Subject prerequisites for a degree, such as Mathematical Methods or Chemistry, are met through senior secondary subjects or approved bridging courses, not through certificate study. A student who needs one must keep that subject at school. Admission rules are set by each institution and change between admission years, so check the current requirements before applying.
Where it fits › VET and the ATAR
Worked example · Queensland only
VET and the ATAR
The ATAR is a national rank, but each state calculates it through its own admissions centre and each treats VET differently. This page uses Queensland (QTAC) as the worked example: how the ATAR is put together, and when a VET qualification makes a difference.
A rank
The ATAR is a position, not a score. 80.00 means the top 20 per cent of the age group.
5 inputs
The formula always uses the best five. Fewer than five, and no ATAR is calculated.
1 only
One VET qualification at most, and it has to be fully completed.
Step one: how the ATAR is put together
QTAC takes Units 3 and 4 results, scales them so subjects can be compared, adds the best five, and turns the total into a rank. The fifth slot can be filled three ways.
input 1
General
input 2
General
input 3
General
input 4
General
input 5 · one of three
a fifth General
or an Applied subject
or a VET qualification
↓ best five added, converted to a rank
ATAR
99.95 – 0.00
A separate condition: one QCAA English subject at C or better. The Short Course in Literacy is not accepted here.
With only four inputs the ATAR is not lower. It is not calculated at all.
Input 5 is the only slot a VET qualification can occupy. If a student already has five strong General results, that slot is taken, and QTAC says plainly that competency-based training does not change the ATAR.
Step two: when VET actually helps
The common case: a student uses one line for VET or an Applied subject, drops a General subject during Year 11, and reaches Year 12 with four General subjects.
Four General subjects, no fifth input
No ATAR
↓ add one completed Certificate III
Four General + one VET qualification
An ATAR
Going from no rank to a rank matters far more than a few points within one.
Four rules govern that fifth slot
Which count
Certificate III and above. Certificate I and II do not.
One only
Two qualifications still count as one. If there is also an Applied subject, only one of the two can be used.
Finished
Fully completed and recorded in the learning account by the QTAC deadline. Half-finished is worth nothing here.
The score
One statewide scaled score per AQF level each year, regardless of subject, length or provider. Hospitality and Business at Certificate III receive the same score.