RoSA, HSC and ATAR

The NSW Education Standards Authority issues the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school BEFORE completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The RoSA is a cumulative credential, meaning it contains a student’s record of academic achievement up until the date they leave school. This could be between the end of Year 10 up until and including some results from Year 12.

The RoSA is useful to students leaving school prior to the HSC because they can show it to potential employers or places of further learning.

Students must satisfactorily complete the Preliminary (Year 11) course before commencing the corresponding Year 12 course.

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the culmination of a student’s school career and is the highest educational award that can be achieved at secondary school in NSW.

The HSC reports student achievement in terms of a standard achieved in individual courses and presents a profile of student achievement across a broad range of subjects

All courses in the HSC have a unit value.

Most courses are 2 units which equates to 120 hours of study and a HSC result out of 100

Some courses are 1 unit. This is equivalent to 60 hours of study and a HSC result out of 50

Many 1 unit courses are extension courses, enabling 3 or 4 units of a subject to be studied

The ATAR is a rank, not a mark.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student’s position relative to all the students.

Universities use the ATAR to help them select students for their courses and admission to most tertiary courses is based on your selection rank (your ATAR + any applicable adjustments). Most universities also use other criteria when selecting students (eg a personal statement, a questionnaire, a portfolio of work, an audition, an interview or a test).

The average ATAR is usually around 70.00.

If every school student went on to achieve an ATAR, the average ATAR would be 50.00. But because some students leave school early and the ones who stay on to receive an ATAR are a smaller, more academically able group, the average ATAR is higher.

ATARs are calculated in each state to reflect a student’s rank against other students in their state. In NSW, the ATAR is calculated and released by UAC. In the ACT, it’s calculated by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies, in consultation with UAC, and released by schools. NSW and ACT ATARs are equivalent to those in other states. For example, an ATAR of 85.00 in NSW or the ACT is equivalent to an ATAR of 85.00 in other states.