Students are chasing careers in nursing, paramedics and medicine as the University of the Sunshine Coast sends out a record number of offers in semester one this year.
Interest in tertiary studies has surged, with 5622 people invited to study at USC — a 17.8 per cent increase on last year and 21 per cent up on two years ago.
USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Bartlett said the pandemic had prompted many people to closely consider their career goals.
“There has also been a reported migration away from capital cities due to changed working arrangements associated with COVID-19, and regional areas that have university campuses are becoming highly sought-after locations,” she said.
The most in-demand degrees were in the health-related disciplines of Nursing Science, Paramedic Science, Occupational Therapy, Biomedical Science and Clinical Exercise Physiology, followed by degrees in Primary Education, Psychology and Business.
Professor Bartlett congratulated successful applicants and encouraged the new students to join in orientation activities from February 22-26.
“University study can be transformative,” Professor Bartlett said.
“Not only does it boost career prospects, it can lead to long-lasting friendships and business contacts.”
Locals receive plenty of offers
There have been 2296 offers to applicants from the Sunshine Coast and Noosa, 1559 offers to residents of the Moreton Bay region, 205 offers to people from the Fraser Coast and 184 to Gympie residents.
USC’s new Moreton Bay campus at Petrie is gaining popularity, with a 41 per cent increase in offers, to 1379.
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The university will continue to make offers later this month and during February.
Semester one is due to start on March 1, at campuses on the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Gympie, Caboolture, Moreton Bay and South Bank.
Applicants who received recent offers to study at USC are encouraged to respond to their offers by early next week.
Those who did not receive an offer can contact USC’s Student Central for advice about further QTAC rounds. For more details about applying to study at USC, go to www.usc.edu.au/apply.
