Admissions Policy – 2020
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STUDENT APPLICATION & ADMISSIONS POLICY
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Overarching Philosophy: The College seeks to attract suitable and qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds who are intent on pursuing studies in the field of Christian Ministry, Theology, Counselling and their cognate areas. Admission to the College will be based on the applicant being able to provide evidence of one of the following requirements:
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Admission Requirements
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1.Required Educational Qualifications a. Diploma of Theology
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Completion of the NSW Higher School Certificate, an ASQA accredited Certificate IV (VET) or their equivalent.
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b. Associate and Bachelor degrees
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Completion of the NSW Higher School Certificate, with an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of 65 or completion of an AQF level 5 Diploma or its equivalent. ,
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c. Postgraduate degrees
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Admission to a Master of Arts or a nested post graduate award is based on at least one of the following criteria:
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i.Successful completion of a three year AQF 7 award or its equivalent.
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i.Successful completion of an AQF Level 8 award. In this case, any transfer of credit is based on the ACCS Advanced Standing Policy.
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2.Special or alternative categories. grounds
a.Previous Acceptance for Admission at Another Institution: The applicant is invited to provide verifiable evidence of having been accepted for admission to a cognate course at an Australian university or accredited Higher Education Provider within the previous five years.
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b.Mature-age: The relevant criteria are:
i.Attainment of 21 years; and
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ii. Evidence of completion of other studies or appropriate life experience, and a level of intellectual capacity and social maturity to engage in tertiary studies with commitment.
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c.Special Circumstances
i.Applicants who have not achieved the necessary academic qualification for admission to an ACCS course may request special consideration on the grounds of educational disadvantage. The following circumstances may be considered when assessing the level of educational disadvantage:
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•Excessive family responsibility;
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•Geographical isolation of home and/or school and lack of support time or facilities for study at home or school;
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ii.Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent where the normal HSC entry path has not been followed;
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iii.Home schooling, provided that there is evidence of being able to manage higher education study;
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iv.An IELTS result is awaited; or
v.Completion of a prescribed program of non-award study (four subject units) with an overall GPA of 1.8 or higher.
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d.Partial Completion of previous studies at higher education level: Applicants who have partially completed studies with an accredited Higher Education Provider may apply on the basis of admission to the partially completed award. Any advanced standing given will be based on the
College’s advanced standing policy.
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e.Admission to a postgraduate degree may be granted on the basis of professional attainment. Acceptance of enrolment based on professional attainment will be accompanied by one semester probation with continued enrolment based on the successful completion of subjects undertaken during the probation period.
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Admission to a post graduate degree based on professional attainment requires the applicant to:
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•have attained a minimum of 5 years relevant work experience in a senior leadership role.
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•have attained a minimum of 8 years relevant work experience in a range of leadership roles from associate leader to senior team leader or
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•have attained a minimum of 10 years relevant work experience in an associate leader role and be over the age of 30.
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*NOTE: All special admission category admissions (except for admission on the basis of evidence of being admitted to an accredited Higher Education Provider or partial completion of Higher Education award) are provisional in which the following special procedures will apply:
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•students with provisional status shall be required to successfully complete a “qualifying period” whilst being permitted to enroll provisionally;
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•the “qualifying period” may be undertaken full time or part-time and the number of years spent in completing it shall be counted towards the maximum term for completion of the relevant undergraduate degree;
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•the “qualifying period” shall consist of successful completion of 25% of the enrolled course.
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Other Admission Considerations:
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•Assumed or prerequisite knowledge: Owing to the Christian ethos of the College, (although not required) it is assumed that prospective students would have a basic understanding of the Bible and Christian ethics and principles. Prerequisite knowledge may depend on individual program requirements.
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•Language proficiency: For courses delivered in English, prospective students are expected to have proficiency in spoken and written English appropriate for the pursuit of tertiary studies (i.e. AQF7:IELTS Academic 6.0; AQF8:IELTS Academic 7.0).
•Computer literacy: College policy is that all written assessments must be submitted via the College’s e-learning site. Some subjects may also require internet research. While not prerequisite admission criteria, students are advised before enrolment that computer literacy and computer access are necessary.
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Admission procedures:
New student enrolment applications are administered through the office of the Dean of
Students. The Dean of Students will:
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•appraise the capacity of the applicant to embark on a degree program
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•clarify the applicant’s academic history and sight original qualifications where necessary
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•assess eligibility for advanced standing
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•verify applicant’s ID and qualifications
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•verify any special needs the applicant may have (e.g. spoken and written language support, management of a recognised disability) and ascertain how best the College is able to address these needs
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•assess the eligibility of the applicant in the case of admission under special admission or alternative admission categories
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•clarify the applicants academic history
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•consult the appropriate Faculty Head regarding suitability for the enrolled course as well as any further specific considerations deemed necessary by the Dean of Students
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•direct admission applications for the Social Science degrees to the Faculty
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Head for assessment and approval
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•notify the appropriate Head of Faculty of all new enrolment applications
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•verify the authenticity of qualifications and related documents such as degree testamurs, related academic awards and, where relevant, character references, employers’ testimonials, and certification or licenses to practice where professional registration bodies are relevant. Where necessary, the authenticity of overseas qualifications is verified through NOOSR.
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•on successful completion of the new enrolment procedure, notify the prospective student through a Letter of Offer Should the student wish to defer enrolment, an Enrolment Variation Request will be required prior to the current Census Date.
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•notify any unsuccessful enrolment applicant, advising that the applicant may request a review of the application outcome.
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•Orientation Day: The purpose of the orientation day is to provide the student with an orientation to the various programs and the College’s expectations of its students. A related purpose is to ensure that, as far as possible, students are aware of the challenging nature of the program and particularly be exposed to the College’s educational context and techniques.
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RESPONSIBILITY: Dean of Academics
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ASSOCIATED POLICIES: Nil
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Policy Version
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Initial adoption
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This
revision
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Approved
Academic
Board
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Approved
Board of
Directors
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Next Revision
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3.1
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25 June 04
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*25 May
2021
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7th September
2016
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2022
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