Essentially, UNSW's Faculty of Engineering Admissions Scheme is an alternate pathway for high school students who fail to meet the ATAR requirement of the degree(s) that they wish to study. Based on this, if a student's ATAR is within 7-10 points of the degree(s)/program's required selection rank, UNSW will assess an applicant's ability in mathematics, physics/other sciences as well as through non-academic factors, such as motivation and attitude. FEAS includes a number of degrees/programs, namely:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Science
A complete list of the degrees included under FEAS can be accessed using the following link:
On the other hand, the Gateway Admission Pathway (which is where the question that you need to respond to becomes relevant) is UNSW's early entry scheme. It is administered through UAC's Schools Recommendation Scheme and involves submitting an application, the favourable outcome of which would be to receive an early conditional offer to study a chosen degree(s)/program. In order for this early conditional offer to be converted into an unconditional offer, students will need to achieve a "Gateway adjusted ATAR", which will be made significantly lower than the advertised lowest selection rank (LSR) for the chosen degree(s)/program. UNSW mentions the example of the Bachelor of Commerce, where the LSR is 93. By submitting a Gateway Admission Pathway application via UAC, an applicant could receive an early offer to study a Bachelor of Commerce, which will require them to achieve a Gateway adjusted ATAR of 81.
A list containing 2023 adjusted ATARs for numerous UNSW degrees under the Gateway Admission Pathway can be accessed using the link below:
I hope this helps!