Around 34-35% of eligible Year 12 students in Australia, particularly in New South Wales (NSW), achieve an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 80 or above, meaning they rank in the top 20-35% of their age group, though exact figures vary slightly by year and state. An ATAR of 80 indicates a student performed better than 80% of their peers, placing them in the top quintile (20%) of their age cohort, though actual percentages can be higher due to scaling and different cohorts.
17.1 per cent of students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 34.2 per cent received an ATAR of at least 80.00 and 50.7 per cent received an ATAR of at least 70.00. The median ATAR was 70.40 this year, slightly higher than in 2020.
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% of your age cohort.
17.3% of the students received an ATAR of 90.00 or above, 34.6% received an ATAR of at least 80.00, 51.3% at least 70.00, and 66.8% at least 60.00. The median ATAR was 70.75, slightly lower than in 2024. The median ATAR for females was 71.60 whereas the median ATAR for males was 69.80.
Nobody can receive an ATAR of 100, and that's because the ATAR is a rank (not a percentage or mark), measured in increments of 0.05.
Getting a 70 ATAR is surprisingly achievable, as it's around the median for students who complete Year 12 (not 50), meaning you only need to be in the top 30% of your cohort, not get 70%. You generally need roughly average scaled study scores of about 30 across your best subjects, which often translates to consistent B+ or around 60-70% on internal assessments (SACs) and exams, though scaling and subject choice play a big role.
The ATAR is a number from 0 and 99.95 in intervals of 0.05. The highest rank is 99.95, the next highest 99.90, and so on. The lowest automatically reported rank is 30.00, with ranks below 30.00 being reported as 'less than 30'.
Is it hard to get an ATAR above 85? An ATAR of 85.00 means that you are in the top 15% of the state, or around the top 25% of students who receive an ATAR (i.e., the top 25% of ATAR scores). This is an impressive accomplishment, but it is certainly achievable for every student.
Australia is a global frontrunner in equipping students with the skills needed for the future of work, according to the QS World Future Skills Index 2025. Australia also continues to excel in the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS).
Yes, an ATAR of 90 means you are in the top 10% of your year level in Australia, indicating excellent performance that opens doors to many university courses, though highly competitive ones like Medicine or Law may need higher scores. The ATAR is a percentile rank, so a 90 means you performed better than 90% of your peers.
→Is a 98 ATAR enough for medicine in the ANZ market? A 98 ATAR is an excellent score, and it is certainly high enough to apply for medicine at most universities in Australia and New Zealand.
Medicine is widely regarded as the number one hardest degree in the world due to its complex syllabus, extended duration, intense clinical training, and high-pressure exams.
Your rank is based on how you went compared to other Year 12 students. So even if your test scores are lower than you'd hoped, if you're still ranked in the top 20% of students, then you'll receive an ATAR of 80. As long as you try your best with what you have, chances are, you'll do better than you expect.
While the system worked to unify the process for Australian school students to get into their preferred university courses, it has been under scrutiny from many students, principals, education authorities and teachers alike for putting too much emphasis on exams, as well as not recognising students' achievements and ...
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
The hardest Australian universities to get into are generally the University of Sydney, UNSW (University of New South Wales), and the Australian National University (ANU), often cited for having the lowest acceptance rates (around 30-35%) and requiring very high ATAR scores, especially for popular courses like Law, Medicine, and Engineering. However, competitiveness varies by course, with some specific programs at other top-tier institutions like the University of Melbourne, UQ, and Monash also demanding extremely high entry scores.
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Average ATAR Score in Australia
Generally, the national average ATAR score hovers around 70.00. However, this can vary slightly from state to state. New South Wales (NSW): The average ATAR for students in NSW tends to be slightly above the national average, usually around 71.00 to 73.00.
Why 60 is respectable, 70 is good, and 80 is a very good ATAR. An ATAR is the score out of 100 that many students in Australia receive when they complete Year 12. It is your ticket to university.
To get into Australian medical schools you need your high school grades to convert to an ATAR. For medicine, you need a 99 ATAR to be very competitive. If you're studying the NCEA curriculum Australian medical schools only take your best 90 credits. To achieve a 99 ATAR you need 90 excellence credits.
Overall, the highest scaling ATAR subjects in QLD are Specialist Maths, Maths Methods, and the Languages subjects, as the subject cohorts are extremely competitive and the content is difficult to learn.
Yes, you can absolutely go to university without an ATAR by using various alternative pathways like TAFE diplomas, foundation courses, bridging programs, experience-based entry, or STAT tests, as most universities offer multiple routes to entry beyond just high school results, recognizing skills from work, vocational training, or life experience.