The second round of tertiary offers saw more than 13,778 courses offered to recent graduates and adult applicants pursuing higher education in 2025.
The second round of tertiary offers saw more than 13,778 courses offered to recent graduates and adult applicants pursuing higher education in 2025.
By Courtney Kruk
January 20, 2025 — 11.54am
Health workers, lawyers, bankers and engineers – these are the careers Queensland’s recent school-leavers are pursuing, according to the latest round of university offers.
The Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre (QTAC) confirmed 13,778 offers had been made for study in 2025, adding to more than 16,000 offers sent in December.
It brings the year-to-date admissions total to more than 47,100 – an 8.8 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024.
The University of Queensland was the most sought-after institution, claiming four of the five top preferences for courses.
Health remained a popular field of tertiary study across Queensland, with courses such as pharmacy, veterinary science, naturopathy and nursing making up 5838 of the offers delivered last week.
Engineering and arts also featured prominently.
QTAC acting chief executive Chris Veraa said demand for health courses had trended upwards since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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High school graduate Jessica Bellamy enrolled in a bachelor of clinical exercise physiology at the Queensland University of Technology this year.
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Despite only deciding on the course towards the end of year 12, the Toowoomba local said the opportunity to help others, be active and pursue an in-demand career “seemed like the perfect fit”.
“A career in exercise physiology would be very much based on my passion for exercise and helping others.
“It is also a career that is becoming more and more in demand as a greater focus is emerging in the health industry on prevention rather than treatment of disease.”
Jessica’s twin sister Sarah felt similar uncertainty about her next move, but had enrolled to study a bachelor of advanced science majoring in marine biology at James Cook University in Townsville.
“I’ve always had a passion for science and the marine environment, but only became certain that I wanted to pursue chemistry and marine science as a career after completing work experience at JCU’s marine science department in year 11,” she said.
“My choice of career is definitely based on my interests … additionally, these fields as well as other careers in environmental science are vital for the future in preserving our marine environment amid increasing climate change and pollution.”
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For Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan/Beaudesert, like the rest of the state, health was the top broad field. But in the inner city the most preferred field was management and commerce, including courses such as hospitality management, banking and finance.
“Demand for management and commerce courses remains strong in inner-city Brisbane, with proximity to institutions and business hubs offering students valuable opportunities for career development,” Veraa said.
More than 2 million workers in Queensland were projected to have a qualification in 2025.
Healthcare and social assistance continued to dominate projections, with one in five new jobs in Queensland in the field in 2024-25.
Growth in hospitality and retail occupations were also expected to grow as jobs lost during the pandemic returned.
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