St Luke’s offers a traditional learning pathway where students engage in a number of elective subjects to obtain a traditional HSC qualification.  This will include a diverse range of offerings to cater for student interests and will include the opportunity for students to attain VET qualifications and possibly complete extension subjects. The selection of the type and number of courses can mean that students can choose to qualify to receive an ATAR, which is one of the methods to enter university study.  In order to receive an ATAR, a student must study 10 ATAR qualifying units in the HSC, including English. 

A report by the Mitchell Institute (2018) found that just one in four undergraduate students (in 2017) are admitted based on their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR), and that universities have been moving away from this system to measure student capability in recent years. 

Instead, they are turning to:

•  aptitude tests 

•  interviews 

•  portfolios 

•  auditions 

•  bridging courses 

•  bonus point schemes to determine whether a candidate is a good fit for a course. 

The report by the Mitchell Institute found 131,555 people did not go through the typical ATAR application process, up 9.1 per cent since 2016, and that:  

• 12 per cent had entered universities via a VET award course

• 26 per cent had entered universities via a Diploma award 

Alternative entry to university is now more common than ATAR entry, with 75% of students entering university doing so without an ATAR. 

Recently, the NSW Government has made changes to ATAR eligibility to give HSC students more flexibility to study vocational subjects that they are interested in and aspire to pursue post school. Students completing their HSC in 2025, are now able to study multiple VET courses which will all contribute to their ATAR calculation. To be eligible for an ATAR you must study 2 units of English. 

If you choose a NON-ATAR pathway you may also select additional subjects from the list of Board Endorsed Courses.