Experience-based entry is a selection method used by universities (or other higher education providers) to assess students whose formal education qualifications alone may not be enough to gain admission to a course, but who can demonstrate other relevant work and life skills and experience that make them a suitable candidate.

For school leavers, examples of experience-based entry pathways might include:

• Getting an ATAR that's lower than the required minimum, and demonstrating additional knowledge and skills via a Certificate II, paid work, and music/arts performance.
• Completing fewer than four ATAR subjects and demonstrating additional knowledge and skills via a Certificate III, school leadership roles, or a portfolio of visual artwork.
• Completing a Certificate IV and meeting a university’s English Language competence requirement.

Please note that these are examples only and each university sets their own requirements for experience-based entry pathways. See the information below for more information on experience-based entry pathways that may be available for school leavers.

Curtin: If you're applying for the Portfolio Entry pathway, apply through TISC, ensuring you select Experience Based Entry as a method of entry. You can attach your portfolio documents to your TISC application under the 'Experience Based Entry' document category or submit them directly to Curtin. For more information regarding Portfolio Entry Pathway, please refer to curtin.edu/portfolio-entry.

ECU: If you're a school leaver and eligible to be considered through the Experience Based Entry Scheme (EBES) or the Creative Humanities Portfolio Entry (CHPE) pathways, you must apply through TISC, ensuring you select Experience Based Entry as a method of entry, and upload your supporting documents to your TISC application. If you're submitting an EBES application for a WAAPA course or the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) – Music Education, you must apply and upload your supporting documents directly to ECU and submit an application to Acceptd for scheduling of your audition/interview.

Murdoch: If you're an Experience Based Entry applicant, apply through TISC, ensuring you select Experience Based Entry as a method of entry, and attach your supporting documents to your TISC application under the 'Experience Based Entry' document category. Information on the courses available and entry requirements for the Murdoch University Experience Based Entry and Media Portfolio Entry is available at www.murdoch.edu.au/study/pathways-to-uni/enabling-pathways/experience-based-entry

The University of Notre Dame Australia: If you are applying for Experience Based Entry, you should apply directly to Notre Dame.

The University of Western Australia: If you're applying for Experience Based Entry as a Year 12 school leaver, you must apply through TISC, ensuring you select Experience Based Entry as a method of entry, and you can submit supporting documents as part of your TISC application. All other applicants can apply directly to UWA.

VET qualifications may be used as part of an experience-based entry pathway, or qualifications at Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma level may be used to meet the academic entry requirements to many university degrees.

You may be completing a VET qualification as part of your secondary studies, but you can also go on to study at TAFE, or a private Registered Training Organisation (RTO), as part of your post-school pathway to university.

Before selecting a VET course, you should check if the TAFE college or RTO has articulation arrangements with the university where you wish to study. This can help simplify your pathway and ensure you get credit for prior learning where appropriate. If there is no formal articulation arrangement in place, it's a good idea to discuss your potential pathway with the university. TAFE Western Australia has five colleges:

• North Metropolitan TAFE
• South Metropolitan TAFE
• Central Regional TAFE
• North Regional TAFE
• South Regional TAFE

To apply for full-time TAFE study, visit www.fulltimecourses.tafe.wa.edu.au

You can have both a TAFE application and a university application as the two systems operate separately.

Universities offer a range of enabling programs, which are non-award courses (that is, they don't lead to a degree or other qualification) that aim to prepare students for undergraduate study. In some cases, these may be delivered as part of your Year 12 studies, but more commonly they are studied after finishing secondary school – in some cases, many years later!

You can apply for the following enabling programs through TISC:

• Curtin's UniReady
• ECU's UniPrep (Standard)
• Murdoch's OnTrack Flex and OnTrack Sprint
• Notre Dame's Tertiary Pathway Program and Tertiary Pathway Program - Nursing
• UWA's Aboriginal Orientation Program or the Smart Start (Albany)

See Course Search for more details.

Most of the universities also offer additional enabling programs that may be tailored to students from certain backgrounds or with particular undergraduate programs in mind. See the university information page for each institution.