AUSTRALIA: University intake to follow demand

University entry cut-offs for 2012 will fall, experts say, making it easier for students who have just finished year 12 to enrol in popular degrees, writes Natalie Craig for The Age. Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks are expected to fall under a new system that allows universities to decide how many places they offer, based on student demand.

"'This is a good year for students to apply to universities,'" said Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers. '"Cut-offs, on average, are likely to come down." Withers said changes to government funding will allow universities to enrol as many students as they choose. In the past, the number of federally funded places was capped, so universities limited entry to their most popular degrees by imposing 'artificial quotas' and high cut-offs.
Full report on The Age site