What is an ATAR?

If you're in Year 11 or 12 in most of Australia, you'll hear a lot about the ATAR. It can feel like a single number that decides your future, but it's simpler, and less all-powerful, than it sounds. This guide explains what the ATAR is, what the numbers mean and how it's used.

This guide is general information written in our own words, based on the official sources listed at the end. ATAR rules, scaling, dates and course requirements differ between states and change from year to year, so always check with your admissions centre, institution and school. We don't predict ATARs, publish cut-offs or recommend particular schools, tutors or courses.

A rank, not a mark

ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. Every admissions centre stresses the same point: it's a rank, not a mark or a percentage. The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) describes it as a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student's position relative to all students in their age group. So an ATAR of 80.00 doesn't mean you scored 80%. It means you placed about 20% from the top of your age group.

UAC offers a helpful analogy: think of a running race. Your subject results are like your time, measured against a standard. Your ATAR is your place in the race.

The scale

UAC and QTAC both explain that the scale runs from 0.00 to 99.95 in increments of 0.05. QTAC describes it as a 2,000-point scale. There is no ATAR of 100: as VTAC explains, the ATAR represents the percentage of people you performed as well as or better than, and it's impossible to perform better than yourself.

Low ATARs aren't reported precisely. UAC says ATARs between 0.00 and 30.00 are recorded as "30 or less", and VTAC and QTAC use similar wording.

Compared with whom?

Your ATAR compares you with your age group, not just the students who finished Year 12 with you. UAC explains that in NSW this means all 16 to 20-year-olds in the state. SATAC describes how it adjusts for the participation rate, using population statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. TISC, in Western Australia, says an ATAR of 70.00 means you've achieved as well as or better than 70% of the Year 12 school leaver age population in the state.

Why the average is around 70

If every young person received an ATAR, the average would be 50.00. UAC explains that because some students leave school early, those who stay on to receive an ATAR are a smaller, more academically able group, so the average ATAR is usually around 70.00. That's worth remembering if you're comparing yourself with friends.

Who calculates it?

Each state and territory calculates ATARs for its own students:

• NSW: UAC. In the ACT, ATARs are calculated by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies in consultation with UAC.
• Victoria: the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC).
• Queensland: the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
• South Australia and the Northern Territory: the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC).
• Western Australia: the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC).

Despite different methods, ATARs are designed to be equivalent nationally. UAC says an ATAR of 85.00 in NSW or the ACT is equivalent to an ATAR of 85.00 in other states. See our ATAR by state guide.

How it's built

In broad terms, each system takes your subject results, scales them so different subjects can be compared fairly, adds the best scaled results into an aggregate, then ranks everyone's aggregates and converts them to ATARs. The details, including how many subjects count and whether English must be included, differ by state. Our scaling guide explains the idea.

Your results and your ATAR are different

Your certificate results (HSC, VCE, QCE, SACE, WACE and so on) show how you performed in each subject against standards. Your ATAR ranks your overall performance against others. UAC notes that the ATAR's only purpose is to help universities select students. Your subject results matter for other things, such as prerequisites and employers.

How universities use it

Most university courses that admit school leavers use the ATAR as a starting point. UAC explains that admission is usually based on your selection rank, which is your ATAR plus any applicable adjustments. Many courses also use other criteria, such as a personal statement, portfolio, audition, interview or test. See our selection ranks guide.

Do you need an ATAR?

Not everyone does. Many students go to TAFE, start apprenticeships or work, and many university courses offer pathways that don't rely on the ATAR. SATAC points out that if you didn't get the ATAR you hoped for, it's just one pathway. See our pathways guide.

When do ATARs come out?

ATARs are released in December. For 2026, VTAC says VCE results and ATARs are available from 7am on Thursday 10 December, and QTAC says Queensland ATARs are released on 18 December. Other centres publish their own dates; check your admissions centre's website.

Why we don't predict ATARs

Online "ATAR calculators" are popular, but SATAC says there's no accurate way to predict an ATAR in advance and doesn't recommend online prediction tools, because they rely on outdated data and methods. Scaling depends on each year's cohort. Some admissions centres offer official estimation tools, such as UAC's ATAR Compass. Our study planner focuses on what you can control: planning your study.

A quick worked example

Imagine two students. One receives an ATAR of 75.00, the other 90.00. The first has performed as well as or better than about three-quarters of their age group; the second, about nine in ten. Neither number says anything directly about their marks in particular subjects, and each might have very different strengths. The numbers simply show relative position, which is all universities need for ranking applicants to competitive courses.

Words you will see

Aggregate: the total of your best scaled results, which is ranked to produce your ATAR. Scaling: adjusting subject results so different subjects can be compared fairly. Selection rank: your ATAR plus any adjustments for a particular course. Prerequisite: a subject you must have completed for entry to a course. Admissions centre: the organisation that processes applications and, in most states, calculates ATARs.

Try the study planner

Our free study planner shows how many weeks you have until your first exam, splits your weekly revision hours between your subjects and suggests what to focus on in each phase. It also includes a simple selection rank adder for after results. It runs entirely in your browser, nothing you enter is sent anywhere, and it doesn't try to predict your ATAR.

Where our information comes from

Factual statements in our guides are based on official and expert sources, including the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC), the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC), the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC), healthdirect, the Australian Government's movement guidelines and ReachOut. We link to each source at the end of the page and rewrite everything in our own words.

Rules change every year

ATAR rules, scaling, adjustment schemes, key dates and course requirements are reviewed regularly and can change from one year to the next. A rule that applied to an older sibling or a friend in another state may not apply to you. Treat our guides as a starting point, and confirm anything important with your admissions centre, your school and the institutions you're applying to.

Talk to your careers adviser

Your school's careers adviser is one of the most useful people you can talk to in Year 11 and 12. They know your state's system, current key dates, early offer schemes, access schemes and pathways, and can help you plan subjects and preferences. Book a time early, bring your questions and follow up after results.

Key points

• The ATAR is a rank from 0.00 to 99.95 in steps of 0.05, not a mark.
• It compares you with your whole age group, so the average is usually around 70.
• Each state calculates its own ATARs, designed to be equivalent nationally.
• Universities usually use a selection rank: your ATAR plus any adjustments.