Recognised studies

Rules for Recognised Studies

There are a few conditions that must be met for non-SACE learning to count towards an ATAR. 
 

SACE Board recognition

The SACE Board must approve any subjects or learning experiences as Stage 2 level. If the study will not count towards your SACE or NTCET, it cannot be used as Recognised Studies.
 

Level of study and achievement

• Recognised Studies must be Stage 2 level or higher.
• For vocational education and training (VET), the qualification must be at AQF Level 3 (Certificate III) or above.
• You must achieve results equivalent to or better than a C- in SACE or NTCET grades.
   

When to complete Recognised Studies

Recognised Studies must be completed in the same year or earlier than SATAC calculates your ATAR for the first time.

ATARs cannot be recalculated to include studies completed after your ATAR is first issued. This means that if you achieved an ATAR in Year 12, any recognised studies completed in Year 13 will not contribute to that ATAR.

Final results must be provided to the SACE Board by the end of the clerical check period (mid-February of the following year).
 

Approving Recognised Studies

SATAC notifies the SACE Board of the outcome for any learning that requires approval to count towards SACE/NTCET Stage 2. The SACE Board must approve this learning for it to be recognised as Recognised Studies, and will then inform your school of the decision. Some learning is pre-approved, while other learning requires a separate application.

Some students include university subjects in their flexible option. These are not pre-approved and must be submitted for approval.

SATAC generally approves degree-level subjects on application, provided they are not introductory subjects. 

It is important to apply for approval the year before you intend to study the subject, in case your application is rejected.

Precluded combinations

If there is a significant content overlap between two subjects, they are called a precluded combination. This can apply to:

• two SACE subjects, or
• a SACE subject and a Recognised Studies subject, including an International Baccalaureate (IB) or a university subject.

If you study a precluded combination of subjects only the SACE subject will count towards your ATAR, even if you achieve a higher result in the Recognised Studies including an IB or university subject.
 

Scaling and Recognised Studies

SATAC assigns scaled score equivalents to Recognised Studies to ensure the ATAR calculation is fair for all students.

The scaled score for a completed VET qualification is based on the average of the first 70 credits of Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) used in the university aggregate calculation.

Grades and grading systems differ between qualifications. For some studies, such as IB Diploma subjects and certain interstate Year 12 subjects, it is not possible to achieve a scaled score of 20.00 due to the grading system used (this includes IB diploma subjects).
 

Some learning will not count as Recognised Studies

The following types of learning cannot be used as Recognised Studies:

• Any study worth less than 10 credits, including academic subjects
• Learning gained in community-developed programs
• Learning gained through self-directed community learning
• Stage 2 exit assessments, including 10-credit subjects given in lieu of one semester of a 20-credit Stage 2 subject
• Individual VET units of competency
• Interstate Year 12 subjects that do not contribute to the ATAR in their home state