What is an ATAR?

To gain direct entry into university when you leave college, you will normally have been awarded an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, commonly referred to as an ATAR.

How do I get an ATAR?

To be eligible for an ATAR used for university admission, you must have completed a T package, AND;

Have at least a minor course in an English A, M or T course.
Complete 20 standard semester units;
- 12.5 units MUST be 'T' units. You need to have at least 3 Majors from T courses.
- You need to reach 18 points (the remaining 5.5) that are made up on either 'A', 'C', 'M', 'E', 'H' or 'T' units.
- If you have the minimum number of T Majors (3) then one Minor course MUST be T.
Sit for the ACT Scaling Test (AST) in Year 12

Non-standard packages must be approved by the Principal or delegate and meet BSSS guidelines.

Are there other pathways into university?

Yes, there are alternatives into university that do not require an ATAR. Furthermore, different universities offer their own unique special programs that assist students to gain entry into a desired course. It is always best to consult a university on their admission program packages.

Given below are some alternatives which may be applicable to you:

TAFE (VET) into university - VET qualifications can be used to gain entry into many courses including Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Business. From the training you gain a qualification after your first year of study and it helps you to be sure you have chosen the right subject and career path before committing to a degree.

Foundation diplomas - A foundation diploma gets you started on university study without needing a high ATAR. However, you may need to do well on academic diagnostic tests to gain entry into the courses.

Tertiary preparation programs - Tertiary preparation programs are free or low-cost courses in which you can develop and demonstrate university academic ability. UC Connect is an example of a tertiary preparation program. Online universities will have assessments in place to test if you would make a good online student.

Recognition of prior learning - You can gain entry into degree courses by asking the university for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Prior learning consists of formal and informal education as well as relevant experience and is a common pathway for mature-age students.
- Formal education includes study towards university degrees and accredited diplomas and certificates.
- Informal education is structured education towards a qualification that is not officially recognised in Australia.
- Experience-based learning is gained through work and non-work activities and experiences.

There is not a ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL approach if you wish to head to university.

Make sure you see Fiona (Fiona.Chester@ed.act.edu.au) in Careers to discuss your options or you can visit the 'Careers & Work Experience' page for further information.

T package students who intend to receive an ATAR

How is your ATAR calculated?

Modified from the BSSS website

The main steps in the process are:

Step 1: Course scores

Colleges calculate a course score for each student in each T or H course from their best 80% unit scores. A course score indicates how well a student performed in a particular course compared to all other students in that course's scaling group at the college. A scaling group is the group of students completing T or H courses in a particular area such as English, Mathematics, etc.

Step 2: Scaling

So that scores from different scaling groups and colleges can be compared the course scores need to be placed on a common scale. In the ACT, a process called Other Course Score (OCS) scaling is used to adjust course scores to bring them to a mean and standard deviation related to the student's performance in their best 4 course scores and the ACT Scaling Test (AST).

Step 3: Using scaled scores to produce an Aggregate Score

Once course scores are scaled, they can be added to form an Aggregate Score. The Aggregate Score is the number produced by adding the best three scaled scores from major courses, and 0.6 of the next best course score (either major or minor).

Step 4: Calculating the ATAR

The Aggregate Scores for all students who have met the requirements are listed in order from highest to lowest. This ranking is then converted to an age rank (ATAR) by using a table supplied by the NSW Technical Committee on Scaling. This gives a rank for ACT students as if they were part of the NSW age cohort.

The ATAR calculated in the ACT is therefore directly comparable to the ATAR calculated in NSW and the same entrance cutoffs at NSW and ACT universities apply to both NSW and ACT students. If you are applying to interstate universities, state admission centres will use the ATAR for entry to their universities. This means that interstate applicants will be able to directly compare their ranks with university entrance cut-offs irrespective of their state of origin.

Click on the image to visit the ATAR Calculator website.

Please note this is only an estimation. Make sure you take the opportunity to chat with Gerard and David early in Year 12.

For more details on ATARs, please visit the BSSS's website.

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