More than 600 ACT school-leavers have received an early offer to study at the Australian National University (ANU) through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) early January round.

ANU will make further offers in the UAC Main Round on Wednesday 21 January.

Future students still have time to change their preferences through the UAC any time before midnight on Wednesday 7 January.

Top ACT school-leavers who placed ANU as a first preference were considered for early offers.

Among them is Radford College graduate Richa Sharma.Richa has received an offer of a flexible double degree to study psychology and science.

“I studied physics, chemistry and biology at school and my biology teacher really furthered my interest in the human anatomy and studying the brain and social behaviours of humans, which I find really interesting,” she said.

“What I love about the flexible double degree is that you can do two degrees and it’ll only take you one year more than a regular degree, which I think is great.”

A Canberra local, Richa also says she can’t wait for O-Week (9-13) where she’ll be joining many of the University’s clubs and societies, including the Indian society called Ekta. Nationally, a total of 1,640 early offers were made by ANU to selected applicants for domestic places, up from the 1,411 offers made in the early January round in 2014.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young AO, said demand for places to study at ANU in 2015 were particularly strong, with first preference applications up seven per cent compared to 2014.

“The ANU continues to be the university of choice for talented young people from Canberra, across the nation and overseas,” Professor Young said.

In particular, demand for Flexible Double Degrees has increased with 767 offers made so far in 2015, up 24 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Applicants who applied to ANU through equity programs and alternative entry pathways such as the Partner Principal Recommendation have also received early offers.

ANU also made 358 offers to non-school-leavers in the September, October, November and December rounds of UAC.