It’s months before the annual ATAR can be gamed stories start so UAC is getting in early to explain what it actually does

But in NSW the Universities Admission Centre’s Anthony Manny is getting in early to argue that the ATAR is a statistical ranking, not a private-school shibboleth.

Especially interesting is his finding that for people with ATARs over 70 there is “little difference” in applications to UAC across SES quartiles. However, for people with ATARs under 60, application rates from lower quartiles increases. “This may be reflective of policies around widening participation from low SES.

“The ATAR does not itself systematically discriminate against any SES group as subsequent performance is at the level predicted by the ATAR,” he suggests.