The Griffith University Early Start to Tertiary Study (GUESTS) program offers you the opportunity to stretch your academic boundaries and sample university life by studying a single course (subject) at Griffith University while you are simultaneously undertaking semester one or two of Year 12.
As a GUESTS student you will be enrolled as a non-award Griffith University student and will receive a student ID card. Being enrolled as a non-award student means that the course you are enrolled in does not lead to the award of a degree. However, once you successfully complete your GUESTS course, you are eligible to apply for a 'Guaranteed Offer of Entry' into an associated undergraduate Griffith degree program. Upon the commencement of your degree in the following year, you will receive full credit for the course and it will then count towards the requirements of your degree.
Please note that guaranteed entry to some programs may depend on the grade you achieve in your GUESTS course. The GUESTS program does not provide guaranteed entry into some degree programs, please see the 'Guaranteed Offer Exemptions' section below for further details.
GUESTS students are not required to pay any tuition fees or Student Contribution. However, they will have to meet their own personal study costs (for example - text books, stationery, photocopying etc).
Further information is available on the Important dates for GUESTS program page.
Enquiries about this program may be directed to: Carolyn Gardiner, GUESTS Coordinator
- Email address
- guests_enquiry@griffith.edu.au
- Telephone number
- (07) 3735 4035
Program eligibility
You are eligible to apply for participation in the GUESTS program if:
- you are OP or UAI eligible
- you are about to enter Year 12 (for Semester 1 intake) or are currently in Year 12 (for Semester 2 intake)
- you are a high achieving student (i.e. you are achieving at A/B or VHA/HA level) and are currently studying the prerequisite subjects* for the degree program you want to enter once you have completed your GUESTS course
- you have the support of your School, Teachers, Parents and/or Carers.
[*] Prerequisites are requirements that need to be met in order to gain admission to a degree program. These prerequisites are usually expressed as achievements in particular senior secondary subjects - for example, Maths B (4SA).
Program requirements
As a GUESTS student you will be expected to attend all of the required components of the course you have been approved to undertake. You will be a member of a class of first year university students undertaking that course as a part of their undergraduate degree programs. You will not be in a class of other GUESTS students (although there may well be others in your class).
In order to successfully complete a university course, a general rule of thumb is that you dedicate one hour a week per credit point that you are undertaking. Most courses available to GUESTS students are 10 credit points while others are 5CP, 12CP or 20CP. Therefore, successfully completing a 10CP course would mean attending approximately two to four hours of lectures and tutorials each week and doing up to six hours of private study. Students need to keep in mind that this commitment of at least 10 hours a week of extra study is on top of their full-time Year 12 study load.
Some courses require much more time spent on campus than others and this is an important consideration to be taken into account when you are selecting your course. For example, some science courses require you to attend labs as well as lectures and tutorials.
Course availability
GUESTS students can choose from most of the first year undergraduate courses (1000-coded courses) offered by the University. There are restrictions placed on GUESTS wanting to undertake courses in Music and Languages. Please see the Music and Language courses sections below for further information.
In addition, there are restrictions surrounding direct entry to some degree programs following completion of GUESTS. Entry to these programs is restricted to GUESTS students that are approved and successfully completed specific courses and requirements. For a list of these degree programs and the courses required for guaranteed entry eligibility, please see the Required course section below.
Course selection
The best way to choose your course is to go to the program catalogue, select the undergraduate program you eventually want to get into, then click on 'Program structure'. The program structure will provide a list of all courses that make up the degree program.
From this point you will be able to click on the individual course links to find detailed information on each course. When choosing courses from the program or course catalogue, please ensure that you choose courses from the correct year and semester (see below).
| Year | Sem | Course code |
Course | CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | 1101AFE | Accounting Principles | 10 |
- Year: Year level of the selected course
- Sem: Semester in which the selected course is offered
- Course code: Course catalogue number
- Course: Course name
- CP: Credit point weighting
If choosing courses for semester 2 you will not be able to undertake courses that have a Griffith prerequisite. This means that you must have completed a Griffith course first to undertake this course. If you are not sure, a safe way to choose courses is from our Popular courses page.
The popular courses section provides a list of courses that are offered to GUESTS students in both semester 1 and 2. If the particular program that you wish to study does not appear in the popular courses section, then you may need to check the 'Guaranteed offer exemption' section or the 'Required courses' sections below for further information.
Once you have made a few choices, you should check the timetable to determine whether this course may be a suitable option in combination with your high school timetable. You can check the course timetable by clicking on the link within the course information. It is also important to check the course profile for more detailed information regarding course content and requirements.
If you get approved for a particular course but subsequently need to change it in order to fit your school timetable, please contact us and we will try to assist you to arrange an alternative course that suits your schedule and timetable.
Required courses
Guaranteed entry to some highly-competitive programs requires the student to have successfully completed a specific course and may also depend on the grade achieved in the GUESTS course. Some program examples include:
- Queensland College of Art programs
- Education
- Midwifery
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Physiotherapy
- Law
Most required courses are offered in semester one only. Please check the Required courses page for more information.
You can also browse the course catalogue for in-depth information about all other available Griffith courses.
Language courses
GUESTS students may undertake language courses in Chinese (Nathan only), Italian, Japanese or Spanish.
It is important to note, however, that language courses generally require a greater number of contact hours than other courses and may be difficult to fit around a school timetable. Students will also need to demonstrate their proficiency to determine the appropriate course to undertake. Students who are interested in undertaking a language course simply need to indicate their chosen language on the GUESTS application form and, if successful, will be referred to the relevant Language Coordinator for further advice and assistance.
For students who are unable to undertake a language course due to timetabling or other constraints, courses such as 1003LAL [Communication: A Linguistics Approach] will give guaranteed entry to the Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Applied Linguistics [1116]. Students may also wish to consider courses from the Bachelor of Politics, Asian Studies and International Relations [1291 or 1292] or Bachelor of International Business [1105 or 1107].
Queensland Conservatorium courses
Students that undertake music courses as a GUESTS student will gain the experience as a student of one of Australia's leading music schools with state of the art facilities and a reputation for excellence. Students that satisfactorily complete their course will also receive full credit for their GUESTS music course if they are later admitted to a Conservatorium degree program.
There is no guaranteed admission to Conservatorium undergraduate programs for GUESTS students that have been approved to study music courses. Normal audition and selection processes apply for entry into the Conservatorium.
There are a limited number of places available for GUESTS students wanting to study a Conservatorium course at either South Bank or Gold Coast. Please refer to the following page for course availability and quota information.
Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art courses
The Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art degree program is designed to prepare Indigenous students for practice as professional artists. It is the only university degree program of its kind that combines both theory and practice for Indigenous students and is taught by Indigenous lecturing staff.
GUESTS students can now apply to undertake a course from the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art degree program at the Queensland College of Art at South Bank. Upon successful completion of the GUESTS course, students will be eligible to apply for guaranteed entry into this degree program.
Approved GUESTS must meet the prerequisites for this degree program. Applicants will also be required to undertake an interview and provide a portfolio of their artwork. Please refer to the following page for further details on courses and requirements.
External study
There are a limited number of courses available via external mode for students in rural and remote areas (i.e. outside the greater Brisbane and Gold Coast regions). Students will require support from their school and teachers in addition to the well-developed self-motivation and organisational skills essential for distance study. Good computer skills and internet access at home are also required.
Places are limited and will be restricted to students from rural and remote areas or who can demonstrate other extenuating circumstances where it is not possible to study on campus.
Guaranteed offer exemptions
GUESTS students are not able to apply for a 'Guaranteed Offer of Entry' into the following programs:
- Bachelor of Medical Science (MBBS Provisional Entry for school-leavers) (Gold Coast and Nathan)
- Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science
- Bachelor of Oral Health in Oral Health Therapy
- Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Technology
- Bachelor of Environmental Design
- Advanced and Advanced with Honours programs
- Queensland Conservatorium of Music programs
Medicine or Oral Health courses
Although GUESTS students are unable to apply for a 'Guaranteed Offer of Entry' into Medical Science and Oral Health programs, they can however undertake first year courses offered under these programs such as:
- 1013ENV [Chemistry of Biological Systems 1] or 1005MSC [Cell Biology] at the Gold Coast or
- 1001BPS [Human Biology] or 1101BPS [Chemistry A] at Nathan.
GUESTS students that undertake and satisfactorily complete one the above courses would be eligible to apply for a 'Guaranteed Offer of Entry' into Health or Science programs such as Health Science, Biomedical Science or Biomolecular Science. Students will still have the benefit of experiencing university life and will receive credit for their GUESTS study on commencement of the related degree program.
Students who receive guaranteed admission to these programs (Health Science, Biomedical Science etc) still have the option to preference Medical Science or Oral Health higher in their QTAC/UAC application. A guaranteed offer in a lesser-preferred program will in no way jeopardise a student's chances of gaining admission to a higher preference.
Queensland Studies Authority reporting requirements
Students completing the Queensland Certificate of Education
From 2008, the University was required to report GUESTS' enrolment and grades to the Queensland Studies Authority for recording on the Queensland Certificate of Education. Your GUESTS course will be recorded as two credits of Advanced courses of study - it does not count towards your OP.
GUESTS' enrolment will be reported to the QSA after the census date (end of week 4), therefore if you decide to withdraw from your course after this date it will still be recorded on your QCE with a grade of 'Withdrawn'. A second report will be provided to the QSA after results are released.
Cost of program
As our 'GUEST', you will not be required to pay any tuition fees. However, you will need to meet your personal study costs (for example - text books, stationery, photocopying etc).
Application for program
You can apply by completing a GUESTS application form and you will need approval from your School Principal or Guidance Officer.
Closing dates for applications
Semester 1 intake
You may apply at any time after you have received your Year 11 mid-year school report. Semester 1 applications for the GUESTS program are due by the end of September each year.
Semester 2 intake
You may apply after you have received your Year 12 Term 1 report (it is preferable that you attach your Year 11 end-of-year report). Semester 2 applications for the GUESTS program are due by the end of May each year.
Frequently asked questions
For further information about our GUESTS program, please see the frequently asked questions page.