What is an ATAR and how does it work?
What is an ATAR?
The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is a ranking of a student’s Year 12 results, from 0.00 – 99.95, compared to all other Australian students completing their VCE in that same year. For example, if you receive an ATAR of 80.00, it means you performed as well or better than approximately 80% of the student cohort.
An ATAR helps universities and TAFEs to compare the achievements of students and is sometimes a factor in course admissions. An ATAR is different to a study score.
Who gets an ATAR?
To be eligible for an ATAR, you need to get study scores in at least four Units 3 and 4 VCE subjects, including at least one English subject.
Estimate your score using our ATAR Calculator
What is scaling?
Study scores are the results you receive for each individual VCE subject, compared to other students who completed the same subject that year. Your study score can either be raw (between 0 – 50) or scaled (between 0.00 – 55.00).
A raw study score is just how well you performed in a subject compared to other students that completed the same subject that year. A scaled score, however, comes from the raw score being adjusted to reflect how academically competitive the subject cohort was.
For example, students in subject cohorts such as Physics or Specialist Maths tend to perform very strongly academically, so these subjects are scaled up. Subjects whose cohorts perform less strongly are often scaled down. For example, a raw study score of 35 in Specialist Maths might be scaled to 40, while a raw study score of 35 in another subject might scale to 33. Scaling reflects the academic competitiveness of each subject cohort. This doesn’t mean that some subjects are easier or harder than others, it just ensures students are not advantaged or disadvantaged based on their subject choice.
How is the ATAR calculated?
In Victoria, an ATAR is calculated by VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) after they complete the VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education).
An ATAR will be between 0.00 – 99.95. This number is based on your scaled study scores from the top four subjects that score the highest (including at least one English subject), plus 10 percent of their fifth and sixth subjects.
These scores are added together and form an aggregate, which is then converted to an ATAR. The aggregate needed for a particular ATAR changes from year to year depending on your cohort’s results. For ATAR release dates, offer rounds and other key dates, visit the VTAC webpage.
What is selection rank?
A selection rank is the number that universities use when deciding to offer a student a place. It is a result of your ATAR and any adjustment factors.
Your selection rank can increase based on adjustment factors, though it does not change your ATAR. These are things such as:
- Strong performance in certain subjects
- Any educational or situational disadvantage
- Regional location
- Indigenous background
- Other university programs.
For example, if your ATAR was 65 and you got 5 adjustment points, your selection rank would be 70, though your ATAR would remain the same. Explore adjustments with our Adjustment Factors Tool.