UNDERSTANDING HOW ATAR WORKS AND HOW TO CALCULATE IT.
When new systems are introduced into the realms of education, it is natural for parents to be skeptical and need some answers to their questions. Will the changes be for the better, and will their child have a better chance at tertiary education in the future?
The following answers to some of the frequently asked questions may shed some light on the new system and give parents a better understanding of how ATAR works and how to calculate it.
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) ATAR is calculated alongside the NSW equivalent by the University Admissions Centre (UAC). Results are calculated on the basis of students’ achievement in the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate (ACT SSC). UAC treats all ACT and NSW students as one cohort and thus the two regions’ ATARs are exactly equivalent. The aggregate score is calculated as a sum of the student’s three best scores from major courses and 60% of the next best course.
ATAR is considered to be a much fairer system.
- Students are encouraged to work together. This teaches social communication and interpersonal skills.
- The students’ success is calculated in a system of internal and external exams.
- The new system does not allow systematic competition between schools.
- It prepares students for further education or for entry into the commercial world.
- In the event of a child changing schools, or moving from a particular area, the system moves with them as it is accepted throughout Australia.
- ATAR encourages qualities like independence, collaboration, self-reliance, self-belief, and a work ethic. The external paper ensures that the teacher does not have an influence on the final mark or content of the final exam.
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It was gradually introduced to most states and territories in 2009–10 and has since replaced the Universities Admission Index (in NSW and ACT), Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (in VIC), Tertiary Entrance Rank (in ACT, TAS, NT and SA) and the Overall Position (in QLD). It is a percentile ranking between 0.00 and 99.95 which shows students’ relative position compared to all other students in the age group of 16 to 20 years for that year. Though ATARs are calculated independently by each state, they are all considered equivalent. Since some students quit studying early or do not qualify for an ATAR in their state, the average ATAR amongst students who achieve one is 70.00. Admission to universities is granted based on the “selection rank” calculated by each university based on its own unique criteria. Selection ranks are a combination of ATAR and additional points based on universities’ own criteria used for selecting students such as a “personal statement, a questionnaire, a portfolio of work, an audition, an interview or a test”. Some universities also provide additional points on the basis of disadvantages such as for rural or Indigenous Australian applicants.
The ATAR rank provides an indication of the overall position of the student in relation to the student body for that year across the state. A higher ATAR gives preference to that student for the course to which they wish to enrol in a university of their choice. The ATAR is used by all Australian public universities via their respective state-level admissions centres:
- Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory,
- South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) in South Australia and the Northern Territory,
- Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) in Victoria,
- Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) in Western Australia,
- Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) in Queensland.