Does my ATAR really matter?

What if we told you ATARs don't matter?

As a student, it's really easy to become fixated on your Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). After all, it's the be all and end all of high school, right? We’re here to tell you that if you get a bad ATAR, your life isn’t over.

It's just a number

ATARs serve one purpose: to give you a tertiary admissions ranking. They don’t illustrate how creative, clever, innovative or industrious you are. They're not a measure of your worth, or your intelligence.

Your ranking indicates how well you have done at a variety of subjects compared to your fellow students. This is great for anyone who really excels in the academic space, such as students who are visual or aural learners. But it's not an indicator of how smart you are, or your potential. The school system is set up to reward students who are really good at sitting down and reading and writing. But students who are hands-on learners can sometimes feel like they are being left behind.

ATARs serve one purpose: to give you a tertiary admissions ranking. They don't not illustrate how creative, clever, innovative or industrious you are. They're not a measure of your worth, or your intelligence.

You can still get into university

Getting a good ATAR is the most obvious way to get into university, but it’s definitely not the only way.

Did you know that if you complete a diploma at TAFE Queensland, you are guaranteed entry into a related university course with one of our higher education partners with our diploma-to-degree pathways? Not only are you guaranteed a spot, but in most cases you can enter your university course straight into the second year.

Alternative pathways come with added benefits

If you take the diploma-to-degree pathway to further study, you get the added bonus of entering uni with a full qualification already under your belt. That means you can start working in your chosen industry straight away and get ahead of your peers. You will also commence your uni course with a full range of hands-on skills and experience that will give you the upper hand in the classroom.

You will graduate from university at the same time as your friends who got a good score. But you'll have two qualifications instead of one, and you'll have a lot more hands-on experience to back up your job search.

What's the downside? Oh wait. There isn't one.

TAFE Queensland has more than 270 formal university pathway arrangements. We also partner with the University of Canberra to offer their world-class degrees at our locations here in Queensland.

For more information about studying at TAFE Queensland check out our courses or contact us today.