Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
HSC courses that can be used in the ATAR calculation
Release of ATAR rescheduled to 20 January 2022
This new ATAR release date is a consequence of the revised HSC examinations and results timetable released by NESA on 10 September.
The first ATAR-based offers will be made in January Round 2 on 26 January 2022.
ATAR courses are those developed by NESA for which there are formal examinations that yield graded assessments. These are the only courses that can be used to calculate your ATAR.
ATAR courses are classified as either Category A or Category B courses. Only 2 units of Category B courses can contribute to your ATAR.
Criteria for Category A courses: academic rigour, depth of knowledge, the degree to which the course contributes to assumed knowledge for tertiary studies, and the coherence with other courses included in the ATAR calculations.
Criteria for Category B courses: the level of cognitive and performance demands are not regarded as satisfactory in themselves, though their contribution to a selection index is regarded as adequate if the other courses included in the aggregate are more academically demanding.
Year 10 students
Choosing your HSC subjects for next year? Our online tool can help: try Subject Compass.
Download HSC course list
HSC Board Developed courses to be examined in 2021
Frequently asked questions
Why is my ATAR low compared with my HSC marks?
Why do some courses scale better than others?