Secondary studies

Australian Year 12 qualifications

If you're completing an Australian Year 12 qualification in or outside Australia 2011, or will complete one in May 2012, admission to most tertiary courses is based on your overall achievement in those studies.

The measure of overall achievement allows all Australian school leavers (including international students who have completed an Australian Year 12 qualification) to be treated equitably alongside each other, through the use of an overall rank on a common scale.

This overall rank goes by different names in the various Australian states and territories, as follows:

  • For NSW Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by UAC is used.
  • For ACT Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (ACTBSSS) is used.
  • For Queensland Year 12 applicants, for students who are eligible for an Overall Position (OP), and who apply to UAC, the rank as provided by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) is used to derive an equivalent ATAR. This rank is not reported to applicants. The OPs shown in the Year 12 conversion table can be used as a guide. Students who complete a Queensland Senior External Examination are not eligible for an OP; UAC calculates a UAC rank for these students.
  • For South Australian and Northern Territory Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) is used. You must have met the Higher Education Selection Subject General (HESS G) requirements.
  • For Tasmanian Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by the University of Tasmania, calculated by the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority, is used.
  • For Victorian Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is used.
  • For Western Australian Year 12 applicants, the ATAR as provided by Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) is used.

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International Baccalaureate

If you're completing an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2011, and are applying for admission through UAC, a rank will be calculated for you by UAC provided that you are eligible for award of the International Baccalaureate Diploma or Bilingual Diploma.

Read the International Baccalaureate Diploma or Bilingual Diploma FAQs for further information.

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New Zealand (NCEA) Level 3

If you're completing the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3 in 2011 and are applying for admission through UAC, an Interstate Transfer Index (ITI) will be calculated for you by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and provided to UAC. This will be used in the selection process, provided that you've fulfilled university entrance requirements as set out by NZQA.

This ITI is not reported by NZQA to applicants. Queries about this ITI and university entrance requirements should be made to NZQA.

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Other qualifications

You might also have other qualifications for admission; for example, you might have attempted a school-leaving qualification before 2011 in Australia or overseas. You need to tell us about these qualifications when you apply so we can include these in your assessment profile.

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