During Year 12, it can seem like the only thing on your mind is the four digit number you will receive at the end of the year. Although it may seem like your ATAR is the be all and end all, this number is not necessarily what universities look at. Confused? Keep reading!
The ATAR
ATAR stands for ‘Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank,’ which is the number given to you at the end of Year 12. It combines the results you achieved for all your subjects and the final calculation depends on which state you’re in.
This number is not a percentage – an ATAR of 80 does not mean you received an average score of 80% in all your subjects. Rather, your ATAR is a rank given depending on how well you performed compared to the rest of your cohort. For example, an ATAR of 80 means you were in the top 20% of the state, or that you performed better than 80%.
In general, the ATAR is just a method that helps universities compare the academic achievements of students across Australia. Since universities have limited places in their courses, it just helps them choose who to give those places to.
The Selection Rank
Most universities use a selection rank to decide whether an applicant should be given a place. This is equal to your ATAR plus any additional adjustment factors,
Your Selection Rank = Your ATAR + Adjustments
Such adjustment factors may include:
- A bonus for taking specific subjects (for example, a science course may give you extra points for having taken chemistry in Year 12).
- The location of your school
- Eligibility for Educational Access Schemes (SEAS, EAS, etc)
Every university and course calculate the selection rank differently.
How Does This All Work?
Here’s an example of how the selection rank works, compared to the ATAR.
Let’s say that there was a university course that only had three places, and five students applied for it. The applicants received the following ATARs.
Student A: 77.00
Student B: 75.00
Student C: 74.00
Student D: 72.00
Student E: 70.00
Each student had varying amounts of adjustments, which can be used to calculate their selection rank, as follows:
Student A: 77.00 (no adjustment)
Student B: 76.00 (adjustment of 1 point)
Student C: 74.00 (no adjustment)
Student D: 78.00 (adjustment of 6 points)
Student E: 73.00 (adjustment of 3 points)
By looking at these selection ranks, we can rank the students according to the selection rank.
- Student D
- Student A
- Student B
- Student C
- Student E
As such, students A, D and B will receive a place in the course. Although Student C received a higher ATAR than student D, they will receive an offer to the course, due to their higher selection rank.
Some course pages also mention the ‘lowest selection rank to which an offer was made.’ In this example, the lowest selection rank that was given an offer is 76.00.
Therefore, if you received an ATAR that was lower than you were hoping, don’t fret! You can still get into your desired course, as it depends on your selection rank.
At the end of the day, don’t stress to much about the nitty gritty details behind the ATAR and selection rank. Focus on doing the best you can during Year 12, and everything will fall into place.
