Missed out on the ATAR you need to get into law at UQ? It’s natural to feel disappointed, but you don’t need to feel discouraged. There are several law pathway options available to help you get into your program of choice.
“Getting accepted into law school at university can be a challenge. If you’re not accepted straight into law school at UQ straight away, don’t be deterred; there are several alternative pathways you can take to gain entry.”
-Ella North, Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws (Honours) graduate
3 law pathways available at UQ
1. See if you’re eligible for rank adjustments from UQ
If your ATAR is a few ranks short of what you need to get into law at UQ, you may be able to use rank adjustments to give it the boost you need. UQ offers a maximum of 5 rank adjustments across various admission schemes. You may be eligible for rank adjustments if you are:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Living or have lived in a rural or remote location
- Attending a school with a low ICSEA score
- Studying specific subjects in high school
Find out more about UQ’s admission schemes that award rank adjustments.
UQ also offers rank adjustments through QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme (EAS). You may be eligible for adjustments if your circumstances fit with one of the EAS categories:
- home environment and responsibilities (e.g. caring for a seriously ill family member)
- financial hardship
- school environment (e.g. regional or remote schooling)
- personal illness or disability
- English language difficulty.
You can apply for all categories relevant to you when submitting your QTAC application. If you apply for the ‘financial hardship’ category, you’ll also be considered for UQ’s Queensland Commitment Scholarship, which offers $7,000 per year and the maximum of 5 rank adjustments from UQ.
2. Apply for the UQ Undergraduate Law Admission Scheme (ULAS)
The UQ Undergraduate Law Admission Scheme, or ULAS, is an alternative entry pathway into law open to applicants from disadvantaged and/or culturally diverse backgrounds. It supports eligible Australian citizens and humanitarian visa holders who achieve a minimum unadjusted ATAR or selection rank of 90.00.
To be eligible to apply, you need to be in Year 12 or have done no more than one year of tertiary education and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
- be the first in your immediate family to attend university
- come from a low-income family. If relying on this criterion, you must also apply for QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme under the ‘financial hardship’ category.
Pro-tip: In 2026, there are up to 20 places for students applying through ULAS, so why not give it a go?
Did you know: You may also be eligible for the Law Leadership, Excellence and Diversity (LEAD) Scholarship. It’s possible to be the recipient of multiple scholarships at the same time.
3. Study a different program initially
If your ATAR isn’t high enough to get into law at UQ and you’re unable to boost it with rank adjustments or apply for the ULAS pathway, you might look at taking a tertiary studies pathway. This is where you enrol in and study a different program initially, so you can increase your eligibility to then enter the law program of your choice. Here are some options to consider.
Enter a UQ program that can be combined with law after a year of study
There are 8 different programs that can be studied as a dual with law at UQ, from arts and journalism to business and science. Those 8 programs all have a lower ATAR requirement than law. Commence in one of these as a single program. Then, if your grade point average (GPA – this is your university grades to date) is sufficient after a full-time year in this program, you can apply for the related dual program, adding law. You may receive credit towards the dual program for your first year of study.
For example, Miranda achieves an ATAR of 73. She decides to enrol in a Bachelor of Arts at UQ, which has an entry score of 70*. After studying the Bachelor of Arts for one year, Miranda has a GPA of 6, which converts into a selection rank of 99.20 – a competitive rank for the Bachelors of Arts / Laws (Honours), which has an entry score of 97.5*. Miranda applies through QTAC to transfer into the Bachelors of Arts / Laws (Honours) commencing her second year of study at UQ and speaks to an academic adviser about receiving credit towards her new program for her previous year of study.
*These are the lowest adjusted scores UQ made an offer to in Semester 1, 2026 for these programs. Entry score thresholds change each year. Check the program pages for the latest information.
Study any other UQ program for one year
If you wish to improve your rank for entry to law, consider completing one full-time year of bachelor studies in any program at UQ.
After successfully completing one year of study in any other bachelor’s degree, you can apply for the single Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program if your GPA is sufficient. You may receive credit for the study you’ve completed towards the general electives of your Bachelor of Laws (Honours). This means the duration of your program may be no longer than if you had started your law degree straight after school.
Did you know? Approximately one-third of UQ law students enter law after doing one year of arts, commerce or another dual degree partner program.
Study at another university
Studies undertaken at UQ are allocated more generous rankings than those allocated to tertiary studies from other universities. If you start an undergraduate program at another university and achieve a strong GPA during your first year of study, this can improve your selection rank. If your improved selection rank meets the required entry score, you can use this to apply for UQ’s law program.
View the tertiary studies selection rank information sheet (PDF, 83.99 KB) to see how you can use tertiary studies to calculate a selection rank.
Hear from a current law pathways student
Molly Tulip is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws (Honours) after commencing in the Bachelor of Arts. She shares her experience taking advantage of this pathway to law at UQ.
“I always knew I wanted to study law at UQ. The campus environment, the quality of teaching and the level of academic and student support reaffirmed that choice very early on.
“But my journey into the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) was not a direct one, and it didn’t look exactly how I initially imagined. I narrowly missed the required ATAR for direct entry. This was disappointing at the time but it also prompted me to consider alternative pathways.
"I chose to begin my studies in a Bachelor of Arts, seeing it as an opportunity to grow academically while still working towards my long-term goal of studying law at UQ.
“During that first year, I focused on adjusting to university study and maintaining a strong GPA, as I knew my GPA would be the primary measure when applying through QTAC the following year to transfer degrees. As I was already studying at UQ rather than another university, the GPA–selection rank conversion was favourable, which helped ease some of my uncertainty about the transfer process.
"At the end of the year, I was fortunate to be able to transfer into the Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws (Honours) double degree and carry my Arts credits across.
“I’ve never regretted taking a slightly longer route to get here. If anything, it has strengthened my resilience (something I have found is exceptionally important when studying law).
Taking this law pathway also allowed me to build confidence, develop effective study habits, and enter law feeling more prepared. Now, I’ll complete my Arts component earlier and be able to focus fully on law in my final years.
“My advice to students who don’t gain direct entry is to not see it as the end of the road. There is always another way into your dream degree. Pathways exist for a reason, and if you are willing to work for it, you will get there.”
Want more information about pathways to law at UQ or to discuss your options with a UQ student adviser?
