April: How significant is your ATAR a year after you've graduated?

It’s completely disheartening when you receive your ATAR and you get back a number that you think doesn’t really reflect all the hard work you put in over the year. Almost everyone experiences this, so you’re not alone. If you are a lucky one, and you got what you aimed for, or perhaps higher – good on you! Some others, on the other hand, may need to adjust their preferences or just accept entry into a course lower on their preference list.

If you happen to get into a course at university that you’re not super excited about, it doesn’t matter! Most courses will allow you to transfer at the end of the year if your marks are up to scratch; and the mark required depends on the campus you want to transfer to.

By transferring at the end of the year, you’ll be able to earn credit points for the units you studied throughout the year, and you will finally be able to transfer into the dream course of your choice. So, you read right ladies and gentlemen, what matters is your GPA/WAM (Grade Point Average – the average mark for your your subjects in the semester; Weighted Average Mark – the average of all your GPA’s), and any compulsory units that may need to transfer. That means that a year after year you’ve finished year 12, your ATAR is pretty much obsolete!

Now that’s cleared up, I hope you will see your ATAR, course preferences and offers in a new light, and I hope you all get accepted into a course you are excited for!