The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05. It is a rank that provides a measure of your overall academic achievement in the NSW HSC in relation to that of other students, and it helps universities rank applicants for selection. It is calculated by the universities and released by UAC. The ATAR is a rank, not a mark.
Your ATAR indicates your position relative to the students who entered Year 7 with you. An ATAR of 80.00 indicates that you have performed well enough in the HSC to place you 20 percent from the top of your Year 7 group, assuming that all students in this group completed Year 12 and were eligible for the ATAR. It is important to note that your ranking depends solely on your performance in the HSC.
The ATAR is used by universities (either on its own or in conjunction with other selection criteria) to rank applicants, because for the majority of courses there are more applicants than there are places available. The ATAR should not be used for any other reason because its sole function is to help universities select students for admission.
ATARs are calculated for all ATAR-eligible students, but not all students are notified. Only NSW HSC students who indicate on their HSC entry forms that they wish to be notified of their ATAR will receive an ATAR Advice Notice from UAC. This will arrive in the mail at about the same time they receive their HSC results from the Board of Studies.
To be eligible for an ATAR you must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of ATAR courses. These ATAR courses must include at least:
Your ATAR is based on an aggregate of scaled marks in 10 units of ATAR courses comprising:
The actual calculation of your ATAR is a complex process that begins with scaling your raw HSC marks and ends with ranking you among your entire Year 7 cohort.
You will receive an ATAR the first year you satisfy the eligibility requirements. If you complete additional courses or repeat courses you have completed, your ATAR will be recalculated. Your most recent ATAR is the one used for selection purposes.
Only ATAR courses can be used in the calculation of your ATAR. Your ATAR is therefore calculated from your aggregate of scaled marks from your ATAR courses, including two units of English and your best eight units from the remaining courses (according to the ATAR rules). Your ATAR Advice Notice tells you which of your courses were actually included in the calculation of your ATAR. Just by looking at your HSC marks, it is not possible to tell which courses will be included in your ATAR. Sometimes the course with the lowest HSC mark will not count, but this is not always the case.
Your ATARs will only be similar if your courses are the same. If your courses are different and your courses have different scaled means, your ATARs may be very different. Can I include Distinction courses? Yes, Distinction courses are accredited as two-unit courses and are scaled in the same way as other courses.
This is a common question. While the data show that students who study more units tend to gain higher ATARs, that is not necessarily the reason why. The relationship between number of units studied and ATAR might result from personal attributes including interest, motivation, effort and time management. You cannot assume that simply by studying more units your ATAR will be increased.