Why Universities Are Looking At More Than Just Your ATAR These Days

You’re more than your ATAR.

This post is presented in partnership with RMIT.

As it turns out, determining a student’s educational future based on their exam results isn’t always a clear indication of their worth or capacity to learn. Who knew?

Going through the stress of classes in high school or studying when you’re faced with personal challenges can put a damper on the whole idea of going to uni.

So, that’s why some unis are now keen to look beyond ATAR results, ‘cos it's not always an accurate reflection of your skills and abilities.

With the help of our mates at RMIT University, we’ve taken a deep dive into why universities wanna know more about you and not just your final scores.

Your other skills count.

As a high school student, your strengths aren’t always in memorising dates or quotes. Instead, you could be an awesome leader, extra creative, love making a difference or be an innovative thinker.

Whatever it may be, RMIT wants to know about your hobbies, weekend projects, passions and extracurricular activities alongside your ATAR ranking. You could be a whiz at public speaking, the captain of a sports team, making waves with a side hustle or even flexing a creative talent like music, art or design.

With RMIT’s Early Offer program, your life experiences both inside and outside the classroom are considered just as much as your ATAR, so you can take that extra pressure off in your final year of high school.

This is a great option for students who find that they perform better at the things that they love. You can browse the range of courses available in the RMIT Early Offer program here (there’s tonnes to choose from).

Difficult life circumstances may have got in the way.

Getting through high school is tough enough as it is, but when you’re trying to finish Year 12 and experiencing difficult life circumstances, it can make graduating and getting good results even harder.

These circumstances could be anything from a family death or issues with safety and security at home.

RMIT will consider if anything has prevented you from reaching your full potential and give you the opportunity to study your dream course without life getting in the way.

You can find out if you’re eligible for RMIT’s access schemes here.

You could have faced financial struggles.

If you or your family have faced financial difficulties, it can be difficult to ensure you have the right tools for class. Plus, you may miss out on classes if you need to pick up some extra casual or part-time work.

Additionally, living in a regional or rural area can impact your access to the education you need to enter uni. 

Financial struggles can affect anyone at any age, and if you have found that they have impacted your education, RMIT can give you a leg up with their access schemes or their regional adjustments.

You can learn more about their Regional adjustments selection criteria here.

Your age and cultural background should be considered.

No matter what your age, background or life experience has been, everyone deserves the opportunity to go to uni, and RMIT wants to make that happen with their equity access schemes.

You can apply for some of their opportunities if you’re a mature age applicant, an Indigenous Australian, from a non-English speaking background, living with a disability or medical condition, or are a female applying for a program in which women are under-represented.

These opportunities are designed to increase tertiary access to more students than other unis might consider and encourage a diverse and inclusive student population that will allow you to thrive.

If your ATAR ranking isn’t what you were hoping for, but you fit into one of these categories, you could apply for RMIT’s access schemes or Indigenous Access Program which you can find out more about here.

Your ATAR shouldn't prevent you from heading to uni.

Was school super stressful for you? Did the way classes were taught not suit your learning style? Whatever the reason, getting an ATAR result lower than you expected shouldn’t prevent you from studying your ideal degree.

With RMIT’s Guaranteed Pathways, you can secure a place in your dream course by completing a hands-on TAFE course first. Once you complete your pathway course and undergraduate degree, you'll graduate with two qualifications!”

You can learn more about RMIT’s Guaranteed Pathways here.

When it comes down to it, following your dream career or study pathway shouldn’t be put on hold because of a number on a screen. Instead, you should be considered for all of the amazing things you offer!

With RMIT, you have the option to be considered for more than your ATAR and attain university entry early.

If you’re worried about what your ATAR ranking might be or have undergone life circumstances that may have impacted your high school experience, check out RMIT’s Early Offer program or access schemes online.

Header Image: Pamela Buenrostro via Unsplash