What Is a Good ATAR? The Highest, the Average and What Really Matters
Every December, families across Victoria ask the same question: is my child's ATAR a good one? The honest answer is that it depends on what they want to do next. But a few numbers help put any ATAR in context, so here they are, straight from the official 2025 results.
The highest ATAR is 99.95
There is no ATAR of 100. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) explains it simply: "Your ATAR represents the percentage of people you performed higher than." The top students can't perform higher than themselves, so the scale stops at 99.95.
It is very rare. In 2025, 42 of the 49,310 Victorian students who received an ATAR got 99.95. That is fewer than 1 in 1,000.
The average ATAR in Victoria is about 70
In 2025 the average ATAR was 69.48, almost the same as 2024 (69.52). Many parents expect the average to be 50, because the ATAR is a rank.
The reason it isn't: the ATAR compares students with their whole age group, including young people who leave school before Year 12 or don't receive an ATAR. Students who do finish VCE with an ATAR tend to sit above the middle of that wider group.
What the numbers mean in practice
Each ATAR comes from an aggregate: your child's best scaled study scores added together. (Our plain-English guide to how the ATAR is calculated walks through it step by step.) This table shows the lowest aggregate that reached each ATAR in 2025.
| ATAR | Performed higher than about | Lowest aggregate in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 99.95 | 99.95% of their age group | 211.42 |
| 99.00 | 99% | 192.10 |
| 95.00 | 95% | 169.85 |
| 90.00 | 90% | 155.19 |
| 80.00 | 80% | 135.65 |
| 70.00 | 70% | 120.42 |
| 50.00 | 50% | 94.06 |
| 30.00 | 30% | 65.93 |
Source: VTAC 2025 Aggregate to ATAR Table. The table changes a little every year. ATARs below 30 are shown on the statement as "less than 30".
So what is a "good" ATAR?
A good ATAR is one that opens the door your child wants to walk through. That's why it helps to start with the course, not the number.
- Look up the real courses. Each university course on VTAC CourseSearch shows the selection rank it accepted last year. Some ask for an 85, others accept a 60. A "low" ATAR can be the right ATAR.
- Check adjustments. Many courses add adjustment factors, for example for doing well in certain subjects. VTAC's Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) can also help students whose studies were affected by their circumstances.
- Remember the other paths. TAFE, diplomas and pathway programs lead into many degrees without a high ATAR.
What makes the biggest difference
From working with VCE students every week, three things matter more than any trick:
- Steady work across Year 11 and 12. Small, regular study beats a big push before exams.
- A strong English result. An English subject always counts in the top four scores, so it is worth real attention.
- Subjects your child enjoys and is good at. VTAC itself says: "Choosing a study that you are not very good at, or engaged in, simply because it may be scaled up would be a mistake." Our guide to which VCE subjects scale up explains why.
If your child is heading into VCE and you'd like steady support in place, our free VCE accountability sessions help enrolled students plan their week and stay on track all year. You can also book a call to talk it through.