The ATAR

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is percentile-based with a maximum of 99.95. It provides a measure of overall academic achievement in the HSC for university course admission. University ATAR cutoff listings should be used only as an approximate guide as there are many variables such as fluctuations in student demand vs places available compared to the previous year.

While both HSC marks and ATARs are derived from raw examination marks and moderated school assessments, they are calculated separately and are different measures of achievement. 

HSC marks provide a measure of your performance against performance bands in each subject while ATAR is an overall rank.

Please note that some university courses have subject prerequisites and assumed knowledge, for example Maths Advanced and Physics are typically required or recommended for Bachelor of Engineering. You should research university course information and consult with the Career Adviser.

The ATAR will be based on an aggregate of scaled marks in ten units of NESA Developed courses comprising: 

• Your best two units of English and 

• Your best eight units from the remaining units