The University of Queensland (UQ)
2023 Enhanced Studies Program (ESP)
Rules and Guidelines
The University of Queensland CRICOS Provider No: 00025B Page 1 of 2
1. ESP application and admission rules
1.1 Applicants must be completing Year 11 (in the year of application) at a state or non-government high school or college (including on-shore
international students and students studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma) or be students home-educated in Queensland.
1.2 Applicants must gain written permission from their parent/guardian and their school. Applicants who are home-educated must gain written
permission from their parent/guardian.
1.3 To be considered, applicants must submit their application online and provide the requested documentation by the closing date. Submitting an
application is not a guarantee of a place.
1.4 Entry into ESP is based upon the applicant meeting the eligibility criteria determined by UQ.
1.5 Some courses have quotas and/or additional eligibility criteria that need to be met prior to an ESP offer being made (e.g. language placement
tests, auditions, prerequisites). Refer to Section 2 of this document and esp.uq.edu.au for details.
1.6 While UQ Domestic Admissions does its best to accommodate all eligible ESP applicants, if large numbers of applications are received for specific
courses, it is possible that not all eligible applicants will be offered a place. In this instance, UQ Domestic Admissions (in consultation with other
relevant UQ departments) will work with the applicant to see if another ESP course is available.
1.7 Successful applicants may complete one ESP course only at UQ. Applicants that have previously participated (or intend to participate) in another
offering of ESP at UQ will be considered ineligible.
1.8 ESP tuition fees are waived by UQ. Other costs such as travel, textbooks, stationery, photocopying and field trips are to be met by the student.
2. Additional (and special) application and admission rules – Semester 1 ESP courses
2.1 Applicants who are offered a place must study their course in Semester 1 when they are in Year 12.
2.2 Applicants must be able to attend their course face to face or online, according to the mode of delivery of the course.
2.3 Home-educated applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the ESP by providing one or both of the following examples of
academic evidence:
a. Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) results demonstrating the applicant has received a minimum score of 155 overall and/or
b. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) results demonstrating the applicant has achieved at least 70% User percentile or above.
Additional information may be requested from home-educated students including:
• Previous work which demonstrates the applicant’s interest in, and suitability for the course
• External study at a post-secondary level
• A written statement from the student
• A completed Basic Skills Builder test
2.4 To be considered for Semester 1 courses, applicants are expected to have achieved a minimum ‘B’ (or equivalent) cumulative average across all
of their subjects studied during Semester 1 of Year 11. Some additional or special requirements apply for GRMN2010, CHIN2750, SPAN3350
(refer to Section 2.3), FREN2112 (refer to Section 2.4), MATH1051 (refer to Section 2.5), MATH1061 (refer to Section 2.6) and MUSC1100 (refer to
Section 2.7).
2.5 GRMN2010, CHIN2750 and SPAN3350 additional requirements: Applicants are required to sit a placement test to determine their suitability. If
the applicant’s language skills are determined as being too advanced for their chosen language course or do not meet the minimum language
requirement for entry, the applicant may be given the opportunity to study an alternative UQ language course more appropriate to their
language skill level. This is determined on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on course and quota availability and approval from the School of
Languages and Cultures, the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty and UQ Domestic Admissions.
2.6 FREN2112 additional entry requirements: This course is advanced and is generally suitable for students who are beyond Year 12 level. Applicants
should be concurrently studying Senior French OR have attended an immersion school OR have spent six months minimum in a French speaking
country. Entry to the course is subject to the successful passing of a placement test held in December or January. Applicant report cards will be
reviewed by the FREN2112 course coordinator to determine an applicant’s suitability to sit a placement test.
2.7 MATH1051 additional entry requirements: Applicants must be studying Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics. To be considered for
MATH1051, applicants must have achieved a minimum ‘B’ grade in Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics in Semester 1, Year 11.
However, it is highly recommended that applicants have achieved an ‘A’ in Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics. Students
achieving well in these subjects have better outcomes in MATH1051.
2.8 MATH1061 additional entry requirements: Applicants must be studying Mathematical Methods. To be considered for MATH1061, applicants must
have achieved a minimum ‘B’ grade in Mathematical Methods in Semester 1, Year 11. However, it is highly recommended that applicants have
achieved an ‘A’ in Mathematical Methods. Students achieving well in this subject have better outcomes in MATH1061.
2.9 MUSC1100 special entry requirements: Entry to this course may be subject to attending and successfully passing an audition (audition date to be
confirmed). To be offered an audition, applicants must be achieving a 'B' grade in Senior English and Senior Music in Semester 1 Year 11.
3. Enrolment
3.1. ESP students will be enrolled at UQ during Semester 1 2023.
3.2. ESP students are enrolled at UQ as ‘non-award’ (i.e. a single course not attached to a degree program).
3.3. Students are subject to the policies and procedures of UQ during their enrolment, including regarding assessment and withdrawing from courses.
3.4. Students will be issued a UQ student number and must obtain a UQ STUDENT ID CARD to attend examinations and access other UQ services (e.g.
library resources). ESP students will also be issued with a UQ email account which must be checked on a regular basis. UQ’s official form of
communication with students is via their UQ student email account.
4. Parental/guardian responsibilities
4.1. UQ does not accept parental responsibility for ESP students, either while on campus or while involved in UQ-related work or study.
The University of Queensland (UQ)
2023 Enhanced Studies Program (ESP)
Rules and Guidelines
The University of Queensland CRICOS Provider No: 00025B Page 2 of 2
5. Internal courses (subject to Covid-19 situation)
5.1. ESP students undertaking an internal course (i.e. attending classes on campus) will be expected to attend scheduled contact time on campus,
which may include lectures, tutorials, practicals and/or seminars.
5.2. An ESP student’s first priority should be their Year 12 studies. Where attendance at UQ classes would interrupt a student’s usual school studies,
careful consideration should be given to applying for an ESP course. All students enrolled in internal courses will be expected to sit any
examinations on campus during UQ’s scheduled examination periods. Students should understand that this may mean in some cases their
university exam may be in the same week as school exams (refer to Section 7).
6. External and flexible delivery courses
6.1. ESP students undertaking an external course will not be required to attend weekly classes on campus. However, online tutorials and discussions,
completion of relevant assignments, examinations or attendance at in-house practical sessions may be necessary to complete the required
assessment and practical components of some courses. Assessment may be submitted online or as determined by the course coordinator.
6.2. Where an external course has a compulsory in-house practical session, students must attend in order to fulfil the requirements of that course. An
in-house practical session involves a period of time (between one to six days) that must be spent on campus. These generally take place during
mid-semester break.
7. Bring your own laptop
7.1. Students enrolling at The University of Queensland after Semester 2, 2022 are required to have a Wi-Fi enabled laptop which may be required for
exams. Some courses may require certain specifications for laptops.
7.2. The University is committed to the equitable provision of laptops for students, support information is available from the Library. The University of
Queensland will ensure students have access to the software required for their programs via the Digital Workspace. Where licencing
requirements do not allow software to be provided in this way, UQ computers with the required software will be provided on campus.
8. Examinations
8.1. ESP students are subject to UQ’s examination policies and procedures and will be expected to be available to undertake examinations during the
semester and in the end of semester central examination period in June. Students should be aware that these dates may fall outside of their
normal school term and holiday breaks.
8.2. Students who are enrolled in an external course and who live 200 km away from a UQ campus may be eligible to apply to sit their exam at an
approved centre in their local area. Students must contact UQ to have this arranged through UQ Exams ([email protected]) at least six
weeks before the examination period.
8.3. Students unable to attend examinations due to exceptional and unavoidable circumstances (e.g. illness) may be eligible for a deferred exam. The
deferred examination period is scheduled in July, and no further deferral is possible.
8.4. You may be eligible to sit a one-off discretionary deferred exam if your reason for deferral would not be accepted as exceptional and unavoidable
circumstances. Full details are available at my.uq.edu.au/services/exams-and-assessment. Note that students are only granted one
discretionary deferred exam in their entire academic career at UQ.
8.5. UQ examination periods may coincide with high school examinations. Where that is the case, the student is responsible for contacting UQ Exams
to discuss alternative arrangements. An exam timetable clash is not grounds for a deferred exam. It may be possible to shift your exam to the
next available exam time (usually on the same day) if there is evidence of a direct clash.
8.6. ESP students are not eligible for supplementary examinations.
9. Withdrawal policy – Semester 1 ESP courses
9.1. Students can withdraw without academic penalty up to and including 31 March (census date). The course will not appear on the student’s studies
report or academic transcript if they withdraw on or prior to census date.
9.2. Students who withdraw from ESP between 1 April and 30 April will have a result of ‘W’ (withdrawn without academic penalty) listed on their
studies report.
9.3. Students who withdraw from ESP on or after 1 May and before results are finalised will have a result of ‘K’ (withdrawn with academic penalty)
listed on their studies report and their official academic transcript. For the purposes of calculating a GPA, a ‘K’ is a zero.
9.4. Students who believe they have grounds to withdraw without academic penalty on and after 1 May must make an application in writing
requesting withdrawal. Such applications must include comprehensive supporting documentation to substantiate the grounds for the request.
9.5. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from their course using mySI-net by the relevant date (login to sinet.uq.edu.au and follow the
prompts to drop a course on the enrolment summary page).
10. Final results
10.1. Students who successfully complete their course with grades of 4, 5, 6, 7 or P will be issued with a My eQuals academic transcript and will have
this grade recorded as part of their official academic record. Should students enrol in a UQ program at a later date, credit may be granted for the
completed course, if appropriate to their program’s requirements.
10.2. Students who choose to complete their ESP course but receive failing grades of X, 1, 2, 3 or N will have this result recorded on their studies report
and on their official academic transcript.
10.3. The final ESP grade remains on the student’s permanent and official record at UQ.
10.4. A student’s final ESP grade will be reported to the student’s school and the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) to be
recorded on the student’s Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). For this purpose, students must advise UQ of their Learner Unique
Identifier (LUI) before enrolment.
10.5. All grades on a student’s record (including ESP studies) may be used to calculate a Grade Point Average (GPA) for applications for study in
undergraduate, honours, postgraduate or research studies in the future.
10.6. Students who successfully complete their course will receive one adjustment as part of the UQ Subject Incentive Scheme. Students must
indicate that they have completed ESP on their QTAC application, and this is then confirmed and taken into account when their QTAC application
is assessed.
