With the release of 2021 HSC students' Australian Admissions Tertiary Ranks (ATARs) on Thursday, many students will likely be looking closely at their options for university again.
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Students have until 11.59pm on Friday, January 21 to change their preferences for the January round two offers, which are released next Wednesday, January 26.
Kim Paino, general manager of marketing and engagement at the Universities Admissions Centre, told students not to get disheartened if their ATAR was not what they had hoped; lowest selection ranks changed from year to year, so entry to first preference courses was still possible.
She also said lowest selection ranks did not mean students with lower ATARs would not receive an offer and advised students to research university websites to see what adjustment factors they could get, so they could take that into account when looking at their preferences.
For those with ATARS well below their expectations who felt university was no longer an option, Ms Paino said, there were plenty of other pathways, including foundation and pathways programs.
She said some courses did not even require an ATAR and there was still time to apply for these through UAC.
For students who received an early offer but want to try for another, they must remove the successful offer from the top of their preference list or it will 'block' their other preferences.
Ms Paino said students were also able to accept offers made directly by institutions outside the UAC rounds and still remain in the running for offers through UAC.
For more information or assistance, visit the UAC website.
Students with questions about their ATAR can call UAC's ATAR Enquiry Centre on 9119 5012 on the following days:
- Thursday 20 January, 8.30am to 8.30pm
- Friday 21 January, 8.30am to 8.30pm
- Monday 24 January, 8.30am to 4.30pm
- Tuesday 25 January, 8.30am to 4.30pm
- Wednesday 26 January, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
ATAR facts from the 2021 HSC
- 54,841 students were eligible for an ATAR. This is 53 fewer than in 2020.
- Forty-eight students received the top ATAR of 99.95. Of these students, 14 were female and 34 were male; they came from a mix of government and non-government schools and studied a wide range of courses.
- 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. To achieve a middle ATAR, students generally need to be in the middle of their courses and receive HSC marks between 70 and 80. However, because of the large percentage of students with marks between 70 and 80, the ATARs of students with HSC marks around 80 will often be very different from the ATARs of students with HSC marks around 70.
- The median ATAR for females was 71.80, whereas the median ATAR for males was 68.70.
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