SACE ATAR Calculator
SACE ATAR Calculator 2026: ATAR Calculator for SA Students
Our SACE ATAR calculator turns your Stage 2 results into an estimated SATAC university aggregate out of 90 and a rough ATAR. It is built for South Australian students choosing subjects, setting targets, or checking where predicted results might land. If you searched for an ATAR calculator for SA, this page covers the tool, the rules behind it, and two worked examples you can follow by hand.
One honest caveat first: SATAC says there is no accurate way to predict an ATAR in advance, because the aggregate-to-ATAR conversion changes every year. Use this calculator as a planning guide, not a promise. Your official ATAR comes from SATAC, and the 2026 conversion table is due in December 2026.
Estimates only. The calculator does not check SATAC’s precluded combinations or counting restrictions. Check the Tertiary Entrance Booklet on the SATAC website for those rules.
How to use the SACE ATAR calculator
The calculator works in four steps:
Enter your Stage 2 subjects. For each one, choose its type: a 20-credit TAS, a valid pair of two 10-credit subjects, a 10-credit subject such as the Research Project, or Recognised Studies (20 or 10 credits).
Enter your expected scaled score for each subject. Scaled scores are out of 20 for 20-credit subjects and out of 10 for 10-credit subjects.
Add any Recognised Studies you have approval for, such as a Certificate III or higher VET qualification, by choosing the Recognised Studies type.
Read your estimated university aggregate out of 90 and the matching ATAR range.
If you only know your grades (A+ to E-), treat the result as a wide estimate. SATAC does not convert a grade to a single scaled score: each grade maps to a range, and where you land depends on your raw scores across every assessment task.
What is a SACE ATAR?
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is a rank, not a mark. It is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 showing how you performed compared with students who finished Year 12 in the same year, adjusted for how much of the age group completes Year 12. An ATAR of 90.00 means you performed as well as or better than 90% of that population. SATAC only calculates ATARs for SACE and NTCET students, but ATARs are nationally comparable: an 81.00 in South Australia equals an 81.00 anywhere else.
Who does what
- SACE Board of South Australia: sets and moderates assessment, marks external exams, and reports your Stage 2 grades.
- SATAC: scales your results, calculates your university aggregate, and converts it to an ATAR on behalf of the universities.
How the SACE ATAR is calculated
Your ATAR comes from a university aggregate of up to 90.00, built from your best 90 credits of Stage 2 study. The steps run in this order:
SATAC converts each Stage 2 result into a scaled score (out of 20 for a 20-credit subject, out of 10 for a 10-credit subject).
It picks your best three 20-credit Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS), worth 60 credits. A valid pair of 10-credit subjects can stand in for one 20-credit TAS.
It adds the best result from the “flexible option”, worth the final 30 credits.
It converts the total aggregate into an ATAR using that year’s conversion table.
University aggregate = best three 20-credit TAS (up to 60) + flexible option (up to 30)
Who is eligible for an aggregate
Per SATAC, you must:
qualify for the SACE (or NTCET)
complete at least 90 credits of Stage 2 TAS and Recognised Studies
have at least 60 of those 90 credits from 20-credit TAS or valid subject pairs
follow the rules on precluded combinations and counting restrictions
Only Stage 2 counts. Stage 1 subjects help you complete the SACE but do not enter the aggregate.
What counts in the flexible 30 credits
The flexible option can combine remaining TAS with Recognised Studies. Recognised Studies include VET at Certificate III or above, approved higher education subjects, and Higher or Standard Level IB subjects. They contribute a maximum of 20 credits in total, must be Stage 2 level, and need a result equivalent to C- or better. University subjects are not pre-approved: apply for approval the year before you study them.
SATAC also counts a maximum of three attempts, which can be in non-consecutive years, and uses whichever combination gives you the best outcome.
Subject scaling in South Australia
Scaling lets SATAC compare students fairly across different subjects. SATAC states that it is meant to ensure you are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by your subject choices. Your grade never changes. Your scaled score shows where you sit relative to the rest of the cohort once subjects are made comparable.
Three points matter when you plan:
A grade does not give one scaled score. Each grade maps to a range. SATAC’s own example is a B- in Legal Studies falling somewhere between 12.4 and 14.2.
Scaling is calculated from raw scores. Raw scores are out of 15, combining school-assessed and externally assessed components, so two students with the same grade can have different scaled scores.
Scaling changes every year. Do not choose a subject only because it scaled well in a past year. Choose subjects you can perform strongly in, since a high score in a subject you handle well usually serves you better than a weak score in one chosen for its reputation.
Worked examples
Both examples use invented scaled scores for illustration. Real scaled scores depend on your raw scores and that year’s scaling. Aggregates are matched to ATARs using SATAC’s 2025 conversion table, which is a guide only.
Example 1: an aggregate of 68.0
| Subject | Credits | Illustrative scaled score | Where it counts |
| Mathematical Methods | 20 | 15.8 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| English | 20 | 15.2 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| Biology | 20 | 15.0 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| Psychology | 20 | 14.6 (out of 20) | Flexible 30 |
| Research Project | 10 | 7.4 (out of 10) | Flexible 30 |
- First 60 credits: 15.8 + 15.2 + 15.0 = 46.0
- Flexible 30 credits: 14.6 + 7.4 = 22.0
- University aggregate: 46.0 + 22.0 = 68.0 out of 90
In the 2025 table, an aggregate of 68.00 converted to an ATAR of 79.70.
Example 2: an aggregate of 78.7
| Subject | Credits | Illustrative scaled score | Where it counts |
| Specialist Mathematics | 20 | 18.5 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| Chemistry | 20 | 17.8 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| English Literary Studies | 20 | 17.2 (out of 20) | First 60 |
| Physics | 20 | 16.8 (out of 20) | Flexible 30 |
| Research Project | 10 | 8.4 (out of 10) | Flexible 30 |
- First 60 credits: 18.5 + 17.8 + 17.2 = 53.5
- Flexible 30 credits: 16.8 + 8.4 = 25.2
- University aggregate: 53.5 + 25.2 = 78.7 out of 90
In the 2025 table, an aggregate of 78.70 converted to an ATAR of 92.45.
Notice that your three highest scaled scores always fill the first 60 credits, and the next best results fill the flexible 30.
From aggregate to ATAR: the 2025 benchmark
The table below shows selected rows from SATAC’s 2025 SACE/NTCET conversion. It is a snapshot, not a forecast. SATAC notes the relationship changes every year with the population of 16 to 20 year olds in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Its own example: an aggregate of 80.0 converted to 95.20 in 2015 and 94.75 in 2016.
| University aggregate (out of 90) | 2025 ATAR |
| 85.00 | 97.65 |
| 82.00 | 95.50 |
| 80.00 | 93.65 |
| 78.00 | 91.70 |
| 75.00 | 88.45 |
| 72.00 | 84.90 |
| 70.00 | 82.20 |
| 67.00 | 78.35 |
| 65.00 | 75.75 |
| 60.00 | 69.30 |
| 55.00 | 62.95 |
| 50.00 | 56.45 |
| 45.00 | 50.25 |
| 40.00 | 43.60 |
Treat any row as a range of a few ATAR points either side. The 2026 table is due in December 2026, and the calculator should be updated when it is published.
ATAR vs selection rank, and what ATAR you need
Your ATAR is not always the number a course uses. SATAC describes entry requirements as a selection rank, which starts from your ATAR and can include extra points called adjustment factors. Subject-based adjustments apply when you complete the subject with a C- or better and the course considers them, even if that subject was not among the 90 credits in your ATAR.
The ATAR a course needs changes from year to year with demand and the number of places. Rather than rely on a figure quoted on a blog, check the current selection rank and any prerequisites for your course in SATAC Course Search. Many courses also offer alternative entry pathways, so a lower ATAR does not always close the door.
When are SACE results and ATARs released?
SACE results and ATARs are released in mid-December. In 2025, results came out on Monday 15 December at 8:30 am ACDT through SACE Students Online, which also holds your SATAC Tertiary Entrance Statement. SATAC had not published the 2026 date at the time of writing, so confirm it on the SATAC key dates page.
For 2027 study, the SATAC key dates include:
| Date | Event |
| Tuesday 1 December 2026 | Equal consideration deadline for Semester 1 courses |
| Thursday 10 December 2026 | Mid-December offer round (does not include 2026 Year 12 results) |
| Wednesday 6 January 2027 | Change of preference deadline for Semester 1 |
| Thursday 14 January 2027 | Mid-January offer round |
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources and last updated
Last updated October 2026. All rules and figures are from SATAC unless noted. Review after SATAC publishes the 2026 conversion table in December 2026.