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Minimum resistance
UNSW pushes ATAR requirements much higher as the debate over scores and their use continues. By Aileen Macalintal
Last month, Australia’ s top eight universities proposed a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank of 60 for entry nationwide. Now one elite institution has set the bar much higher.
UNSW has introduced a minimum ATAR of 80 across all its undergraduate degrees. The move has been met with a mix of criticism and support, as well as many discussions about what an ATAR score should mean.
Aside from UNSW, the Group of Eight elite universities are Australian National University, the University of Adelaide, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne, the University of Western Australia, Monash University and the University of Sydney, but other institutions are also sharing their thoughts on what this move will mean to students from various backgrounds.
Quality and space In his video message to UNSW staff, vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer said much thought had been given to where the university was heading with enrolments.“ Over the last few years, we have grown very substantially, adding more than three
6 | Issue 8 2013 per cent of students, year by year.”
Hilmer said this was not sustainable for two reasons:“ One is just the size of the campus and the pressure on our physical facilities if we keep growing, but the other is the impact on quality. We really need to ensure that the students we take are the students of the highest quality.
“ In order to do that in the context of an outlook for lower growth in enrolments, we will from next year be applying a minimum ATAR of 80 to all courses other than those where there is entry through portfolio.
“ We will of course continue with the bonus points to recognise disadvantage and other areas of achievement that are important, but we will cap the number of bonus points that are possible at 10.”
These concerns about quality follow higher education minister senator Kim Carr’ s expressed concern about the rising number of students with ATAR scores below 50 who are entering universities.
Greens oppose move Greens higher education spokeswoman senator Lee Rhiannon harshly criticised Hilmer’ s announcement. She called it a distraction from the issue of the lack of university funding and student support.
“ Mr Hilmer’ s unilateral move to prohibit students with an ATAR below 80 from enrolling at UNSW is a self-serving manoeuvre promoted to artificially boost the university’ s reputation,” Rhiannon said.“ This announcement seems to be driven by vice-chancellor Hilmer’ s desire to be seen as a mover and shaker more than anything.”
The Greens, the Student Representative Council at UNSW and the National Union of Students have opposed the university’ s move which, they argue, will exclude capable students.
“ It is disappointing that Mr Hilmer has broken ranks with the growing call for the $ 2.3 billion [ in education ] cuts to be restored and for a funding increase for our universities,” Rhiannon said. The senator added that the real issue affecting higher education quality was lack of spending at a federal level, due to the failure to increase base funding.
Recently, the federal Labor Party, backed by the Coalition, initiated $ 2.3 billion in cuts to universities, slashing courses and casualising workforces.
Hilmer, also chair of the Group of Eight, presented the minimum-60 plan in July in response to Carr’ s call for alternatives to the cuts.
Rhiannon said that if UNSW wanted students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve high results, Hilmer should ensure university staff have adequate resources, pay and conditions, reduce student-teacher ratios, stop cutting courses and back calls for greater support for students.
Other opinions The systems for accepting applicants vary among the Group of Eight and other universities – and so did opinions on ATAR minimums.
ANU is one institution that does use a minimum. Its bottom score has long been set to the same 80 mark that UNSW recently announced.