US Trends

what is a good atar score

A “good” ATAR is one that gets you into the course and uni you want, but in practice many people treat anything around the high 70s and above as solid, and 80+ as strong.

ATAR basics

  • The ATAR is a rank between 0.00 and 99.95 that shows how your results compare with the rest of your age group.
  • An ATAR of 80.00 means you’ve performed better than roughly 80% of your age cohort, not just your school.
  • The highest possible ATAR is 99.95, achieved by only a very small group of top‑scoring students each year.

What counts as “good”?

  • Nationally, the average ATAR for students who actually receive one is around 70.00, so anything at or above 70 is already above average.
  • Many guides and uni-planning sites say a “good” ATAR for broad options is around 80.00, because that opens up a large number of competitive courses at strong universities.
  • ATARs from 70.00–79.95 are often described as “creditable” and can still get you into major programs at many mid‑ranking universities.

Course cut-offs and targets

  • Different courses set different selection ranks: highly competitive degrees (medicine, law at top universities, some double degrees) often look for ATARs in the 90s, sometimes 95+.
  • Many standard business, science, and arts degrees at large public universities sit roughly in the 70–80+ range, while some universities have popular courses with cut‑offs in the 60s.
  • Because unis can use adjustment factors (bonus points) and selection ranks, a slightly lower ATAR may still lead to an offer if you meet subject or equity criteria.

How to think about your score

  • If your goal is “lots of options at good unis,” aiming for ~80+ is a realistic benchmark; if your dream course has a published cut‑off, treat that as your personal “good” ATAR.
  • Even if your ATAR ends up below what you hoped, there are alternative pathways like diplomas, bridging courses, and transferring after first year that can still get you into your preferred field.

Bottom line: a “good” ATAR isn’t one magical number; it’s the rank that gets you onto the pathway you actually want, with 70+ above average, 80+ strong, and 90+ generally considered excellent.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.