Megan Watson (SUN student) Ana Stevenson (SUN Student Mentor) and James Hancock (SUN Student) at the weekend's SUN Orientation.More than 40 high school students from across Australia, including the Northern Territory and New South Wales, will begin studying courses through Central Queensland University (CQU) while still in school this year.

Many of these students attended university orientation sessions this weekend at CQU campuses.

SUN Student Mentor Ana Stevenson said orientation provided students with skills in assignment writing, tips on managing time, effective study skills and coping with stress, as well as advice on how to use CQU's online learning system and the CQU Library.

"As their student mentor, I have been calling all the SUN students on the phone and meeting them at schools to help their transition between school learning and university learning. I've answered questions and helped students with some essential information about uni life," Miss Stevenson said.

"The students have all been excited about commencing their studies at CQU, and eager to attend the orientation sessions."

The SUN program encourages students in years 10, 11 and 12 to undertake individual university courses to start their university career and possibly graduate early.

"This year's new students will be studying a variety of courses, the most popular of which have been education and science courses," Miss Stevenson explained.

(Front) Megan Watson (SUN student), Ana Stevenson (SUN CQU Student Mentor), James Hancock (SUN Student), Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Education staff members Mark Sinclair and Stephen Butler.CQU courses successfully completed will contribute toward a student's Year 12 senior certificate and may be credited towards a university degree after high school.

If a student passes all their courses and meets all the prerequisites, they can be guaranteed entry into a CQU undergraduate degree related to their SUN courses.

Students are eligible to enrol in up to 4 courses while at high school. Courses are offered both on-campus for face-to-face teaching and online for convenience.

 "One of the many benefits of being a SUN student is that you can access tertiary education at a more affordable rate than if you waited until after Year 12 and entered through the OP system."

For more information about the SUN program and how you can benefit from these affordable university courses contact CQU on 1300 360 444 or visit the website www.cqu.edu.au/sun .