Monday 16 December 2019

SACE and NTCET students receive their year 12 results tomorrow (Tuesday 17 December). Students planning to go on to uni study next year will also be waiting for their ATAR.

What is the ATAR?

The ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. It's a national ranking system that some university courses use to select applicants.

The ATAR is a rank showing how students perform in year 12 relative to other students in their year group. So, an ATAR of 70.00 means you ranked higher than 70% of students in your cohort.

We calculate your ATAR using the best scaled scores from 90 credits of SACE Stage 2 subjects. There are some rules about which subjects can count in the calculation, as well as some flexible options.

The ATAR isn't used to measure individual performance in your subjects. It's a comparative tool used to make impartial decisions about university offers.

How important is the ATAR?

It's worth remembering that the ATAR won't reflect all the skills and experience you have. It also won't define your future.

If you don't intend to go on to university study after school, then you don't need to be too concerned about the ATAR. Its usefulness is in ranking students for entry to uni courses.

If you do intend to go on to uni after school, ATAR isn't the only option. Each institution offers a variety of pathways to gain entry to their courses.

Selection ranks vs ATAR

SATAC uses 'selection rank', not ATAR, when describing entry ranks for courses. This is because the rank we use to create the merit order for offers may include more than your ATAR.

For example, a selection rank might include adjustments from the Universities Equity Scheme or the Universities Language, Literacy and Mathematics Scheme, or a combination of ATAR plus results from auditions, interviews or other criteria.

Selection ranks determine how 'competitive' you are relative to other applicants for the same course.

Your selection rank may be different to your ATAR. You can log into your SATAC application to check the selection rank for each of your preferences.

ATAR equivalents

The ATAR is a national system used by every state and territory except Queensland. ATARs are transferable to any other state or territory and remain the same.

Queensland students who receive an Overall Position (OP) will have their OP converted to an ATAR equivalent.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma students will receive a selection rank (equal to the ATAR) based on their IB points.

SATAC will assess any non-standard or overseas year 12 qualifications for eligibility.

Questions and advice

If you have questions about your ATAR or need advice about a SATAC application, you can contact us.

Our institutions can also provide advice and information about pathways to study.

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