Arrangements between NZ and Australia
New Zealand has a formal agreement to mutually recognise University Entrance awards or requirements with Australia.
NCEA is accepted by the Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (ACTAC), which ensures that all states/territories in Australia use a common approach for tertiary entrance ranking.
This means that New Zealand students can apply directly to Australian tertiary admission centres or providers.
NZQA supports this arrangement by calculating an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score and making this available to Australian tertiary admission centres.
On this page
Grade conversion: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score
The ATAR (previously known as the Interstate Transfer Index – ITI) is used to compare and rank Australian Year 12 students educated in different states by ranking students in their year group cohort.
NZQA calculates ATAR scores on behalf of Australian tertiary admission centres for every eligible student in January each year. We use methodology agreed by Australasian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (ACTAC). This allows Australian tertiary admission centres to select students for admission.
Australian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (external link)
How ATAR is calculated
ATAR scores range from 99.95 (the top score) to 0.00 in 0.05 increments. 0.05% of the relevant year group is allocated to each ATAR score.
The calculation of ATAR scores by NZQA is a ranking exercise, underpinned by a statistical analysis of all Level 3 results from all students each year.
ATAR scores are based on the best 90 NCEA Level 3 assessed credits with a maximum of 24 credits from a subject. To determine which 90 credits are your best, assessed credits are given a weighting based on several factors.
NZQA can't calculate an ATAR score for students who were assessed in fewer than 60 credits at Level 3 or above in the years they had a secondary enrolment.
How we rank NCEA Level 3 credits
Standards are prioritised:
- University Entrance (UE) approved subject standards are used ahead of non-UE approved subject standards
- achievement standards are used ahead of unit standards, and
- each standard and result is assessed and weighted independently using a statistical analysis to determine relative difficulty. Externally assessed achievement standards are typically ranked higher than internally assessed achievement standards for the same subject and result.
If a student resits a standard, their best grade is used.
NZQA does not predict ATAR scores in advance. It is not advisable to rely on standard weightings from previous years and they change from year to year.
Planning and course selection to study at an Australian university
If you plan to attend university in Australia, we recommend you plan your NCEA subjects in advance to give you the best chance of being accepted.
In Australia:
- Year 12 is the equivalent of New Zealand Year 13 and NCEA Level 3
- each state has its own secondary education system
- university entry requirements can be different in each state
- each university sets its own admission requirements and criteria.
Contact the university or education provider you wish to attend as early as possible to ensure that your Year 13 course will meet all the entry requirements.
In general, for applications to be considered:
- you must achieve New Zealand University Entrance
- you need to achieve a high ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score
- you need to meet the state's university entry criteria. Take note of the state’s English requirement for New Zealand students. Credits must be from Level 3 University Entrance approved English. Some Australian states require up to 20 English credits.
- you need to meet the state's English language proficiency requirement (if there is one).
To maximise your potential ATAR score, you should:
- have at least 90 assessed level 3 credits results (assessed credits are those with results of Not Achieved, Achieved, Achieved with Merit, and Achieved with Excellence)
- aim to get as many level 3 excellence and merit results as possible in externally and internally assessed achievement standards in University Entrance approved subjects.
How to apply to an Australian university
The Australian education system treats New Zealand citizens as domestic interstate students. You usually apply through a Tertiary Admission Centre that works on behalf of the universities in their state or territory. For particular courses at some universities, you will need to apply directly to the university.
New Zealand residents are treated as international students by the Australian system.
If you have questions about the entrance requirements for your chosen university, contact details for tertiary admission centres and universities are available from the Australian Conference of Tertiary Admission Centres (ACTAC).
What you need to do
If you plan to study at an Australian university and have completed NCEA Level 3, or are in your final year of NCEA Level 3 study and expect to gain University Entrance, you will need to:
- provide your New Zealand National Student Number (NSN) when applying (ensure that this is accurate)
- ask your school’s Principal Nominee to check that your tertiary release indicator (privacy flag) on the school management system is set to "Yes" so that the Australian Tertiary Admission Centres and Australian and New Zealand universities can access your results
- if your results change after the January results release, either from a review and reconsideration, or if results are reported late, tell the Australian Tertiary Admission Centre or university you applied to. Your ATAR score will be automatically recalculated so they can then log into the NZQA website to obtain any updated results.
You do not need to contact NZQA to send a copy of your results record and ATAR score.
What we do
NZQA calculates ATAR scores in January once all NCEA Level 3 results are available. We make the information available to tertiary institutions if you have set your tertiary release indicator to "Yes".
If you have selected "Yes", the Australian tertiary institution can download an electronic copy of your individual results record with your:
- University Entrance status
- Australian defined level 3 subject scores
- NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 results, and
- ATAR score.
We do not provide students with official documentation of ATAR scores. However, you can download a PDF with your ATAR score by logging into MyNZQA.
Log in to MyNZQA (external link)
When we release results
NZQA sets the annual NCEA assessment results date as early as possible, however it may not always satisfy the specific cut-off dates of all the Australian Tertiary Admissions Centres.
We work closely with the Tertiary Admissions Centres to agree on a release date that best meets:
- the NZQA marking requirements, and
- the Tertiary Admissions Centres' cut-off dates.
Mid-year admission to an Australian university
To apply for mid-year admission at a university in Australia, the process is the same except you will need to:
- complete a mid-year entrance application with the relevant Tertiary Admissions Centre or university
- supply a copy of your New Zealand Record of Achievement (NZROA) with your application.
New Zealand Record of Achievement
The Tertiary Admissions Centre or university may ask NZQA to supply confirmation of your results. ATAR scores are not recalculated for mid-year applications.
NZQA will answer any requests for supporting information from Australian Universities within two business days. We will provide the information directly to the Tertiary Admissions Centre or university.
Privacy of your information
We can only make the information available to tertiary institutions if you have set your tertiary release indicator to 'Yes'. If this is set to 'No', please contact your secondary provider and ask them to change the setting. If you have left school, please contact our Data Management and Learner Records team:
Information is not released to third parties. We are unable to release results to anyone outside of the tertiary institutions and the student in question.
There are differences between Australian and New Zealand privacy laws. This means we do not know if the Australian organisations that access your information:
- will make any use or disclosure of it in the future
- will protect your information in a way that is comparable to New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020.
State contacts for more information on applying
Queensland
Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) (external link)
South Australia / Northern Territory
South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) (external link)
Western Australia
New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory
Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) (external link)
Tasmania
University of Tasmania (external link)
Victoria
If, after reading this page, you still have any questions, please email us: