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Mature-Age Entry is Category 1 of La Trobe's Special Entry and Access Scheme (SEAS).

To be eligible for Mature-Age Entry to La Trobe, you need to be:

• 21 or older on 1 January 2010, and
• an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent Australian resident.
• Also, you must not have completed a semester of tertiary-level studies (including post-Year 12 TAFE studies) in the last two years, and
• you may need to sit a Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT).

What's the purpose of the STAT?

The STAT is an aptitude test that helps universities assess your academic potential.

La Trobe utilises the STAT Multiple Choice for Mature-Age Entry to most courses; it comprises 70 questions aimed at evaluating verbal and quantitative reasoning. Courses offered by the Faculty of Education utilise STAT Written English, which evalucates English expression.

Read more about the STAT, including STAT preparation workshops, at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) website. La Trobe offers STAT preparatory courses at some campuses.

Extra requirements

As an applicant for Mature-Age Entry, you may need to complete extra requirements specified for all Non-Year 12 applicants. These are listed each entry in CourseFinder.

If you apply to a course with a mathematics and/or chemistry prerequisite offered by the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, you need to contact the Faculty to see if you need to do a mathematics test or a recommended bridging program in mathematics or chemistry:

T   03 9479 2591
E   sci.tech@latrobe.edu.au

And if you apply to a course offered by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, you need to contact the Faculty for a supplementary application form and instructions for writing a biographical essay:

T  03 9479 2023
E  lhuss@latrobe.edu.au

Submitting your application:

1. Complete a VTAC application - unless you want to apply to the Albury-Wodonga or Mildura campuses through the NSW University Admissions Centre (UAC). Timely VTAC applications close on 30 September 2009. VTAC will accept late applications, but conditions apply and you'll incur a fee if you submit late.
2. Check individual course entries in the VTAC Guide, on the VTAC website or CourseFinder to ensure you meet any extra requirements for Non-Year 12 applicants.
3. Check for additional Mature-Age Entry requirements.
4. Register with VTAC to sit the STAT required for your chosen course/s.
5. Apply online under the Special Entry and Access Scheme (SEAS). You can access SEAS Online Applications on the VTAC website after you've successfully submitted your VTAC application.

It's important to note that meeting minimum entrance requirements or applying for Mature-Age Entry doesn't guarantee you a place in your chosen course. And if you don't receive an offer, there are other avenues into university, including single subject studies.