Your step-by-step guide
Everything you need to know about applying for Macquarie Leaders and Achievers.
Preparing your application
Choose the activities that best demonstrate the leadership requirements. For each activity, provide:
- the activity and organisation name
- an outline of your tasks and responsibilities (max 500 characters)
- the time committed to the activity, including either
- number of days (for a one-off activity), or
- hours per week and number of months (for a longer-term activity).
You must provide a school referee (eg principal, careers adviser or year adviser), plus referees for each of your activities.
- Gather each referee’s name, position, phone number and email address.
- Let them know that Macquarie University may contact them.
- Make sure all referee contact details are correct.
- Supplementary written references are not required.
Explain the skills and qualities you’ve developed, how you’ve grown personally or made a positive impact on others, and how you’ll apply what you’ve learned at Macquarie (maximum 1000 characters).
When preparing your response, consider:
- what you learned about yourself
- the challenges you faced and how you overcame them
- how these experiences will shape your approach to studying at Macquarie
- the impact your involvement has had on individuals or the wider community
- the impact you hope to make within the Macquarie community.
Use a personal email address when applying, not your school email address. Once submitted, you should receive a confirmation email from us. Check your email regularly for updates on your application.
Special requirements
- If you’re studying the IB or completing a compressed HSC curriculum, you must upload your Year 11 results as part of your application.
- If you’re applying for the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies or one of its double degrees, you must be undertaking HSC Mathematics Extension 1, IB Higher Level Mathematics or ACT Specialist Mathematics/Specialist Methods (double major).
- If you’re applying for the Bachelor of Marketing and Media, you must be undertaking Standard or higher-level Year 11 English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
Application tips and FAQs
Practical advice to help you submit a strong application.
New South Wales HSC (or interstate equivalent)
If you’re undertaking the New South Wales HSC (or interstate equivalent), your Year 11 results will be accessed via the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), or the equivalent interstate authority.
If you’re undertaking the NSW HSC as part of a compressed curriculum model, you must upload your Year 11 results with your application. Results must be provided by the closing date for the corresponding round you’re applying for.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
If you’re undertaking the International Baccalaureate (IB), you must upload your Year 11 results with your application. Results must be provided by the closing date for the corresponding round you’re applying for.
You may only include activities undertaken during Year 11 and/or Year 12. However, activities started earlier may still be included if they continued during this time.
There is no overall cap on the number of students who can receive an offer through this scheme. However, some courses have limited places due to government, legal or other logistical restraints (eg clinical placements).
Yes. Receiving an offer through Macquarie Leaders and Achievers doesn’t prevent you from receiving offers through other entry schemes, such as the Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS).
Your reflection should explain how your activities have shaped your goals, values and interest in studying at Macquarie, as well as the contribution you hope to make to the University community.
You may wish to reflect on:
- challenges you’ve overcome
- skills or qualities you’ve developed
- the impact you’ve had on others or your community
- how your experiences connect to your future goals
- how you hope to contribute at Macquarie.
If you receive an error message after the Leadership and Community Activity section, your application may include special characters that the system doesn’t accept.
Review your responses and ensure the following requirements are met.
For the organisation name and tasks/responsibilities fields, you can use:
- English alphabet letters (A–Z) and numbers (0–9)
- the following special characters only: ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/
These characters must be typed manually, not copied and pasted. We recommend you prepare your submission using Windows Notepad, Apple TextEdit or another plain text editor.
For referee details, including the name and position fields, you must:
- begin each entry with either an apostrophe or a valid uppercase letter (A-Z).
You can update some parts of your application after submission, such as your personal details, but not your course preferences or activity responses.
Course preferences
Once your application is submitted, your course preferences can’t be changed, so make sure you carefully consider the courses you’d like to study and list them in your preferred order.
Leadership and community activities
Make sure you’re happy with your responses before submitting your application, as you won’t be able to change them afterwards.
Late submissions
Applications submitted after the closing date won’t be accepted.
We recommend accepting your offer within two weeks of receiving it. Accepting your offer doesn’t lock you into that course – it simply secures your place. You can still receive and accept other offers through UAC or other early entry programs.
Enrolling in your course
We recommend only enrolling once you’re confident about which course you’d like to study.
Do my Year 12 results affect my offer?
Offers are based on the information provided in your application, so your ATAR or final Year 12 results won’t change the outcome.
However, as a condition of your offer, you must successfully complete Year 12 in 2026 – including any required examinations or assessments – and receive your Year 12 qualification or International Baccalaureate (IB).