It’s time for NSW HSC students to get ready for their ATAR

MORE than 60,000 NSW HSC students will be able to access their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) from 9am on Thursday 18 December. 

The ATAR is a rank used by universities to select school leavers for entry into university courses. UAC research has shown that the ATAR is a reliable predictor of success in first year university study and allows universities to select from among the many applicants for high-demand courses in a fair and consistent way.

While the ATAR is just one way to gain entry to university, with many courses using alternative criteria such as a personal statement, portfolio, audition, interview or test, a recent study by the Mitchell Institute found that 70 per cent of school leavers nationally are admitted wholly or in part based on their ATAR.

UAC’s advice to NSW HSC students is to plan ahead for next week’s ATAR release.

To view their ATAR on UAC’s website on Thursday 18 December, students will need their NESA student number and UAC PIN. If they have lost or forgotten their PIN now is the time to contact UAC to have it reissued.

UAC will be holding a live session at 6pm on Tuesday 16 December. It will cover topics such as who qualifies for an ATAR, how UAC calculates ATARs and where students can get their ATAR. Tune in on UAC’s Facebook, YouTube or Instagram channels.

Students who have specific questions about the calculation of their ATAR can call UAC’s ATAR Enquiry Centre on (02) 9119 5012 from 8.30am on 18 December.

Those students who have applied through UAC will have until 11.59pm on Thursday 18 December, to finalise their course preferences for the first ATAR-based offer round on Tuesday 23 December.

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For further information (media only) email media@uac.edu.au or contact:
Diane Jardine, Communications Coordinator, UAC on 0436 459 603, or
Kim Paino, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, UAC on 0409 155 112.