Australian Tertiary Admission Rank

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A brief description of how the ATAR works How the ATAR Works.png
A brief description of how the ATAR works

The "Australian Tertiary Admission Rank" (ATAR) for all "intrastate" "domestic students" (Australian or New Zealand citizens or Australian permanent resident), or the ATAR-based "Combined Rank" (CR) for all "interstate" or "International Baccalaureate" (IB) or "overseas-HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate)" holder "domestic students", is the primary criteria for determining the "Selection Rank" (SR) for the admission into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. ATAR & CR are not used for the admission into postgraduate courses. The "Domestic Students" (DS) are the students who are Australian or New Zealand citizen, or Australian permanent residents, or the holder of long-term refugee visa. All others are considered "International Students" (IS). ATAR & CR are not applicable to the international students as they must apply directly to each university separately and their SR is calculated by the university. ATAR is calculated by each state or territory's own state-level " Tertiary Admission Center " (TAC) for all domestic students studying within their geographical limits and it is used for admission within that state or territory where the student obtained HSC. "Combined Rank" (CR) is calculated by "Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres" (ACTAC) to establish national-level equivalency of ATAR across all states and territories of Australia and New Zealand by using a conversion table. CR is needed for the domestic students who wish to apply interstate, i.e. they obtained the HSC in one state and want to enroll in the university in another state ("Intrastate Domestic Student" or IntraDS), or those domestic students who did not go to Australian state's school board but instead studied in IB school in Australia or overseas ("IB Domestic Student" or IBDS), or the domestic students who completed their HSC or equivalent qualification overseas ("Overseas Domestic Student" or ODS), or the Australian citizens who apply to universities in New Zealand (" Australian Domestic Students in New Zealand " or ADSNZ). CR is also used by the public universities in New Zealand for granting admission to Australian citizens (Australian PR and Australian refugee visa holders are excluded), as Australian citizens are considered domestic students in New Zealand under the reciprocal arrangement. "Interstate Domestic Students" must apply to the TAC of their respective state. "Intrastate Domestic Students" (IntraDS) or "Overseas Domestic Students" (ODS) must apply to the TAC of each of the state they wish to apply to, and TAC will use the ACTAC conversion table to calculate the "Combined Rank". The "Selection Rank" (SR) is calculated by each University separately based on the ATAR or CR as well as the additional points for university's unique criteria such as "a personal statement (application essay), a questionnaire, a portfolio of work, an audition, an interview or a test" or leadership and high performance, as well as special considerations such as lack of access to education and other disadvantages e.g. rural, Indigenous Australian or financially suffering applicants. ATAR is, not a mark or the score in the HSC, but a "percentile ranking" between 0.00 and 99.95 which shows the student’s relative position compared to all other students in the range of 16 to 20 years old who have completed their HSC exams in that state in any year. Higher ATAR is better, e.g. ATAR of 80 for a student means that the particular student is ranked in the 20th percentile range and 19% of other ATAR-eligible students are ranked higher than him and 80% of other ATAR-eligible students are ranked below him. ATAR for a specific year, is not based only on the students who passed the HSC within that year. ATAR for a specific year is calculated by including all the domestic students who are between the age of 16 to 20 in that year and have passed the HSC within that state in any year (current year as well as previous years). While calculating the ATAR for a specific year, the following types of students are not given an ATAR rank, the 16-20 years old students who quit studying or did not pass the HSC, or who passed but are below the age of 16 (they will be included in the ATAR calculation in future years when they reach 16), or who passed but are above the age of 20. Due to these exclusions, the average ATAR is 70, without these exclusions the average ATAR would be 50. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

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 "Tertiary Admissions Centers" (TAC), which are the unified admission center for all the universities within that state or territory. [9] These bodies then allocate positions for the tertiary institutions in their relevant states. Private universities, with the exception of Bond University, [10] do not primarily consider the ATAR and students must apply directly. The list of state-level TACs are as follows:

History

Introduction of ATAR

In June 2009, the Federal Minister for Education Julia Gillard announced the removal of all state-level university entrance scores and the introduction of a national Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) for Year 12 students of 2009 within the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, and for the rest of the country, excluding Queensland, in 2010. [11] The ATAR was introduced to unify the university entrance system in Australia, where previously each state or territory had its own individual system (UAI in ACT/NSW, TER in SA/NT/WA/TAS, ENTER in Victoria). In 2020, Queensland switched to the ATAR as the primary tertiary entrance pathway, replacing the Overall Position (OP). [12]

2016 ATAR error

In 2016, a computer error allowed 2075 students to receive their ATAR score five days earlier than they were supposed to be announced. The external SMS provider for VCAA, Salmat Digital, created an error that allowed students to receive their results by texting VCAA and requesting their scores to be sent to them on the expected release date. This sparked outrage from parents of students who did not receive their scores, citing that they considered it "unfair", [13] as well as concern about some students receiving their results before they were equipped to deal with them (particularly with regards to counselling).

Calculating the ATAR

In all states, the ATAR is a percentile given between 0.00 and 99.95 which compares a student's performance in senior secondary with that of their peers. For example, an ATAR of 99.00 would indicate that the recipient performed better than 99% of their peers. "Peers" is not the body of students receiving an ATAR that year, but a notional body of persons who might have qualified to receive an ATAR – as a result, the median ATAR score is generally around 70.00. For example, the median ATAR score for 2014 was 68.95. [14] Since 2020, all jurisdictions have used a one-parameter cubic spline model to convert their aggregate scores into percentiles. [15] [16] In most states, when a student achieves an ATAR between 0.00 and 30.00, their notification will only indicate an ATAR of "30 or less".

Though there are differences in how each state calculates the ATAR, they are all primarily based on the student's scaled subject results. Scaling is a process that is performed by all states which align student results along a common axis such that the same score in two subjects equates with the same level of achievement. In this way, students are not disadvantaged by taking difficult subjects where the average achievement is lower. Theoretically, this ensures that the ATARs between students are comparable even when they took a different combination of courses. Despite this, in a 2018 survey, 35.8% of HSC students said they chose one or more subjects because they believed it would help them achieve a higher ATAR. [17]

Victoria

The Victorian ATAR (formerly ENTER) is calculated by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) using student results provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). VTAC will combine the student's results into an "aggregate" which is a sum of selected (scaled) results from eligible subjects:

The Victorian aggregates, which can range from 0 to over 210 (in exceptional cases), are then mapped to percentiles for conversion to an ATAR. Students must pass an English subject in order to qualify for an ATAR as well as the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). [18] The primary four results must be taken from VCE or Vocational Education and Training (VET) Units 3 and 4 sequences, while the increments can also include other results, such as interstate study or university extension studies. There are also other rules, such as only two studies from the same subject area can contribute to the "primary 4". For example, if the student completed Unit 3/4 for all General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, and Specialist Mathematics, the one with the lowest study score must be an increment, even if the score is higher than all other studies outside of mathematics. [19]

The group of students with the highest aggregates will be assigned the highest ATAR of 99.95. ATARs below 30.00 are reported as "less than 30" on printed ATAR statements, however the actual ATAR is available online. [20]

New South Wales

The shift to ATAR means that the ranks of most students receiving a UAI would increase by a small amount (although this would not present as any advantage as cutoffs would subsequently increase), while the maximum rank in NSW/ACT would change from a UAI of 100 to an ATAR of 99.95. [21]

The New South Wales ATAR is calculated by the University Admission Centre (UAC) using student results achieved in the Higher School Certificate (HSC). The marks included in the calculation can be accumulated over five years. Subjects are scaled such that "the scaled mean in a course is equal to the average academic achievement of the course candidature where, for individual students, the measure of academic achievement is taken as the average scaled mark in all courses completed". [15] The aggregate is a sum of scaled marks in 10 units of eligible courses:

Students will achieve the highest possible aggregate given their results. The aggregates will be mapped to percentiles and given to students on their ATAR Advice Notice. [15]

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. [22]

Queensland

Queensland transitioned from the Overall Position (OP) to ATAR in 2019, with the 2020 cohort being the first to graduate through the ATAR system. When the OP was still in place, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) used a scaling method known as the "Queensland Core Skills Test". Since the introduction of the ATAR, Queensland now uses inter-scaling methods used by other states. [16] ATAR can be calculated from any of the following combinations of results:

Like in New South Wales, students will be awarded on the basis of the combination ensuring the maximum final percentile. Students must pass an English subject in order to receive their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and thus qualify for an ATAR, but their English result does not necessarily need to be included in the calculation of their ATAR. [23]

Tasmania

Since Tasmania has only one university, the University of Tasmania (UTAS), there is no state-wide admissions body. Students' results from the Office of Tasmanian Assessments, Standards and Certification (TASC) are provided directly to the university for calculation of scaling and ATARs. UTAS uses a polytomous Rasch model to scale course results. [24] Students who qualify for the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) are automatically awarded an ATAR if they also pass four or more courses at the pre-tertiary level (Level 3 or 4). Unlike in other states and territories, students do not need to pass an English course to qualify for a TCE or ATAR, though they must demonstrate an adult level of reading, writing and communication through another subject or through a safety net test. Most students who qualify for an ATAR will have completed an English course anyway, since pre-tertiary English is required for the majority of university entry.

The Tasmania ATAR is calculated from a Tertiary Entrance Score (TES), which is the sum of a student's scaled results in their five best pre-tertiary subjects. Three of these subjects must come from the student's final year of study (Year 12 or 13), and students may only count scores from two years of their study, even if they have taken a Year 13. Other subjects, such as selected University Connections Program (UCP) and High Achiever Program (HAP) units, may also contribute to a student's ATAR. Since UCP and HAP units are only one semester long, only 8/15 of the scaled score may be counted towards the ATAR. The other 7/15 may come from any other subject but is generally chosen from the alternative semester UCP/HAP unit. [24]

Western Australia

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) is responsible for the calculation of students' ATARs in Western Australia. TISC does not require that students complete an English subject, though they must demonstrate literary competency through their Year 9 NAPLAN results or an Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA). [25] TISC derives an ATAR percentile from a student's Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA), which is calculated as a sum of the student's best four scaled subjects out of their Year 12 ATAR subjects over up to five consecutive years. [26] Students may additionally count 10% of their score in any of the following subjects:

The maximum TEA is 430. Mature age students may also receive a Mature Age Tertiary Entrance Aggregate, which only incorporates a student's best two subjects as well as 10% of any of the above subjects. [25] The TEA is converted to an ATAR percentile using the cubic spline model. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in New South Wales and some ACT schools in Australia, as well as some international schools in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. It was first introduced in 1967, with the last major revision coming into effect in 2019. It is currently developed and managed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Certificate of Education</span> School qualification offered in Victoria, Australia

The Victorian Certificate of Education is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria as well as in some international schools in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The VCE is the predominant choice for students wishing to pursue tertiary education. An alternative to VCE is the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), a vocational based senior secondary school qualification. About 67% of all 19-year-olds in Victoria had completed the VCE in 2020, compared to about 11% of students completing the VCAL. A small number of government secondary schools, and a somewhat larger number of private schools, offer the IB Diploma Programme as an alternative.

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia.

The Universities Admission Index (UAI) was used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, as the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs. It was a number between 0 and 100, occurring in increments of 0.05 and indicating the rounded percentile rank of a student who undertook the Higher School Certificate or ACT Year 12 Certificate with a valid quantity and combination of units of study. It was replaced in N.S.W with the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in 2009. Prior to the UAI the ACT used its own Tertiary Entrance Rank

University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.

The Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) was the national Australian tertiary entrance rank, administered by Universities Australia. It was a percentile ranking, designed to simplify the comparison of entrance levels for students educated in different processes of admission for university applicants from interstate. It was replaced by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank from 2010.

The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) was a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states, the ACT and the Northern Territory as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. As of 2010, it has been replaced by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in all states and territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre</span>

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the administrative body that processes tertiary course applications for universities in the state of Victoria, Australia. Incorporated in 1967, it has offices located at South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is a member of the Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (ACTAC).

The Overall Position (OP) was a tertiary entrance rank used in Queensland, Australia to guide selection into universities. Like similar systems used throughout the rest of Australia, the OP shows how well a student has performed in their senior secondary studies compared with all other OP-eligible students in Queensland. The system was introduced in 1992 and ended with the 2019 cohort.

The Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) was the standard academic examination for secondary students completing their twelfth year of schooling in Western Australia during the early twenty-first century. The exam results were used to determine the Tertiary Entrance Rank and the Tertiary Entrance Score. These metrics were used to determine eligibility for entrance to the tertiary institutions in the state.

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) is a group of three scholastic aptitude tests used for admission into undergraduate programs at Australian universities, for students without a recent Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Some universities require STAT testing for admission to particular programs or courses. The Australian Council for Educational Research designs the examinations. The central tertiary admissions centre in each Australian state and territory and the University of Tasmania administer the STAT examinations.

The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the credential awarded to students who have completed senior secondary education (Year 11 and Year 12) in the state of Western Australia. It is the Western Australian graduation certificate of the Australian Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. Students are required to meet various breadth and depth requirements, achievement standards and literacy and numeracy standards across their final years of schooling. As of the 2020 WACE, there are 106 courses available for students to study. Many WACE students are awarded an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), summarising their results across all areas of study into one ranking for the purposes of university admission. Students may choose from ATAR courses, which count directly towards their ATAR, Vocational Education and Training courses, which are more practical courses and can lead to further vocational opportunities, and, from 2021, General courses, which provide pathways to university, employment, or further vocational education and training. From 2010, the WACE replaced the Tertiary Entrance Exam (TEE), as the standard academic examination for school leavers in Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre</span> Non-profit tertiary admissions organisation in Queensland, Australia

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) is a non-profit organisation that provides undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary entry and application services for 17 major universities and tertiary education institutions in Queensland and northern New South Wales. QTAC is funded entirely by student application fees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority</span> Statutory authority responsible for curriculum and assessment in Victoria, Australia

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is a statutory authority of the Victoria State Government responsible for the provision of curriculum and assessment programs for students in Victoria, Australia. The VCAA is primarily accountable to the Victorian Minister for Education. It is also responsible to the Minister for Training and Skills and the Minister for Families and Children in relation to sections of Part 2.5 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tertiary education in Australia</span>

Tertiary education in Australia is formal education beyond high school in Australia, consisting of both government and private institutions and divided into two sectors; Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) provided by government-owned TAFEs & private Registered Training Organisations (RTO). Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the Australian national education policy, classifies tertiary qualification into 10 levels: level 1 to 4 undergraduate certificates; level 5 & 6 undergraduate diploma and advanced diploma; level 6 associate degree; level 7 bachelor degree, level 8 honors bachelor's degree & graduate certificates and graduate diplomas; level 9 for master's degree; level 10 PhD and post doctoral studies. Most universities are government owned and mostly self-regulated. For other institutes there are two national regulators for tertiary education for registration, recognition and quality assurance of both the "provider institutes" as well as the "individual courses" provided by the providers. Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) regulates institutes which provide education from level 5 or above. Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates institutes which provide education from level 1 to level 6.

Bored of Studies is an Australian website targeted at students in New South Wales and Victoria. It is prominent among students for its Student Assessment Modeller that calculates approximate Australian Tertiary Admission Rank or Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank results, and for hosting study notes for the New South Wales Higher School Certificate courses. An extensive student community has evolved around its forum, which is frequented by school students, teachers and a growing number of university students. The site's name is a parody of the NSW Board of Studies, the former governing organisation for the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universities Admissions Centre</span>

The Universities Admissions Centre is an organisation that processes applications for admission to tertiary education courses, mainly at institutions in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. A not-for-profit company incorporated in July 1995, it has offices located at Sydney Olympic Park.

The Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) is the graduation certificate awarded to most students in Australian high schools, and is equivalent to the Advance Placement in North America and the GCE A-Levels of the United Kingdom. Students completing the SSCE are usually aged 16 to 18 and study full-time for two years. In some states adults may gain the certificate through a Technical and Further Education college or other provider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tertiary Institutions Service Centre</span>

The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) is the administrative body that processes tertiary course applications for universities and other tertiary institutions in the state of Western Australia. It is a member of the Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (ACTAC).

References

  1. ↑ "What is an ATAR?". VCE Me. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Australian Tertiary Admission Rank". University Admissions Centre. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "ATAR 2020 - QTAC". www.qtac.edu.au. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "OP score to go in Queensland in 2018; replaced by Australian Tertiary Admission Rank system". 25 August 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Know ATAR" . Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  6. ↑ UAC ATAR explainer, UAC, accessed 5 may 2023.
  7. ↑ University entrance for IB students, ibaustralasia.org, accessed 5 may 2023.
  8. ↑ IB studies and combined rank, qtac.edu.au, accessed 5 may 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "University entrance". Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification. n.d. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Undergraduate admissions criteria". Bond University. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "ACT adopts national student ranking system". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  12. ↑ Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. "Tertiary entrance: ATARs and OPs". www.qcaa.qld.edu.au. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Rania Spooner, Henrietta Cook, Bianca Hall and Timna Jacks (8 December 2016). "Fear and worry as VCE results are issued days early". The Age. Retrieved 26 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ According to the Universities Admissions Centre which administers ATAR-based tertiary entry for NSW and the ACT. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. 1 2 3 Report on the Scaling of the 2019 NSW Higher School Certificate (PDF). Online: University Admissions Centre. 2019. pp. 4–6.
  16. 1 2 Inter-Subject Scaling: An Introduction (PDF). Online: Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre. 2020. pp. 9–12.
  17. ↑ "Gaming the ATAR - huge numbers of school kids are trying to do it". Australian Financial Review. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "About VCE results and ATAR". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "VTAC ATAR and Scaling Guide 2023". www.vtac.edu.au. VTAC. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "What is an ATAR score & How is it Calculated?". Deakin University. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  21. ↑ Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) - UAC Archived 12 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ "Scaling and the ATAR". Australian Capital Territory Board of Senior Secondary Studies. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Calculating the ATAR in Queensland (PDF). Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre. 2020.
  24. 1 2 Understanding the ATAR (PDF). Online: Office of Tasmanian Assessments, Standards and Certification. 2019. pp. 19–23.
  25. 1 2 WACE Manual 2020 (PDF). Online: School Curriculum and Standards Authority. 2020. pp. 110–1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Australian Tertiary Admission Rank". Tertiary Institutions Service Centre, Western Australia. Tertiary Institutions Service Centre. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  27. ↑ Marks Adjustment Process (PDF). Online: Tertiary Institutions Service Centre. 2019. p. 5.
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