Selection methods for undergraduate admissions in Australia. Does the Australian predominate entry scheme the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) have a future?

Abstract

This article considers the Australian entry score system, the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR), and its usage as a selection mechanism for undergraduate places in Australian higher education institutions and asks whether its role as the main selection criterion will continue with the introduction of demand driven funding in 2012. Admission strategies for undergraduate places in Australian universities have remained unchanged for many years. The author concludes that the current entry scheme, the ATAR, will continue as a dominant selection criterion particularly for courses where demand exceeds supply, but ATAR-based selection will be insufficient to meet the participation targets set by the federal government. There is now an opportunity for universities to differentiate themselves by their admission strategies and to improve participation of equity groups through the normalisation of alternative entry mechanisms.