Now more than ever, the world needs more changemakers who are prepared to shape a different path to regenerate our world.
As a student choosing tertiary education, you have faced one of the greatest periods of disruption ever. It's been the perfect storm where you are now part of a generation of learners who are defined by your resilience, your creativity and most of all, your determination.
In the face of major disruption, you now have the power to be your own leader, changemaker and innovator by choosing a university that recognizes that you are far more than your ATAR - and combines the latest approaches to EQ and IQ to help you build a career based on your passion and purpose and makes you more employable.
At Torrens University Australia we have removed the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) as key admissions criterion for students wanting to study with us.
You are far more than your ATAR - you get to define yourself.
As Professor Alywn Louw says, while we respect ATAR rankings, all the latest research demonstrates the fact that the ATAR as an indicator, does not provide a full picture of a student's ability to succeed.
"At Torrens University Australia, we believe that education is a lifelong journey. What you choose to study at university is the start of your journey as an adult learner and your choice should not be dictated by an ATAR mark that you earned in high school.
ATAR is a poor predictor of student success
"Strong evidence suggests that the minimum ATAR of 60 or equivalent for entry into a Bachelor level course does not provide sufficient predictability or indication of the potential success of students and in fact, students who enter at diploma level (with no ATAR requirements) are more likely to remain to study and successfully complete their courses.
"Exceptional educational outcomes at TUA are defined by a commitment to curiosity, open learning, to the exploration of the latest innovative research that is brought directly into the classroom by researchers who are global leaders.
"This is the beautiful synergy of the rigour of academic leadership, coupled with the freshness and delight that a young child experiences when stumbling on new learning and making it their own - and this is what tertiary education should be - a choice that is pleasurable, stimulating and invigorating and challenging without being debilitating.
"And it is about consistency - change is incremental in what you do, learn, and practise every day rather than just an exam or an ATAR mark," said Professor Louw.
Universities now choosing non-ATAR assessments
Many future-focussed universities are now using new and additional means of assessing students which assess more than just academic attainment and there are calls to scrap the ATAR as it is part of a system that puts unnecessary pressure on students adversely affecting their mental health, it's limited and only favours those students who do well in exams.
And students are choosing different pathways to enter university, including early offers.
"Life is the most difficult exam because most people are looking at someone else's desk," Jay Shetty, New York Times best-selling author, host of #1 Health podcast + purpose coach
While school teaches many valuable things, we all learn differently and traditional educational systems often teach everyone as if they are the same.
At Torrens University Australia, we not only celebrate difference, we empower and focus on teaching the whole student with a focus on the best evidence-based, rigorous academic courses, while also focusing on emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
Employers are looking for a mix of soft skills, problem-solving and technical skills - at TUA, you don't have to choose one or the other.
Our mission and our passion is to support you as a student with your academic goals, the difference that you want to make in the world and with your personal well-being - which is why all our students have access to a success coach. Student happiness is not just lip service - to us, it is an essential ingredient in your success.
You have the power to remake the world
We believe that all our students have the unique potential to shape the future in an authentic way that makes sense to them. This equally could mean working in climate activism or using ethical products as a hairdresser - it is entirely your choice of how you want to impact the future for the greater good. We support you with our unique Social Enterprise Hub which connects you with social-impact focussed organisations for work placements that provide you with experience, help them and could lead to work opportunities. It's the B Corp difference that we bring as a university.
Our TUA alumni have become industry leaders in design, hospitality, science and the arts - each one of them has carved out career success in a way that is meaningful to them.
"The hope of the world lies in what one demands, not of others, but of oneself," James Baldwin
Change is the only constant in life. At Torrens University Australia, we want to seize what University of Chicago philosopher, Jonathan Lear calls radical hope and direct it towards "a future goodness" where together we reimagine and revitalise tertiary education to help you build a future career that excites you and fills you with purpose.
We would love you to choose to join us at Torrens where we will support you to put your career dreams into action, and to grasp radical hope in changing times to become the changemaker in your
