WA students are turning their backs on ATAR. But they’re still going to university

1 hour ago 1

A third of West Australian students are turning their backs on traditional entry pathways to university, a new report has found, and are instead making use of alternative pathways that rely on other, less conventional methods of enrolment.

The report – Assessing the ATAR, released by the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University on Tuesday morning – revealed while 67 per cent of WA school leavers still went on to university via ATAR, 33 per cent chose a pathway where the ATAR was not considered, according to 2023 data.

Nationally, ATAR-only admissions were most common in Engineering and Natural and Physical Sciences (72 per cent). While courses in Creative Arts, Education and Agriculture had the lowest proportion of admissions made solely on ATAR (41–43 per cent).

Group of Eight institutions like the University of Western Australia have the highest proportion of students following the ATAR pathway for entry – just 12 per cent of students enrolled via alternative means.

Meanwhile, at institutions like Curtin University which are part of the Australian Technology Network, 26 per cent enrolled through alternative pathways.

And at Murdoch University, under the umbrella of an Innovative Research Universities, the number was 30 per cent.

Nationally, there was variation in the proportion of domestic undergraduates admitted based on ATAR, from almost 100 per cent at one institution to about 10 per cent at another.

Edith Cowan University graduate Kelly Kallane chose to take part in UniPrep during year 12, instead of studying to sit the final exams.

“In year 11, I didn’t do so well to put it bluntly, but I knew that I wanted to study cybersecurity,” he said.

“I thought I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, it’s a bit of a cliche but at school you feel like you have to do well to then do well at university to do well at life.

“Everything changed for the better when I discovered UniPrep was an option – I felt this sense of relief.”

The course is offered in year 11 and 12 through ECU and runs during school hours.

Kallane said he thought it was imperative that alternative pathways to university existed, because every student had a different style of learning, and after struggling through year 11, his year 12 experience was smoother sailing.

“The way I was being taught at school was just not working for me,” he said.

He said he believed he was better-prepared for university because he had learnt about academic writing and referencing – something schools often forgo.

Report co-author Dr Melinda Hildebrandt said pathways to university were diversifying “faster than most people realise”.

“I was surprised with just how much the needle is moving,” she said.

“However we can see that there are certain courses like medicine and law that are still heavily reliant on ATAR, while others like education or creative arts are less reliant.

“There are also social factors at play, with students from lower socio-economic backgrounds more likely to make use of alternative pathways.”

Hildebrandt said WA was trending away from ATAR faster than other states and territories.

One theory is that vocational courses in schools do not count towards an ATAR in WA, but can in other states.

“It’s important to say that ATAR has become this symbol of success, and the report indicates that there is greater scope for schools and universities modernise their admissions,” Hildebrandt said.

“They are very siloed from other institutions, and they would benefit from looking into this as part of grander reforms.”

Mitchell Institute director, and report co-author, Professor Peter Hurley said the findings highlighted the need for clearer information for young people and their families navigating year 12.

“The ATAR is often treated as if it decides everything, but our analysis shows it applies much less often than people think,” he said.

“Students deserve clear information about what the ATAR means, how it will be used, and about the full range of pathways available to them.”

UWA revises minimum ATAR entry scores for 2026

The report from Victoria University comes after UWA announced it would be dropping its minimum entry score for 23 bachelor degree and combined degree courses, from an ATAR of 75 down to 70, bringing it in line with Curtin and Murdoch.

The minimum entry for UWA was once as high as 80.

Courses included in the change range from the arts, to business, science, environmental design, social work, nursing, primary education, international relations, media and communications.

The change puts UWA in line with other Group of Eight universities that have also adjusted entry requirements towards this range.

Education and Student Experience Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Guy Littlefair said setting the ATAR threshold at 70 for some undergraduate degrees was based on sound evidence.

“This adjustment will open the door to many students who may not have previously considered applying to UWA based on their predicted ATAR results,” Littlefair said.

“Our research data tells us that students with an ATAR in the 70-to-80 range are highly capable of succeeding at university.

“It will also help students from diverse backgrounds who may have faced systemic academic achievement barriers while being academically capable.

“This is particularly important when universities are increasingly expected to balance teaching excellence with inclusivity.”

The West Australian recently reported UWA was losing prospective students due to perceptions it was “elitist, aloof and stand-offish”.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.