What ATAR Do You Need for Engineering?
The ATAR for engineering usually lands between the low 70s and the mid 80s for a standard Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), depending on the university. That number on its own won’t tell you whether you’ll get in, though. Whether you have the right maths subject counts just as much, and the published figure is often not the score you need.
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Engineering ATARs at a glance
| University | Figure | What it is |
| UNSW | 80.1 | Lowest ATAR offered a place in 2026, varying by specialisation |
| UQ | 84.00 | Adjusted entry threshold, Semester 1 2026 |
| UWA | 80 | Minimum ATAR |
| Curtin | 80 | Guaranteed ATAR or selection rank |
| Deakin | 70.40 | Lowest selection rank in 2026, with a guaranteed ATAR of 61 for eligible students |
Queensland gives a sense of the spread. In 2025, the lowest selection rank to get an engineering offer ranged from 62.45 at UniSC to 84.00 at UQ.
Why the published number can mislead you
Universities publish different kinds of figures. Some show a guaranteed ATAR, which means you’re in if you reach it and meet the other requirements. Others show the lowest selection rank from last year’s offers, which is your ATAR plus any adjustment factors.
The gap between the two can be large. In RMIT’s 2026 Mechanical Engineering offers, the lowest ATAR was 60.35, while the lowest selection rank was 80.05. Students got in with ATARs well below 80 because adjustment factors lifted their rank. Before you rule a course out, find out which kind of figure you’re looking at and which adjustment factors you might qualify for.
Prerequisites matter as much as the rank
Most engineering ATAR requirements come with a maths prerequisite, and it’s easy to miss. Monash asks for a study score of at least 25 in Mathematical Methods or Specialist Maths. UWA wants a scaled score of 50 in Methods, plus Chemistry, Physics or Specialist. Curtin requires Methods and one of Chemistry, Physics or Engineering Studies.
Specialist Maths usually isn’t compulsory, but leaving it out has a cost. At Monash, students without a Specialist study score of 30 take foundation maths in their first semester. That’s manageable, but it adds to a heavy first year. If you’re deciding whether to keep Specialist, that trade-off matters more than a few ATAR points.
The most common mistake is dropping Methods in Year 11 because it feels hard. No ATAR will make up for missing engineering prerequisites.
A few points short? Your options
Look up adjustment factors first, since subject, regional and equity schemes can close a gap. Then compare a university’s guaranteed entry with its lowest offer, because some guarantees are far lower. Diplomas are another route. Monash College’s diploma, for instance, guarantees entry into second year of Monash Engineering if you finish with the required marks. The University of Melbourne doesn’t offer an undergraduate engineering degree. Instead it offers graduate degree packages, where you take an undergraduate degree first and then move into a master’s.
For example: a student with an ATAR of 78 and a solid Methods score misses UQ’s 84 but clears Deakin’s 70.40 comfortably. Another student has an 88 ATAR but dropped Methods, which rules out Monash and UWA without bridging study.
The Bottom Line
At most metropolitan universities, an ATAR for engineering of around 80 combined with a decent Methods result puts you in a strong position. Check each university’s course page for which kind of figure it publishes, and confirm the prerequisites before you finalise your Year 11 subjects. To see whether your likely marks get you to 80, run a few versions through our ATAR calculator.
