Principal's Recommendation Scheme (PRS)
Our Principal’s Recommendation Scheme (PRS) provides a pathway for Year 12 students to apply to a range of undergraduate CQU courses based on their high school principal's recommendation rather than ATAR. Students can receive an offer without waiting for their Year 12 results and won't need to apply via a Tertiary Admission Centre for that same course.
PRS allows a High School Principal to recommend their students for entry into a CQUniversity course based on other factors such as academic performance, motivation, ability, passion and likelihood to succeed at university. Principal's should be recommending students who they believe are capable and likely to succeed at university, and the students who they recommend will receive an unconditional offer from CQUniversity.
Term 1, 2027 PRS Timelines
Applications open: Monday, 3 August 2026
Applications close: Monday, 23 November 2026*
Offers commencing: Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
*We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as some courses may fill early and no longer be available under the PRS.
Requirements
The PRS is open to domestic and international students. No registration is required for schools to participate. There is no limit on the number of students that a Principal can recommend.
To apply for a CQUniversity course via the PRS, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be studying Year 12 in an Australian school at the time of application and complete Year 12 prior to commencing study with CQUniversity.
- Have your Principal’s recommendation in writing - refer to the recommendation checklist in the section below to see what must be included in the recommendation letter.
PRS applications are only accepted for a Term 1 (March) commencement at CQU.
To be accepted, the Principal’s recommendation letter that you provide with your application must:
- be on your School Letterhead
- be signed and dated by your Principal
- list your full name
- list the name of the course that you are applying for
- include Term 1 and the year of admission.
View an example recommendation letter.
To meet the criteria of the PRS, recommendation letters can only be signed by the secondary school Principal.
Courses
Majority of undergraduate courses are included in PRS, excluding those listed in the Ineligible Courses section below. Some courses have additional requirements as outlined in the Courses with Additional Requirements section below.
Where PRS is available, information will also be listed in the How To Apply section of individual course webpages.
In Term 1, 2026, PRS offers were made for 44 courses, across 30 disciplines. The most popular courses were:
- nursing
- teaching
- engineering
- occupational therapy, and
- psychology.
Courses that are excluded and therefore not open for application via the PRS are listed below. You'll need to apply for these courses via the relevant Tertiary Admission Centre listed on the course webpage.
- Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121)
- Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology / Graduate Diploma of Echocardiography (CV69)
- Bachelor of Medical Imaging (CG92)
- Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine) (CM17)
- Bachelor of Medical Sonography / Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography (CG91)
- Bachelor of Midwifery (CM93)
- Bachelor of Nutrition/Master of Nutrition and Dietetics (CM61)
- Bachelor of Oral Health (CB29)
- Bachelor of Paramedicine (CG95)
- Bachelor of Paramedicine /Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management (CM40)
- Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) (CB85).
Graduate Entry Courses
The following courses require you to have completed a degree to gain entry and, therefore, are not eligible under the PRS.
Bachelor of Education Courses
If you are applying for one of the below Bachelor of Education courses, you will still need to meet the pre-requisite subject requirements of English (Units 3 and 4, C) and General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics (Units 3 and 4, C).
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) (CC14)
- Bachelor of Education (Primary) (CC12)
- Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (CC13)
Bachelor of Nursing (CL91)
If you are applying for the Bachelor of Nursing, you will need to complete an additional declaration regarding English language requirements as part of your application.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) (CB84)
If you are applying for the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours), you will still need to meet the pre-requisite subject requirements of:
- One of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Health or Physical Education (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent.
- One of English, Literature, English as an Additional Language or English & Literature Extension (Units 3 & 4C) or equivalent.
Music and Theatre Courses
If you are applying for one of the below music and theatre courses, you will also need to meet non-academic entry requirements and complete an audition. Once you have submitted your application, please register for an audition. Due to these additional entry requirements, conditional offers only can be made for these courses.
English language proficiency
If you are an international student, for the majority of our courses, your English language proficiency will be met based on your Principal’s recommendation. However, there are some courses that still require an approved English Proficiency Test results to be submitted, refer to the courses listed below. Our International Admissions team will also look at marks in your English subjects in Year 11 and Year 12 results (if results are available for Year 12).
How To Apply
Australian or New Zealand Citizens, Permanent Residents or Permanent Humanitarian Visa Holders
To apply via the PRS, you will need to apply for the course you are interested in directly with CQUniversity.
Make sure you upload your school Principal’s recommendation letter with your application, as it cannot progress without it.
If you need help figuring out where to start or need help along the way, view our instructions on applying.
To apply via the PRS, you will need to apply for the course you are interested in directly with CQUniversity via our iStart International online application portal.
Make sure you upload your school Principal’s recommendation letter with your application, as it cannot progress without it.
Once you have completed and submitted your application, we will review your application, your Principal's recommendation, and any other supporting information if your course has additional requirements. If you meet the eligibility requirements and your application is complete, you will be sent an offer to the email you used in your application
You will need to respond to the offer and enrol in units as per the instructions within the offer. If you decide not to accept your offer, you are invited to apply for admission at a later date through the usual channels.
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Frequently Asked Questions
There is no cost to apply, applications for the PRS are made directly through CQUniversity. You do not need to also apply through QTAC (for a place at CQUniversity).
Only one offer will be made per student via the PRS, so make sure you choose your most preferred course when you apply via this Scheme.
If you have applied for a course via the PRS, do not apply for that same course via a Tertiary Admission Centre (TAC) such as QTAC or UAC. We’ll process your application and send you an offer.
If, however, you would like to apply for a course that is excluded from the PRS, such as a quota-based course, then you will need to apply for that course via the relevant TAC.
Yes, if you decide to apply via a TAC for a quota-based course, and you would like to consider another course option to have certainty around receiving an offer, you can also apply via the Scheme for a different course. You’ll then just need to decide which option you would like to pursue when the time comes.
You can enjoy outstanding study support at CQUniversity. We offer a range of support services to help you along your journey. Services include Orientation to assist your transition to university life, assignment and exam preparation and support evenings, ongoing assistance through the Student Mentor Program, counselling services, course advice, career planning services, support for students with disability or medical conditions, Indigenous student support, financial support options and more.
