What to do once you've got your ATAR

ATARs are almost here! 2023 NSW HSC and ACT Senior Secondary Certificate students will be able to access their ATAR on the UAC website at 9am on Thursday 14 December. NSW students, by 9am we'll send you an email or SMS with a quick link to the ATAR login.

The first round of ATAR-based university offers will be released at 7.30am on Thursday 21 December. You’ll have until 11.59pm on Friday 15 December to finalise your course preferences for this offer round.

Here’s everything you need to know about getting your ATAR, and what to do once you’ve got it.

What is an ATAR?

The ATAR is a rank, not a mark. It is a number between 0 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05. It allows us to compare the overall achievement of students who have completed thousands of different combinations of HSC courses. An ATAR of 80.00 places you in the top 20 per cent of your age cohort.

The ATAR enables universities to rank applicants for selection in a fair and objective way. It is designed to be used as an indicator of readiness for uni study: there is no notion of pass or fail.

Download our short publication ATAR Essentials for an explanation of how and why the ATAR is calculated, how it is used for selection to tertiary study, and its relationship to HSC marks.

How will I get my ATAR?

You will be able to access your ATAR on the UAC website from 9am on Thursday 14 December. To log in, you’ll need your Year 12 student number and your UAC PIN. If you've lost your Year 12 student number, call NESA on 1300 13 83 23 (if you're a NSW HSC student) or contact your school. If you've lost your UAC PIN, call UAC on (02) 9752 0200.

NSW HSC students

When you view your ATAR, you'll see a list of the ATAR courses you studied and their category, and the number of units of each ATAR course that contributed to the calculation of your ATAR.

While you’re there, remember to download and save your official 2023 ATAR Advice Notice. It's free until 13 March 2024: after that you will need to buy it through the UAC Shop at a cost of $70.

You can also access your ATAR via UAC's free digital wallet, CredFolio. CredFolio allows you to securely store and share your ATAR.

How to get your ATAR via UAC's website and the CredFolio digital wallet

I have questions about my ATAR

Take a look at our FAQs about the ATAR to see if your question is answered there.

If you have specific questions about your ATAR once you've received it, you can call UAC’s ATAR Enquiry Centre on (+61 2) 9119 5012 on the following dates:

Make sure you have your Year 12 student number (or UAC application number) ready when you call the Enquiry Centre.

General enquiries about your application: Contact UAC on (+61 2) 9752 0200 or via the online enquiry form. UAC's Customer Service call centre will be open extended hours – until 6.30pm – on Friday 15 December.

Questions for institutions: You can also contact the universities you are applying to – most will have special telephone lines and information days to give you advice. Check their websites for details.

HSC results: If you have questions about your NSW HSC results, released by NESA from 6am on Thursday 14 December, visit the HSC results area of the NESA website, or call the HSC Results Inquiry Centre on 1300 13 83 23.

When I get my ATAR, should I change my course preferences?

You might be happy to leave your preferences as they are, even after you’ve received your ATAR. But if you're still unsure about the courses you've chosen, here are some tips:

1. Put your dream course first: Even if your ATAR wasn’t what you’d hoped for, leave your first preference in place, because lowest selection ranks change from year to year.
2. Check if you are eligible for adjustment factors: You might be eligible to receive university selection rank adjustments, which are additional points that sit on top of your ATAR and increase your selection rank into particular courses at particular universities. This means you could get an offer to a course even though your ATAR is below the lowest selection rank. Do your research on university websites to see what adjustment factors you can get so you can take that into account when choosing your preferences.
3. Have a plan B: Research the full range of courses in the field that you’re hoping to study in. Look for courses that have previously had lower selection ranks and consider adding them to the bottom of your list of preferences. This way, if you miss out on your dream course, you'll have a good chance of getting an offer to something similar.
4. Include a course that matches your ATAR: Make sure that you have at least one course within your UAC preference list which has previously had a selection rank that matches your ATAR.
5. Find another path: Many students don’t go straight into their first preference in their first year of tertiary study. You could instead start in a general degree, or a foundation or pathway program, and apply for your preferred course later. (Some unis may allow you to apply for an internal transfer.) Uni info days, which are run by many institutions at the end of December, are a great way to get your last-minute questions answered about your options.
6. Make the changes before the deadline: For the first round of ATAR-based uni offers (December Round 2), you have until 11.59pm on Friday 15 December to make changes to your preferences. For the following offer round (January Round 1), released on Thursday 11 January, you have until 11.59pm on Thursday 4 January to make changes.

How do I change my preferences?

You can rearrange the order of your preferences, add new courses or delete courses as many times as you like until the change of preference deadline – and there's no charge. Simply log in to your application using your UAC application number and UAC PIN.

I applied for the Educational Access Scheme. When will I get my eligibility letter?

EAS eligibility letters will be released on Thursday 14 December to all applicants with a finalised assessment for December Round 2 (21 December).