Demystifying the ATAR
& understanding
the UAC International process.
July 2010
What is UAC?
 Universities Admissions Centre
- Admissions to universities in NSW
and the ACT (plus AMC, Griffith and
LaTrobe)
- ATAR release
- STAT (Special Tertiary Admissions
Test)
 Information – print and website
(www.uac.edu.au)
UAC International
You apply through UAC
International if you are an
International student doing:
✓ an Australian Year 12
✓ an International Baccalaureate
✓ a New Zealand Certificate of
Educational Achievement Level 3
What is the ATAR?
The ATAR is all about POSITION
 your ATAR is a NUMBER that shows your position
relative to other students
 for example, Thanh’s overall academic performance
was good enough to place her in the top 15% in the
HSC
ATAR = 85.00
The ATAR is a number between 0.00 and 99.95.
ATARs above 30 are reported in increments of 0.05.
Busting the myths
MYTH: My school or postcode matters.
FACT: The ATAR calculation is based only on
marks provided by the Board of Studies.
Regional bonus points may be awarded
by some institutions based on postcode
areas.
__________
MYTH: The percentage of students in band 6
counts.
FACT: Scaling is calculated using raw marks, not
HSC marks (HSC marks are aligned to
bands). The percentage of students in
performance bands has no effect on the
calculation of the ATAR.
MYTH: It is impossible to get a high ATAR if you
take a VET course or English Standard.
FACT:
Course
Max ATAR
English Standard
99.80
General Maths
99.60
Entertainment
96.50
Hospitality
98.45
Society & Culture
99.90
Visual Arts
99.95
MYTH: If I do more than 10 units I’ll get a higher
ATAR.
FACT: There’s no direct cause & effect.
ATAR
%10
units
%11
units
%12
units
%13
units
99
96
90
85
80
75
70
19
27
34
38
46
49
54
22
33
36
32
31
28
28
36
31
27
26
20
21
17
14
6
3
3
3
2
1
MYTH: Some courses are always scaled up …
some are always scaled down.
FACT: Scaling is carried out afresh each year.
If the ability of the candidates changes
the scaled mean will also change.
__________
MYTH: I can work out my ATAR from my HSC
marks.
FACT: Scaled marks, not HSC marks are used
to calculate the ATAR. The ATAR is not
an average mark, it is a rank that
indicates your position.
 MYTH: If I choose certain courses I will get a
high ATAR.
 FACT: Only if you do really well in all those
courses – so well that you are ranked ahead
of most other students.
_________
 MYTH: If I get HSC marks in the 70s then
my ATAR will be in the 70s too.
 FACT: An “average” student will get HSC
marks in the 70s. The “average” ATAR in the
2009 HSC was 70.25. Lots of students have
marks between 70 and 80, so ranks can be
very different at either end.
Fred and Laura
Course
HSC mark
Biology
70
39
80
71
Business Studies 70
35
80
65
English Advanced 70
13
80
53
Mathematics
70
31
80
60
Modern History
70
24
80
63
Visual Arts
70
12
80
51
ATAR
Percentile
57.80
HSC mark
Percentile
81.20
The UAC process
step 1 – prepare
step 2 – research
step 3 – apply
step 4 – manage
step 5 - accept
step 1 – prepare

PINs

name

prerequisites
PINs
 You already have your Board of
Studies (BoS) student number.
 You will receive your BoS PIN.
 Your UAC PIN will be posted to your
home address in August.
 You need your UAC PIN and Board of
Studies student number to apply.
Your UAC PIN is different to your
BoS PIN.
Name
 register for the HSC with your legal
name
 your Australian name can be used as
your ‘middle name’
eg: WONG
Chin
Ken
XIE
Ling
Leanne
 when you enrol at uni – or request an
ATAR reprint – you need ID and the
names must match
Prerequisites
 STAT prerequisite for pharmacy and
vet science.
 UMAT prerequisite for medicine/
optometry.
 If you do STAT or UMAT, ensure you
include your candidate number on
your UAC application.
 Check other selection criteria.
step 2 – research

UAC International Guide

choosing courses
UAC International Guide
 Contains all the information you need
to apply
- table of courses with last year’s
ATAR cut-offs
- general information about the 16
participating institutions
 You will receive your free copy at the
beginning of Term 3
IFEE
International fee-paying courses
 not all ‘domestic’ courses are
available to international students
International students :
 must study full-time
 must pay course fee up front
 must meet course cut-off to
receive an offer
Choosing your courses
 You can choose up to six courses – at
one or up to six institutions.
 Choose courses that interest you,
with subjects you are good at, and at
institutions you would be happy to
attend.
 You can apply for Semester 1 and/or
Semester 2 entry.
step 3 – apply

to uni – list course choices

equity scholarships

on time
Applying to Uni
 All applicants apply on UAC’s website
at www.uac.edu.au/international
 You need your BoS student number
and UAC PIN
 There is a processing charge of
$62.00
 Print your confirmation and payment
receipt
 Apply by 30 October
Course choices
 List 1 to 6 courses in your order of
preference
 CONDITIONAL offer made
immediately (lists all courses in
application - for visa purposes)
 Change course preferences at any
time - no closing dates – no more
conditional offers
Applying for Equity
Scholarships
 In 2010 UC and USyd offered equity
scholarships for international students
 Apply through UAC for equity
scholarships – check the UAC 2011
Equity Scholarships booklet
 Check institution websites for other
scholarship options
step 4 – manage
your application

selection rank
- ATAR
- bonus points
- additional selection criteria

course preferences

going overseas?
Selection rank
 university offers are based on a
selection rank
 for most HSC students, your selection
rank is your ATAR
 bonus points can change your
selection rank for a particular course they do not change your ATAR
 some courses have additional
selection criteria
Bonus points
 Some universities may allocate bonus
points for HSC students
 The most common are subject bonus
points
If you are allocated bonus points then:
Selection rank = ATAR + bonus points
 Do your research. Check Uni websites
Bonus points and cut-offs
Example – Bachelor of Masterchef
(6 applicants for 3 places)
1. 89 (ATAR of 89)
2. 88 (ATAR of 83 plus 5 bonus points)
3. 87 (ATAR of 85 plus 2 bonus points)
---------------------------------------------------------4. 86 (ATAR of 86)
5. 85 (ATAR of 76 plus 9 bonus points)
6. 84 (ATAR of 84)
XX = selection rank
(Course cut-off = 87)
Other criteria





Tests eg STAT & UMAT
Personal statement
Interview
Portfolio
Audition
Course preferences
 Use 6 course choices wisely –
remember that they will be considered
in your order of preference
 Check published ATAR cut-offs and
remember that to get an offer you
must meet the cut-off
 Change your course preferences as
many times as you like – for free! (you
will not get any more conditional
offers though)
Check & Change
 Check and change your application at
www.uac.edu.au/international
 View/print your Confirmation of Application
 Check/change your contact details
 Check/change your agent details
 Check/change your course preferences
 Change your UAC PIN
 Print tax invoice
 View ATAR
 View Offer/s
Going overseas?
 Take your UAC International Booklet,
your UAC application number and
your UAC PIN with you
 Contact UAC at:
www.uac.edu.au/international
(7.30am to 12 midnight Sydney time)
+61 2 9752 0200 (8.30am – 4.30pm)
step 5 – offers

unconditional offers
Unconditional Offers
When?


6 offer runs between midDecember and February (for
Semester 1)
Offers in June for Semester 2
How?



UAC website
Agent
Mail
Unconditional Offers
Rules
To get an unconditional offer you must:
 have the course in your list;
 have an ATAR equal to or higher
than the final course cut-off;
 meet other course requirements.
You can get multiple offers, but

only one offer per institution in each
offer round
Residency status
Changed residency status?
– advise UAC if BEFORE offer
– instutution if AFTER enrolment
Summary
 PREPARE
PINs; name; prerequisites
 RESEARCH
courses and unis
 APPLY
list 6 preferences & … on time; conditional
offer
 MANAGE
selection rank  change preferences;
 CHECK & ACCEPT OFFERS
unconditional offers; change of residency
status