About equity schemes

What is the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS)?

If there have been circumstances that have affected your study, you should consider putting in an equity schemes & scholarships application. It is designed to make sure institutions get a sense of your full potential and it enables institutions to consider the circumstances you have experienced and their impact upon your studies when making selection decisions.

  • It helps institutions understand your full potential by considering the circumstances you have experienced.
  • It allows institutions to grant special consideration for course entry.
  • It does not exempt you from meeting the institutional and course requirements.

Explainer: What is SEAS?

SEAS stands for Special Entry Access Scheme. It's also known as special consideration. It compensates for educational disadvantage by making your application more competitive.

It does this by increasing your selection rank for the courses you're applying for. Your selection rank begins with your ATAR, and it can go up with adjustments, such as SEAS. Remember that SEAS lifts your selection rank, not your ATAR.

This video provides a short introduction to the scheme.

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Transcript of the video

What are equity schemes

What are equity schemes?

Equity schemes can compensate for educational disadvantage by making your application more competitive.

It does this by increasing your selection rank for the courses that you’re applying for.

Your selection rank begins with your ATAR,

And it can go up with adjustments, such as equity schemes.

So equity schemes consideration lifts your selection rank, not your ATAR.

It can either increase your selection rank, or have no impact.

This means that an equity schemes application cannot disadvantage you in any way.

Each institution applies special consideration differently.

This means your selection rank can differ among your preferences.

The Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) falls under equity schemes.

It is also known as special consideration.

The equity schemes application is split into different categories:

  • Personal information and location
  • Financial hardship
  • Disability or medical condition
  • Difficult circumstances

You can apply for as many as are relevant to your circumstances.

You do not need to apply for the personal information and location category, this is automatically considered.

In most cases, you will be required to provide evidence to support your application.

For more information, visit www.vtac.edu.au or call our team on

(03) 9926 1020.

Other equity schemes

While most institutions participate in SEAS, there are still some institutions that run their own programs outside of the VTAC process. For further information refer to Equity schemes by institution. 

Eligibility for equity schemes (SEAS) & scholarships

You are eligible to apply for SEAS if you hold:

  • Australian or New Zealand citizenship
  • a permanent Australian residency visa, or
  • an eligible temporary protection, safe haven, or humanitarian visa holder, or bridging visa holder applying for humanitarian visa - see here for more information.

Additionally, you need to have applied for a course through VTAC and met the course and institutional requirements. Equity schemes & scholarships only becomes available once you have lodged a course application.  

Most international Australian Year 12 applicants are not eligible and are encouraged to contact institutions directly to see if other entry and access programs are available. However, asylum seekers on certain visa subclasses can apply.

Equity schemes categories

There are four categories in SEAS. You can apply for one or more categories that are relevant to your situation, so long as you apply to each category for a different reason. Further information about each of these categories is available from the links below.

  1. Personal information and location
  2. Financial hardship
  3. Living with a disability or medical condition
  4. Difficult family and life circumstances

Visit institutions that recognise equity schemes & scholarships, to find out which categories each institution recognises.

Scholarships categories

Scholarships can be awarded under two overarching categories:

  • Merit: Based on scores, performance or  application standard.
  • Equity: Help cover costs of studying higher education, particularly those who may not have been able to afford to study otherwise.

Access and equity scholarships applied for through VTAC are awarded for:

  • financial disadvantage
  • being the first in your immediate family to attend university
  • being an Indigenous Australian
  • being a refugee or asylum seeker
  • having to relocate to attend tertiary study
  • intending to live on campus
  • having been in formal out-of-home care
  • having a disability or medical condition that affects your education
  • having experienced difficult circumstances that have affected your education
  • community service
  • leadership
  • being a student from Gippsland committed to regional and rural health and applying to Monash.

For what is offered at each institution, see the list of scholarships through VTAC.

Applying for equity schemes & scholarships

You must complete your course application before applying for equity schemes & scholarships. If you are eligible, the application will become available in your account after after completing your course application.

Visit the applying for equity schemes & scholarships page for step-by-step instructions.

Note: It is best to get started on your equity schemes & scholarships application as early as possible. Applications may take several weeks to complete, depending on the category. This is because some categories require supporting evidence, such as a statement of support from someone who can verify your circumstances. For more information on the types of evidence that you may be required to provide, please visit our evidence for equity schemes & scholarships page.

How might equity schemes affect your course application?

Generally, equity schemes allows institutions to grant special consideration for course entry. Your application and supporting evidence will be assessed by an independent panel which VTAC convenes.  Any special consideration for which you are eligible will be applied by each institution you are applying to.

An equity schemes application might increase your chance of being selected to a course. It does not exempt you from meeting any of the institutional and course entry requirements. You must still complete the requirements listed under ‘essential requirements and admission criteria’ for each course you apply to, including prerequisites.

Special consideration does not change your educational results or qualifications and it does not guarantee you an offer.

You will not receive notification of your equity schemes (SEAS) application outcome. Because each institution applies special consideration differently, and in accordance with their policies, the outcome of an individual's Equity schemes (SEAS) application will be undisclosed. Questions about how equity schemes are used should be directed to institutions.