Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a percentile ranking of a student’s overall achievement out of all potential Year 12 school students for a particular state.
It is the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university programs in Australia and provides a measure of a student’s overall academic achievement in relation to that of other students, helping universities rank applicants for selection into their courses.
Different universities and courses have different ATAR requirements for admission. Highly competitive courses, such as medicine or law, typically require a high ATAR, often above 90 or even 95.
Australian universities and universities around the world including New Zealand, Malaysia, Canada, United Kingdom, USA and many other European countries.
Calculation
The calculation of the ATAR is a complex process, but it is the fairest system which allows students to undertake the studies they want and enables tertiary institutions to compare students who have completed different combinations of higher secondary studies. The use of the ATAR ensures that all studies are treated equally and provides students & Universities with a common score for tertiary selection across Australia.
Each state has a different way of calculating the ATAR for students who have completed secondary schooling in that state, however an ATAR of 80 in one state/territory is considered equivalent to an ATAR of 80 in other.
ATAR scores are weighted and some secondary school subjects are scaled higher than others. The “hard” sciences (physics/chemistry), mathematics and extension subjects can contribute to higher ATAR scores – if one does well in them. “Softer” practical subjects do not rate as highly and it is quite possible to do exceptionally well in drama or visual arts, for example, but still end up with a low ATAR.
ATAR and Undergraduate Admissions
Applications for most undergraduate courses for Australians are processed through the tertiary admissions centre in each state. ATAR is used by university and tertiary education programs as a clear and intuitive ranking to select prospective applicants for their programs, though other means may be used in combination (such as the UMAT for undergraduate-entry medical studies, or interviewing candidates that meet an ATAR score threshold).
How International Students are Affected
International students who wish to apply for university in Australia often need to meet specific entry requirements, which may include an ATAR equivalent. For example, some universities may ask for qualifications like the International Baccalaureate (IB) or A-Level results, and these can be converted to an ATAR-equivalent score.
International students should check the specific entry requirements for their chosen course or institution to see how their qualifications compare to the ATAR system.