The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs in Australia, it was gradually introduced during 2009 and 2010 to replace the Universities Admission Index, Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank and Tertiary Entrance Rank. However, it is not used in Queensland which retains its Overall Position system.
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Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, or ATAR, is a percentile awarded to students by application for undergraduate-entry university programs upon completion of Year 12 in all Australian states except Queensland. The number functions as a rank of all students entering the tertiary education system, based on the number of students in Year 7. The maximum rank attainable is 99.95 with a minimum of 0.00 and increments of 0.05.[1]
During June 2009, the Federal Minister for Education announced the removal of Universities Admission Index (UAI) and the introduction of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, or ATAR, for Year 12 students of 2009 within the ACT and NSW, and for the rest of the country, excluding Queensland, in 2010.[2] The ATAR was introduced to unify the university entrance system in Australia, where previously each state or territory had its own individual system (UAI in ACT/NSW, TER in SA/NT/WA/TAS, ENTER in Victoria).
The shift to ATAR means that the ranks most students receiving a UAI would increase by a small amount (although this would not present as any advantage as cutoffs would subsequently increase), while the maximum rank in NSW/ACT would change from a UAI of 100 to an ATAR of 99.95.[3] Queensland will not shift to the ATAR system because it uses a different system and ranking scale, the Overall Position, however, conversion tables to or from the ATAR are available.[4]
The ATAR follows the same principles as is predecessors. The rank gives an indication to the overall position of the student in relation to the student body for that year across the state. A higher ATAR gives preference to that student for the course to which they wish to enrol in a university of their choice. The ATAR is used by: the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory; the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) in South Australia and the Northern Territory; Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) in Victoria; and Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) in Western Australia. These bodies then allocate positions for the tertiary institutions in their relevant states.