ATAR

 Universities choose students for their courses by ranking them in order of their HSC results.  This rank – the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, or ATAR, is calculated by including the marks achieved in a student’s best 10 Board Developed HSC units.  

ATAR eligibility and calculation from 2025

THE Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) welcomes the announcement from the NSW Government that the current system of classifying HSC courses as either Category A or Category B will be abolished.

This will mean that, from 2025, more vocational (VET) courses can contribute to a student’s ATAR.

To be eligible for an ATAR in NSW, you must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of HSC courses. These courses must include at least:

• 10 units of Board Developed courses

• 2 units of English

• three Board Developed courses of 2 units or greater

• four subject areas.

Your ATAR is then calculated from your:

• best 2 units of English

• best 8 units from your remaining units.

Although eligibility for an ATAR requires completion of at least four subject areas, the aggregate may be based on fewer subject areas; for example, English Advanced, English Extension 1 and Extension 2, Mathematics Extension 1 and Extension 2, and one other 2-unit course. You must still satisfactorily complete at least four subject areas to be eligible for an ATAR. 

VET COURSES - Subject to change

• Accounting*

• Automotive (240 hours)#

• Business Services – Office Administration (240 hours)#

• Construction (240 hours)#

• Electrotechnology(240 hours)#

• Entertainment Industry (240 hours)#

• Financial Services (240 hours)#

• Hospitality (240 hours)#

• Human Services (240 hours) #

• Information & Digital Technology (240 hours)#

• Metal and Engineering (240 hours)#

• Primary Industries (240 hours)#

• Retail Services (240 hours)#

• Tourism, Travel and Events (240 hours)#

Notes:

*   This is a Board Developed course delivered by TAFE.

#  These are 240 hour Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses.  An optional written examination will be offered for the HSC.

If students want the results from these courses to be available for inclusion in the calculation of their ATAR, they must undertake the optional written examination.

More information: https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/subject-compass