How it works: SATAC adds the scaled scores of your best three 20-credit subjects and the best 30 credits from the flexible option into a university aggregate out of 90, then reads your ATAR from its official table. This calculator uses SATAC's 2025 SACE/NTCET aggregate to ATAR table. The method for every state is in how the ATAR is calculated.
SACE ATAR key facts (2025 data)
- Formula: best three 20-credit scaled scores + best 30 credits of flexible option, aggregate out of 90.
- An ATAR of 90.00 needed an aggregate of 76.45. An ATAR of 80.00 needed 68.25.
- An aggregate of 89.30 or more received the maximum ATAR of 99.95.
- 19,317 students completed the SACE or NTCET and 13,469 received an ATAR.
- SACE and NTCET use the same aggregate and the same SATAC table.
What to type in
Enter your scaled score for each Stage 2 subject: out of 20 for a 20-credit subject and out of 10 for a 10-credit subject. Scaled scores appear in your SATAC results. Before results, enter your best estimate.
A subject grade (such as A or B+) is not the same as a scaled score. SATAC says there is no direct conversion from a grade to a scaled score: each grade covers a range of scaled scores, and the range differs by subject. That is why this calculator asks for scaled scores rather than grades. More on this in SACE scaling. To combine your assessment type grades into a grade level and the raw score SATAC scales, use the SACE grade calculator.
How your SACE ATAR is worked out
The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) calculates ATARs for students who complete the SACE in South Australia or the NTCET in the Northern Territory.
- Scaled scores. Each Tertiary Admissions Subject (TAS) gets a scaled score. Scaling compares subjects using the students who took both.
- The university aggregate. SATAC adds your three best 20-credit TAS scaled scores (60 credits) and the best result from the flexible option (30 credits). The flexible option can use 10-credit or 20-credit TAS and up to 20 credits of Recognised Studies.
- The ATAR. SATAC reads the ATAR for your aggregate from its table for that year.
To be eligible you must complete the SACE or NTCET, have at least 90 credits of TAS and Recognised Studies at Stage 2 with at least 60 of them from 20-credit subjects or valid pairs of 10-credit subjects, and follow SATAC's rules on precluded combinations and counting restrictions.
Worked example
| Subject | Credits | Scaled score | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject 1 | 20 | 17.0 | Full |
| Subject 2 | 20 | 16.5 | Full |
| Subject 3 | 20 | 15.0 | Full |
| Subject 4 | 20 | 14.0 | Flexible option (20 credits) |
| Subject 5 | 10 | 7.0 | Flexible option (10 credits) |
Aggregate: 17 + 16.5 + 15 + 14 + 7 = 69.50 out of 90. In SATAC's 2025 table that gives an ATAR of 81.60.
Aggregate needed for common ATARs in 2025
| ATAR | Lowest aggregate (2025) |
|---|---|
| 99.00 | 87.25 |
| 95.00 | 81.45 |
| 90.00 | 76.45 |
| 80.00 | 68.25 |
| 70.00 | 60.55 |
| 60.00 | 52.75 |
| 50.00 | 44.85 |
For a quick check: an aggregate of 70 gave 82.20, 75 gave 88.45 and 80 gave 93.65 in 2025. The table for every aggregate is on the SACE scaling page.
About the flexible option
The last 30 credits of your aggregate come from the flexible option. SATAC uses the combination that gives you the best result within its rules. This calculator simplifies the rules: your fourth 20-credit subject counts in full and the final 10 credits come from your best 10-credit subject or half of a fifth 20-credit subject. Precluded combinations, counting restrictions and Recognised Studies are not checked, so check your final mix against SATAC's Tertiary Entrance booklet.
Adjustment factors are not part of the ATAR
Universities in South Australia may add adjustment factors (bonus points) for things like studying certain subjects or attending particular schools. These raise your selection rank for a course, not your ATAR, so they are not in this calculator. See ATAR bonus points and ATAR vs selection rank.
SACE and NTCET results in numbers (2025)
SATAC reported that 19,317 students completed the SACE or NTCET in 2025 and 13,469 received a university aggregate and an ATAR.
Aggregate to ATAR at a glance
From SATAC's 2025 table:
| University aggregate | ATAR (2025) |
|---|---|
| 55.00 | 62.95 |
| 60.00 | 69.30 |
| 65.00 | 75.75 |
| 70.00 | 82.20 |
| 72.50 | 85.50 |
| 75.00 | 88.45 |
| 77.50 | 91.20 |
| 80.00 | 93.65 |
| 85.00 | 97.65 |
In the middle of the range, each extra aggregate point is worth about 1.2 to 1.3 ATAR points. Near the top it is worth less, because the ATAR scale gets tighter.
What one subject can change
Starting from the worked example (aggregate 69.50, ATAR 81.60):
| Change | Aggregate | ATAR |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | 69.50 | 81.60 |
| Subject 4 from 14.0 up to 16.0 | 71.50 | 84.35 |
| The 10-credit subject from 7.0 up to 9.0 | 71.50 | 84.35 |
| A fifth 20-credit subject at 16.0 instead of the 10-credit subject | 71.50 | 84.35 |
Every scaled point adds a point to the aggregate, whether it comes from a 20-credit or a 10-credit subject. Two points is worth almost three ATAR points at this level. A 10-credit subject is not a minor part of the result.
Three more SACE students
| Student | Best three 20-credit | Flexible option | Aggregate | ATAR (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 15.0, 15.0, 14.0 | 13.0 (20 credits) + 6.5 (10 credits) | 63.50 | 73.80 |
| B | 18.0, 18.0, 17.5 | 17.0 (20 credits) + 8.5 (10 credits) | 79.00 | 92.75 |
| C | 12.0, 12.0, 11.5 | 11.0 (20 credits) + half of a fifth 20-credit subject at 10.5 | 51.75 | 58.65 |
Student B averages about 17.6 out of 20 and reaches the low 90s. Student C shows how a fifth 20-credit subject fills the last 10 credits: half of its scaled score counts. The calculator applies the same rule.
Common mistakes with SACE ATAR calculators
- Entering grades. A grade covers a range of scaled scores that differs by subject. Use scaled scores.
- Entering a 10-credit score out of 20. 10-credit subjects are scaled out of 10.
- Counting Stage 1 subjects. Only Stage 2 Tertiary Admissions Subjects and Recognised Studies count.
- Adding adjustment factors. They change your selection rank for a course, not your ATAR.
- Ignoring precluded combinations. Some subject pairs cannot both count. The calculator does not check this, so check SATAC's booklet.
Results day in South Australia and the NT
SATAC had not announced its 2026 ATAR release date when we last checked. We will add it to ATAR release dates 2026 as soon as it is confirmed. When your results arrive, enter your scaled scores here to see your aggregate, compare your ATAR with your course preferences using what ATAR do I need, and update your SATAC preferences before the round deadlines.
Need a target?
The reverse ATAR calculator shows the scaled score you would need in each subject for a target ATAR.
How accurate is this SACE calculator?
If your scaled scores are right and your subject mix is straightforward, the result matches SATAC's 2025 table exactly, because the calculator reads that table directly and the aggregate is simple addition. The worked example's aggregate of 69.50 returns 81.60, the same as SATAC's table.
Two things can make your real ATAR differ. First, the flexible option: SATAC chooses the best legal combination, including Recognised Studies and counting restrictions, and the calculator uses a simplified version. Second, your inputs: before results, scaled scores are estimates, and each grade covers a range of scaled scores. A realistic margin before results is about two ATAR points either way; after results, with real scaled scores, it is usually much smaller.
SACE ATAR terms
- Scaled score
- Your result in a Tertiary Admissions Subject after SATAC's scaling, out of 20 for a 20-credit subject and out of 10 for a 10-credit subject.
- TAS
- Tertiary Admissions Subject: a Stage 2 subject approved for the university aggregate.
- University aggregate
- Your best three 20-credit TAS scaled scores plus the best 30 credits of the flexible option, out of 90.
- Flexible option
- The last 30 credits of the aggregate, from further TAS (10 or 20 credits) and up to 20 credits of Recognised Studies.
- Recognised Studies
- Approved study outside SACE subjects, such as some VET, that can count in the flexible option.
- SACE Board and SATAC
- The SACE Board issues SACE results. SATAC scales them and calculates the ATAR for SA and NT students.
SACE ATAR calculator FAQ
Can I enter my grades instead of scaled scores?
Not reliably. SATAC says each grade covers a range of scaled scores that varies by subject, so a grade alone cannot give an accurate aggregate. Use your scaled scores, or your best estimate of them.
What is the highest SACE university aggregate?
90. In 2025 an aggregate of 89.30 or above received the maximum ATAR of 99.95.
How many subjects count towards a SACE ATAR?
90 credits: three 20-credit subjects plus 30 credits of flexible option. For most students that is four 20-credit subjects and one 10-credit subject, or five 20-credit subjects with half of the fifth counting.
Does the Research Project count?
The Research Project is a 10-credit Stage 2 subject. If it is a Tertiary Admissions Subject in your year, it can count in the flexible option. Check SATAC's current list.
Is the NTCET calculated the same way?
Yes. SATAC calculates ATARs for SACE and NTCET students with the same university aggregate and the same table.
Are SACE adjustment factors included?
No. Adjustment factors change your selection rank for a course, not your ATAR.
What aggregate do I need for a 90 ATAR in SA?
76.45 in 2025. That is an average of about 17 out of 20 in each 20-credit subject, with a similar standard in the flexible option.
Is a 10-credit subject worth taking for the ATAR?
It can fill the last 10 credits of the flexible option. Each scaled point it earns adds a full point to your aggregate, the same as a point in a 20-credit subject.
Does the ATAR count Recognised Studies?
Up to 20 credits of Recognised Studies can count in the flexible option under SATAC's rules. This calculator does not model them, so check SATAC's Tertiary Entrance booklet.