.
2. Applications submitted before May 9, 2025:

• If SAT/ACT transcripts are received before May 9, they will be assessed under the old standards;
• If SAT/ACT transcripts are received on or after May 9, they will be assessed under the new standards.

Deferral requests for 2026 entry:

• Conditional offers not meeting academic conditions: If students apply for deferral and have not met the SAT/ACT academic requirements, and the request is made on or after May 9, the new standards will apply.
• Conditional offers already meeting academic conditions: If the course allows deferral, the original academic assessment results will continue to apply.
• Unconditional offers: If the course allows deferral, the original offer will be retained.
• Course does not allow deferral: Students must resubmit a new application; if the new application is submitted on or after May 9, it will be reassessed under the new standards.

4. Pearson A Level Provisional Results Confirmation Reminder:

Pearson A Level's early results service has now been updated to"Confirmation of Provisional Results".

The University of Sydney accepts this service as official proof of Pearson A Level results.

For details, please visit:https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/Services/certificate-services/confirmation-of-provisional-results.html

Students are requested to choose to send the PDF transcript to the University of Sydney and fill in the following email address:

Admissions UG International:admissions.uginternational@sydney.edu.au

5. Postgraduate Related Updates

Master of Nursing

The Nursing School is currently reviewing the practicum hours for this course, so no offers will be issued until this review is completed.We recommend that if you are interested in applying for this course, please continue to submit your application, and we will conduct a preliminary assessment of all received applications.

Once the review is completed, we will begin issuing offers for pending applications.This review is expected to be completed by the end of May 2025.

Master of Diagnostic Radiography

The Faculty of Health Sciences is reviewing the Master of Diagnostic Radiography course,so applications for the first semester of 2026 are not yet open. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to students and suggest you stay tuned for further emails for the latest information.

Postgraduate Education Courses (All Directions)

The University of Sydney's Faculty of Education and Social Work is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the entry requirements for postgraduate education courses covering various directions (including: general education, special and inclusive education, TESOL, educational leadership, educational psychology).

Therefore,all submitted applications for 2026 admission will be suspended,and any requests to defer admission to 2026 will also be suspended until the review is completed.

6. 2025 Second Semester Application Instructions

The University of Sydney is closely monitoring the application situation for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the second semester of 2025.

As our courses are very popular, we have already received a large number of applications, resulting in extremely limited available places for postgraduate programs. For undergraduate courses, we strongly recommend partners to shift their focus to future admission periods.

How will submitted applications for the second semester of 2025 be handled?

All submitted applications will be assessed, and offers will be issued in batches. Applicants on the waitlist will be considered for admission if places become available.

Please note: Students on the waitlist may need to participate in ranking. If the ranking is insufficient to secure an admission place, they will be notified that the application has lapsed.

Additionally, as we approach the quota limits for each course, any offers that have not been fully accepted or for which payment proof has not been provided will be withdrawn, and applicants will be notified via email.

Please ensure your students accept unconditional offers and make payments as soon as possible to secure their places, while noting the acceptance deadline on the offer letter.

7. 2025 Second Semester Course Full Status

All undergraduate courses are currently full!!

For postgraduate courses, some large programs still have remaining places, specific details can be found on the Sydney Courses website to see if they are still open.

The standard application deadline is May 15, 2025

Some popular postgraduate courses with remaining places include:

· Master of Commerce (1.5yrs)

· Master of Commerce (Extension)

· Master of Building Performance and Sustainable Design

· Master of Heritage Conservation

· Master of Architecture

· Master of Urban Design

· Master of Economic Analysis

· Master of International Relations

· Master of Education (Combined)

· Master of Museum and Heritage Studies

· Master of Complex Systems

· Master of Cybersecurity

· Master of Engineering (Combined)

· Master of Professional Engineering (Combined)

· Master of Digital Health and Data Science

· Master of Global Health

Please continue to assist students in submitting postgraduate applications. If their course is closed, it is recommended to apply for the first semester of 2026.

Postgraduate courses closed for 2025 S2 include:

· Master of Media Practice

· Master of Art Curating

· Master of Business Administration Leadership & Enterprise

· Master of Computer Science (including Advanced degree)

· All postgraduate Law programs

· All postgraduate Science programs

7. Gap Semester/Gap Year Student Information Explanation

Students may need to wait for the next admission semester, for example:

• The applied course is only offered in the first semester, or
• The grade release time is too late, missing the application deadline for that semester.

We understand this situation and have several special admission processes in place to help most students smoothly transition their studies. However, in some cases, students do need to defer admission and wait for the next recruitment.

With this in mind, the University of Sydney has specifically created a webpagethis pageto provide advice to students and parents, helping them understand what they can do during a 'gap period' between studies.

This page encourages students to view this gap period positively, seeing it as an opportunity to expand their personal resume, accumulate experience, and enhance self-worth.