Two in five undergrad students entering uni without ATAR as push to ditch ranking system grows

Students and tertiary providers alike are turning their backs on ATARs as just two in five domestic undergraduate students enter university through an ATAR requirement.

Wolf Young, 21, didn’t get the ATAR he wanted.

But that didn’t stop the Melbourne man from getting into the course of his dreams.

The digital media student is part of a growing cohort turning their back on ATAR entry requirements.

And tertiary education providers are helping students get there without what critics describe as an “outdated” and irrelevant ranking system.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a percentile rank that many universities use to determine offers to courses, especially high-demand and high-academic ones.

Mr Young didn’t need an ATAR to get where he wanted to be. Picture: Alison Wynd

The ATAR is a rank, not a score, determined by coursework and exams in students final years of schooling.

Mr Wolf said he was disappointed with his ATAR and was unsure how he could get into further studies and what alternative pathways existed.

Eventually after a gap year where he “took every opportunity available”, Mr Wolf landed at Australian College of the Arts (Collarts).

“There’s a lot of stigma around alternative routes to university, like VET or bridging courses or gap years, but there shouldn’t be,” he said.

“It’s amazing there are so many ways students can get in to study the courses of their choice, because an ATAR can be so limiting.”

Mr Wolf is exactly the type of creative and design student Collarts chief executive Sam Jacob is seeking since the tertiary provider ditched ATAR requirements in 2024.

“We looked at our data and found ATAR doesn’t accurately predict who passes and who doesn’t,” they said.

Sam Jacob ditched ATAR entry requirements for Collarts in 2024.

“Instead of ATAR, we look at an applicants’ portfolio work, see how applicants are already involved in their creative space and their work experience.

“We look at recommendations and volunteering – these demonstrate applicants' potential and passion.

“Passion is just as important as the score they’re getting in Year 12.”

Australia’s sandstone universities have some of the nation’s highest ATAR requirements. Picture: University of Melbourne

A report by the Department of Education released in July found only 40 per cent of domestic applicants to undergraduate courses in Australia did so through an ATAR.

Students are increasingly using different pathways to get into the courses of their dreams, including vocational training and bridging-studies.

Internationally acclaimed principal Peter Hutton is very passionate about the need to ditch ATARs. 

Mr Hutton has 35-years experience in education and currently leads progressive education provider Global Village Learning in Victoria.

“ATAR is outdated and does not serve a useful purpose,” he said.

Mr Hutton has long advocated against using ATAR to rank students against each other.

“It’s a ranking, not a score, which leaves many school leavers disappointed.

“Australia is the only education jurisdiction in the world that ranks young people directly against each other.

“It’s time to go.”

Mr Hutton instead recommends a more flexible system, including portfolios, work experience and high-demand/high-academic disciplines – such as medicine, engineering and law – conducting their own entrance exams.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said it was a priority for universities to “keep their doors open” to everyone who has the will and skills to enter.

Mr Sheehy wants every prospective student to have the chance of reaching university.

“The ATAR is one way for school-leavers to get into university, but it’s not the only way,” he said.

“Australians take many different paths to get there – some come straight from school, others choose to study later in life or arrive with vocational training, work experience or bridging-study behind them.

“Our universities recognise all of that when they assess someone’s readiness to study.

“This matters because talent is spread right across the community – and Australia needs every bit of it.”

Education Minister Jason Clare shared this sentiment, stating ATAR is not a “dead end”.

“It’s the end of school but it’s the start of something big,” Mr Clare said.

“Remember you’re more than just a mark.

“There are lots of different pathways to get the qualifications to do the job you want to do.”

What do you think about the ATAR entry systems? Comment below or email at [e-mail]

Originally published as Two in five undergrad students entering uni without ATAR as push to ditch ranking system grows