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Home | ATAR

ATAR

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a rank – not a mark or score.

It’s a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that shows how you performed compared to all students who completed an Australian Year 12 program in the same year as you – not just students at your school. 

For example, an ATAR of 75.00 means you achieved results higher than, or as well as, 75 per cent of all students in that year across Australia. More information on how the ATAR is calculated is provided below.

While the ATAR is nationally comparable and relative to all Year 12 students across Australia, SATAC only calculates the ATAR for SACE and NTCET students.

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What is the ATAR used for?

The is primarily used by universities.

Some courses are highly competitive, meaning there are more applicants than places available. When this happens, need a consistent way to rank and compare applicants. 

The ATAR gives them a fair and transparent way to do this, helping determine which students are offered a place in a course.

Understanding your university aggregate and how it shapes your ATAR

To qualify for an ATAR, you first need a . SATAC calculates your university aggregate by combining the scaled scores from your best 90 credits of study.

Scaled scores are out of 20 for 20-credit subjects and 10 for 10-credit subjects. If you don’t attempt the publicly assessed component (like an exam or recital), you’ll get 0.0 - however, these subjects can still make up the credit requirements for the university aggregate, they’ll just be worth 0.0 for the aggregate score.

If you completed () subjects, view the scaled score equivalents for IB subjects as recognised studies.

To be for a university aggregate, you must: 

  • qualify for the or ,
  • follow the rules for precluded combinations,
  • follow the rules for counting restrictions,
  • complete at least 90 credits of study in Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) and Recognised Studies at Stage 2, and;
  • ensure that at least 60 of these 90 credits come from 20-credit TAS subjects or valid subject pairs (a is two 10-credit subjects in place of a 20-credit TAS).

For the full rules, including , counting restrictions and , view the Tertiary Entrance Booklet.

The university aggregate is calculated from your best scaled scores from three 20-credit TAS subjects (60 credits), plus the best result from the flexible option (30 credits). 

View calculating a university aggregate to learn more.

Note: The 90 credits of TAS are calculated from a maximum of three attempts, which can be undertaken in non-consecutive years. If you completed TAS subjects and/or recognised studies across four or more years, the three years that produce the best possible outcome (in accordance with all relevant rules) will be used.

How SATAC calculates the ATAR

Adjustment Factors

Every year, SATAC calculates ATARs for SACE and NTCET students who qualify for a university aggregate. The group of students who qualify in a given year is called the cohort.

To calculate your ATAR, SATAC looks at how your university aggregate compares to other students who also completed Year 12 in the same year. 

We consider the percentage of students who achieved the same aggregate as you – or higher – and assign a percentile rank from 0 to 99.95 for each university aggregate value achieved.

Example 1:

  • Your university aggregate (total of best 90 credits of TAS) is 78.00 out of 90.00.
  • In this example, 10% of students also achieved 78.00 or higher. 

An ATAR of 90.00 means you performed as well as or better than 90% of students in your Year 12 cohort.
 

Example 2:

  • Your university aggregate (total of best 90 credits of TAS) is 71.00 out of 90.00.
  • In this example, 25% of students also achieved 71.00 or higher. 

An ATAR of 75.00 means you performed as well as or better than 75% of students in your Year 12 cohort.
 

Example 3:

  • Your university aggregate (total of best 90 credits of TAS) is 65.00 out of 90.00.
  • In this example, 42.65% of students also achieved 65.00 or higher.
     

An ATAR of 57.35 means you performed as well as or better than 42.65% of students in your Year 12 cohort.

The next step is looking at where the cohort sits compared to the entire population of students across Australia who are in the same age group. 

Each year the cohort may differ from other years in that it may represent a smaller or larger percentage of the population who are in the same age group. The percentage from the given year is the participation rate. 

We calculate the participation rate using population statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and measure this against the size of the cohort. 

SATAC adjusts the percentile rank to take into account the participation rate and where you sit relative to the entire population. The result is the ATAR. 

So, if you achieve an ATAR of 95.00, it shows that you performed as well as, or better than, 95% of the population. 

Remember, your ATAR is not a mark or score – it’s a rank to show how you performed compared to other students, not how well you did in individual subjects. Its main purpose is to help universities select students for courses.

If you didn’t get the ATAR you were hoping for, don’t worry – the ATAR is just one pathway. Many courses alternative entry pathways. Use SATAC’s Course Search to explore courses, entry requirements, and pathway options that can help you reach your preferred course.

FAQs

  • Do ATARs expire?

    Your ATAR is a permanent rank for the year it was awarded – it doesn’t disappear, get reissued or ‘expire’. However, universities may:

    • Place time limits on how long they’ll accept an ATAR for entry.
    • Ask for additional information (such as work history or further study) if you completed Year 12 some time ago.
    • Use alternative entry pathways instead of your original ATAR.

    If you’re applying through SATAC, your ATAR can still be used in future applications, but institutions may assess you differently depending on how long it’s been since you finished Year 12.

  • University aggregate to ATAR conversion

    The conversion of a university aggregate to an ATAR changes each year, as it is based on population data for 16–20-year-olds in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

    View the 2025 SACE/NTCET university aggregate to ATAR conversion table.

    Please note that historical conversion tables are not a reliable method for predicting future ATARs. They simply illustrate how ATARs were calculated in a particular year and do not account for changes in cohort performance or . There is no accurate way to predict an ATAR in advance. SATAC does not recommend using online ATAR prediction tools, as they rely on outdated data and methodologies that may no longer be applicable.

  • IB students studying in Australia

    IB students don’t receive an ATAR. Instead, you receive IB points on a scale from 0 to 45.

    When you apply for university, your results need to be compared with students who do have an ATAR. To make this fair, SATAC gives you an IB Admissions Score (IBAS), which is then converted into an ATAR-equivalent score, called a Combined Rank.

    The Combined Rank is the same across Australia.

    The IB Admissions Score (IBAS) table shows how IB scores are converted to a Combined Rank for the 2025 session year.

    IBAS ScoreEquivalent ATAR
    45.7599.95
    45.599.95
    45.2599.90
    4599.85
    44.7599.75
    44.599.70
    44.2599.60
    4499.50
    43.7599.35
    43.599.25
    43.2599.10
    4398.90
    42.7598.75
    42.598.55
    42.2598.35
    4298.20
    41.7598.00
    41.597.80
    41.2597.55
    4197.30
    40.7597.05
    40.596.80
    40.2596.55
    4096.30
    39.7596.00
    39.595.75
    39.2595.50
    3995.25
    38.7595.00
    38.594.75
    38.2594.50
    3894.25
    37.7593.95
    37.593.70
    37.2593.35
    3793.00
    36.7592.65
    36.592.30
    36.2591.90
    3691.45
    35.7591.05
    35.590.60
    35.2590.15
    3589.75
    34.7589.30
    34.588.85
    34.2588.50
    3488.15
    33.7587.80
    33.587.45
    33.2586.80
    3386.20
    32.7585.55
    32.584.90
    32.2584.45
    3284.00
    31.7583.55
    31.583.10
    31.2582.55
    3182.00
    30.7581.45
    30.580.90
    30.2580.40
    3079.90
    29.7579.35
    29.578.85
    29.2578.25
    2977.65
    28.7577.05
    28.576.45
    28.2575.80
    2875.20
    27.7574.55
    27.573.90
    27.2573.25
    2772.65
    26.7572.00
    26.571.35
    26.2570.55
    2669.75
    25.7568.90
    25.568.10
    25.2567.50
    2566.90
    24.7566.30
    24.565.70
    24.2565.00
    2464.25
    00.10
  • IB students studying overseas

    IB students who study overseas do not receive an IB Admissions Score (IBAS). Instead, your IB Diploma Score is converted to an ATAR-equivalent score, known as a Combined Rank.

    The Combined Rank is the same across Australia.

    The IB to Combined Rank conversion table shows how IB Diploma Scores are converted to an ATAR-equivalent Combined Rank for the 2025 session year.

    IB ScoreEquivalent ATAR
    4599.95
    4499.70
    4399.25
    4298.55
    4197.80
    4096.80
    3995.75
    3894.75
    3793.70
    3692.30
    3590.60
    3488.85
    3387.45
    3284.90
    3183.10
    3080.90
    2978.85
    2876.45
    2773.90
    2671.35
    2568.10
    2465.70
    00.10
  • Interstate Year 12 students

    ATARs are the same across all Australian states and territories – meaning an ATAR of 81.00 in South Australia is equivalent to an ATAR of 81.00 in every other state and territory in Australia. If you are not from South Australia or the Northern Territory and have questions about how your ATAR was calculated, it’s best to consult with the Tertiary Admissions Centre from your home state.

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