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.
Admission criteria
Minimum ATAR (or eqv): 96.00. Rural Entry Scheme: For information on the selection criteria and application process for the Rural Entry Scheme, refer to UNSW Special Entry Schemes.
What is the ATAR for Medicine in NSW and Canberra? For students wishing to study medicine in New South Wales, they will need to achieve an ATAR above 90 and in most cases in the mid-90s or even higher.
To even have a chance of success, you need a really top-tier ATAR in addition to an excellent UCAT score. This statistic tells us that scoring lower than 99.25 is not considered 'strong' performance when you compare yourself against other students aiming to gain entry into medicine.
For non-rural students who do not qualify for any special access schemes, UNSW Medicine has an official ATAR minimum cut-off of 96.00, and no official UCAT ANZ cut-off exists. However, to have a realistic shot, your scores need to be higher than around ATAR 99.50 & UCAT 92%tile.
For instance, to score an ATAR of 95, you would need to score in the top 16% of Physics and 18% of Chemistry, but you need to be in the top 8% of Biology.
University of Queensland Medical School
The University of Queensland has a large pool of applicants, accepting as many as 455 students per year. The GPA is valued at 50/50 with the multiple mini-interview (MMI) should the applicant make it to that stage, but the GPA is used as a tiebreaker when necessary.
Unlikely. If you want to get in with a 97 ATAR my guess is that you'd need 100th percentile and a very strong interview, or a minimum 95-98th percentile UMAT with a killer interview.
In NSW in 2020, the minimum aggregate required to score an ATAR of 90 or above was approximately 370, corresponding to an average scaled score of 37 per unit across 10 units.
ATAR scores form part of the entry criteria for the Undergraduate pathway. As entry into medical school is highly competitive, students need to achieve extremely high ATAR scores, often a minimum of 95+ (though higher to be competitive).
HSR – your high school rank at the end of grade 12 may need to be an ATAR of 99 or better for direct entry into medical school, but it is lower for some medical schools; click here for ATAR and entry requirements for every medical school in Australia in 2022.
Although eligibility for an ATAR requires completion of at least four subject areas, the aggregate may be based on fewer subject areas; for example, English Advanced, English Extension 1 and Extension 2, Mathematics Extension 1 and Extension 2, and one other 2-unit course.
For most people, a good ATAR score is 80.00.
Eighty is the minimum ATAR for entry into most programs at the Australian National University. ANU has the fourth highest undergraduate admission standards in Australia. With a score of 80.00, you're in a strong position and have plenty of options.
An ATAR is a rank given in increments of 0.05 between 0.0 and 99.95, meaning that a score of 75 puts you in the top 25 per cent of your state. This rank provides an easy method of comparison for institutions when selecting students for course entry.
It's based on overall HSC results and is designed to be a predictor of your first-year performance at university. So an ATAR of 70 doesn't mean you got 70 percent – it means that you're in the top 30 percent of your year group.
The best way to get 99 ATAR
Ultimately, getting 99 ATAR is no easy undertaking. It requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to use all of the resources available to you. For those students who are aiming for the top universities, a high ATAR score is essential – and it is within your reach.
54,894 students were eligible for an ATAR. This is 137 fewer than in 2019. 48 students received the top ATAR of 99.95. Of these students, 15 were female and 33 were male; they came from a mix of government and non-government schools and studied a wide range of courses.
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.
Australia is home to five of the world's top 100 universities according to the QS World Universities Rankings by subject 2022, including The University of Sydney and The University of Melbourne, which provide the top medical programs in the world.
1. University of Sydney. The University of Sydney was established over 200 years ago and has since produced five Nobel Laureates and seven Australian Prime Ministers. However, getting into the University of Sydney is no walk in the park.
An ATAR of 100 is impossible
Because the ATAR is a rank (not a percentage or mark) and it's measured in increments of 0.05 the highest ATAR you could get is 99.95.
Anthony Segaert
Janiru Liyanage, from Baulkham Hills High, received the highest possible ATAR, 99.95, as well as a 100 per cent score in his English Extension 1 exam.
ATAR facts
54,308 students were eligible for an ATAR. This is 533 fewer than in 2021. 48 students received the top ATAR of 99.95.