Only 26 Per Cent of Students Have Entered Uni Using an ATAR

Is it time to get rid of the dreaded ATAR?

A new report has found that only 26 per cent of students are gaining entry to universities through their ATAR compared with alternative pathways.

The report, delivered by The Mitchell Institute and reported on by the ABC, found that, in 2016, more than 131,000 students had entered uni without using their ATAR score. This figure was up nine per cent from 2015.

Instead, universities had been employing alternative methods to grant entry to their students, such as offering bonus point schemes to those from regional or low socio-economic areas, bridging courses, aptitude tests and portfolios.

In fact, 12 per cent had entered universities via a VET award course, 26 per cent were through another higher education course and four per cent were through mature-age entry.

Via the ABC:

Some have questioned whether the ATAR is really required any more.

The director of the Mitchell Institute, Megan O'Connell, told the ABC that ATARs were distorting choices for Year 12 students, because they felt pressured into choosing courses for prestige over what they truly wanted to do.

"We see students choosing to undertake, or not to undertake, certain subjects because it might diminish their ATAR," she told the ABC.

"So, if you're a smart student—you get an ATAR of 95—you might be pressured to go into, for example, law, even though you might want to be doing something quite different with your life."

The report also found that for health and teaching-related courses, seven out of every ten were non-ATAR entries; the highest of any field in tertiary education.

Maybe we should go back to the drawing board on this?