A media release from Jason Clare today reports that 2026 university applications from tertiary admissions centres, other than in Western Australia, are up 4.6% on 2025. Offers are up 2.5%. This comes after 2025 data was quietly released on the Department’s website last week. I will draw on that 2025 data to outline trends.
Overall application trends
If the 2026 TAC data is an accurate guide to application overall trends, it comes on top of a 5.4% increase between 2024 and 2025. In absolute numbers 2025 is still below the 2014 to 2021 period, but with a clear upward trend.
While aggregate applications are up, eight universities had fewer applications in 2025 than 2024. Other universities had major applications increases between these years, nine with double-digit percentage growth. The disconnect between these fluctuations and the proposed ‘managed growth’ enrolment system will be a policy problem of the coming years, presuming the required legislation passes (which of course I hope it doesn’t).
Andrew Norton 