Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry Scheme

Source: https://www.mq.edu.au/study/admissions-and-entry/pathways/schemes/leaders-achievers Parent: https://www.mq.edu.au/study/information-for/high-school

Discover a degree that matches your interests & career goals

Learn about all things early entry in this webinar Watch student testimonial

For high achievers with initiative and commitment

You could receive an early entry offer to study at Macquarie if you have performed well academically in Year 11 and demonstrate leadership skills, personal development and dedication through your extracurricular activities.

Key dates

Applications for 2027 entry will open soon.

To apply for Macquarie Leaders and Achievers entry scheme, you must meet both academic and leadership criteria.

Academic requirements

Eligible applicants are:

high-achieving students who have performed well in their Year 11 studies
receiving either of the following qualifications in 2025:
Australian Year 12 (NSW HSC or equivalent interstate qualifications)
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

Additional eligibility requirements based on residency:

Domestic students* completing onshore or offshore Australian Year 12 qualifications (NSW HSC, Interstate equivalent) or IB will be eligible to apply.
International students^ completing an onshore or offshore Australian Year 12 certificate (NSW HSC or Interstate equivalent only) will be eligible to apply. However, international students will only be able to apply with IB results completed within Australia.

* A domestic student is a person who intends to study in Australia and is one of the following:

an Australian citizen
a New Zealand citizen
a holder of an Australian permanent visa.

^ All other applicants intending to study in Australia are considered international students, including those on Australian bridging or temporary protection visas.

Leadership requirements

Applicant must demonstrate each of the following qualities through at least two of the activities (activity examples are listed further below):

Leadership: mentorship, coaching or leading a team, collaboration and teamwork skills, empathy and self-awareness.
Service and community engagement: positive benefit to others and active engagement in the school, local or wider community.
Contribution and commitment: genuine connection with your chosen purpose, persistence and dedication to manage self and/or work with others to achieve a goal.
Initiative: independent thought and action; ability to anticipate needs.
Self-efficacy: self-awareness, personal learning and development.

Relevant activities include – but are not limited to – the following:

attending leadership conferences or camps
carer responsibilities within your family
coordination of a sports gala day, cultural performance, concert etc
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
leadership in cadets
leadership roles within a sporting or performing arts group
leadership roles within your school, eg school captain, prefect, or committee member of a student-led group
NSW Institute of Sport membership
paid or voluntary work in a position of responsibility or leadership
participating in the FIRST Robotics competition
social justice activities such as the Model United Nations
youth leadership at your local place of worship.

All our undergraduate courses are offered through Macquarie Leaders and Achievers, except for the following:

diplomas
Standard and Intensive Foundation programs
UniReady.

International students who are awarded onshore or offshore year 12 qualifications (NSW HSC, interstate equivalent) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma within Australia can apply for on-campus single bachelor degrees only.

Co-op program

Students who are interested in the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with Bachelor of Professional Practice (Honours) (Cooperative education program) must preference the single degree Bachelor of Actuarial Studies.

Students who are successful for a place in the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies via Macquarie Leaders and Achievers may be invited to express interest in the Co-op program. Admission to the Co-op program is on a competitive basis.

Selecting your preferences

You can list up to five courses in your application. You'll receive an offer for your highest eligible preference. Your Year 11 results will be used to determine your eligibility for a course. You can only receive one offer for this scheme, so select a variety of different courses to give yourself the best chance of qualifying for one.

Double degrees

You can also select and preference from our double degree offerings. A double degree increases your career flexibility and can be completed faster than two single degrees.

If you’d like help reviewing which single or double degree course options may be right for you, contact the Future Students Team on +61 (2) 9850 6767 or book a 1:1 consultation with an expert student adviser.

The Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Scholarship recognises your potential and provides you with financial support while you study at Macquarie University. Eligible students will be awarded $10,000 per year for up to five years.

This scholarship:

does not have a separate application and will be assessed upon submission of a Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry application
will be offered based on merit and awarded to exceptional applicants.

The Macquarie Business School Grant aims to reward academic excellence by providing a head start to support university study for high-achieving and motivated students. Eligible students will be awarded a one-off payment of $2500 in their first session of study.

The eligible programs are:

This grant does not have a separate application and will be assessed upon submission of a Macquarie Leaders and Achievers Early Entry application. This grant will not be available to all students who get an offer of admission through this early entry scheme.

A number of outstanding applicants who have received an early offer for the aforementioned programs and its double degrees through the Macquarie Leaders and Achievers scheme and have demonstrated a record high achievement will be eligible for this grant.