Maryborough school leaver Brennah Goodall is not stressing about the release this Saturday of her OP score – she’s already on her way to becoming a clinical psychologist.

The St Mary’s College student found out in the final week of Year 12 in mid-November that she had a place in USC’s Bachelor of Psychology(Honours).

Brennah is among 750 school leavers from 105 different Queensland schools who gained early and guaranteed offers to USC degrees before receiving their Year 12 results and Overall Position (OP) scores which determine university entry.

The popularity of the scheme is growing, with an increase of almost 40 percent in applicants from 2017 and a 24 percent jump in the number of participating schools in the past two years.

“Going through Year 12 you tend to focus on your OP as the be-all and end-all, and you worry if you do not get the score you need you simply will not get into the course you want,” said Brennah.

“I am really passionate about Psychology and while I am confident I will get the OP score required, knowing that I already have a spot is such a relief.

“Now everyone is sitting around worrying about what their OP scores will be and I am already enrolled and planning my move to the Sunshine Coast to study at the Sippy Downs campus next year.”

Three other students from St Mary’s who received early offers will study closer to home at USC’s Fraser Coast campus next year. Jesse Poulter will study Tourism, Leisure and Event Management while Lilly Kokkin and Bryelle Erntner have enrolled in Nursing Science.

USC’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen Nelson said the Early Offer Guarantee scheme helped students have security around their future before finishing school.

"To be eligible for the program students need to complete any prerequisite subjects for their chosen program, ensure their academic performance and potential is in line with the OP or rank required, and have the endorsement of their school,” she said.

Professor Nelson expects interest in early offers to grow with the introduction of Australian Tertiary Admission Rank to replace the OP system, starting with Year 11 students in 2019.

Applications are still open to study at USC in 2019.

— Clare McKay