You've got your ATAR: what to do next

The day has arrived for NSW and ACT HSC students to access their ATAR!

Now you have your results, many of you will be turning your attention to your university application. Remember, you have until 11.59pm on Friday 15 December to finalise your course preferences for December Round 2, the first ATAR-based offer round.

Here's our step-by-step guide on what to do now that you have your ATAR. Please reach out to UAC if you need any help.

Get your ATAR

If you haven't already, log in now and view your ATAR. You'll need your NESA student number and your UAC PIN.

If you've lost your student number, call NESA on 1300 13 83 23 or contact your school. If you've lost your UAC PIN, call UAC on (02) 9752 0200.

Once you've logged in, you'll see a list of the ATAR courses you studied and their category, and the number of units of each ATAR course that contributed to the calculation of your ATAR.

Download your ATAR Advice Notice

Remember to download and save your official 2023 ATAR Advice Notice. It's free until 13 March 2024: after that you will need to buy it through the UAC Shop at a cost of $70.

You can also access your ATAR via UAC's free digital wallet, CredFolio. CredFolio allows you to securely store and share your ATAR. How to set up your CredFolio digital wallet and claim your ATAR

Review your course choices

Now that you have your ATAR, you might be happy to leave your uni preferences as they are. But if you're still unsure about the courses you've chosen, here are some tips.

1. Put your dream course first: Even if your ATAR wasn’t what you’d hoped for, leave your first preference in place, because lowest selection ranks change from year to year.
2. Check if you are eligible for adjustment factors: You might be eligible to receive university selection rank adjustments, which are additional points that sit on top of your ATAR and increase your selection rank into particular courses at particular universities. This means you could get an offer to a course even though your ATAR is below the lowest selection rank. Do your research on university websites to see what adjustment factors you can get so you can take that into account when choosing your preferences.
3. Have a plan B: Research the full range of courses in the field that you’re hoping to study in. Look for courses with lower selection ranks and consider adding them to the bottom of your list of preferences. This way, if you miss out on your dream course, you'll have a good chance of getting an offer to something similar.
4. Include a course that matches your ATAR: Make sure that you have at least one course within your UAC preference list which has a selection rank that matches your ATAR.
5. Find another path: Many students don’t go straight into their first preference in their first year of tertiary study. You could instead start in a general degree, or a foundation or pathway program, and apply for your preferred course later. (Some unis may allow you to apply for an internal transfer.) Uni info days, which are run by many institutions before December Round 2, are a great way to get your last-minute questions answered about your options. Download the institution contact details.
6. Make the changes before the deadline: For the main round of ATAR-based uni offers (December Round 2), you have until 11.59pm Friday 15 December to make changes to your preferences. For the following offer round (January Round 1), released on Thursday 11 January, you have until 11.59pm on Thursday 4 January to make changes.

Lock in your preferences

If you want to change your preferences, give yourself as much time as possible before the deadline. Simply log in to your application using your UAC application number and UAC PIN. Watch the short video below or follow our step-by-step instructions if you need any help.

Contact us if you have questions

Take a look at our FAQs about the ATAR to see if your question is answered there. You can download our short publication ATAR Essentials for an explanation of how and why the ATAR is calculated, how it is used for selection to tertiary study, and its relationship to HSC marks.

If you have specific questions about your ATAR, call UAC's ATAR Enquiry Centre on (+61 2) 9119 5012 on the following dates:

Make sure you have your Year 12 student number (or UAC application number) ready when you call the Enquiry Centre.

General enquiries about your application: Contact UAC on (+61 2) 9752 0200 or via the online enquiry form. UAC's Customer Service call centre will be open extended hours – until 6.30pm – on Friday 15 December.

Questions for institutions: You can also contact the universities you are applying to – most will have special telephone lines and information days to give you advice. Download the institution contact details.

HSC results: If you have questions about your NSW HSC results, released by NESA from 6am on Thursday 14 December, visit the HSC results area of the NESA website, or call the HSC Results Inquiry Centre on 1300 13 83 23.