Learn how ATAR adjustment factors can boost your selection rank and increase your chances of getting into university, even if your raw ATAR isn’t what you hoped for.
What are ATAR adjustment factors?
If your ATAR isn’t quite where you wanted it to be, adjustment factors might give you the edge you need. These are additional points applied to your ATAR – often for things like academic achievement, personal circumstances or location – that increase your selection rank when applying for uni.
Basically, they’re a way of recognising your full potential with a little boost. Adjustment factors used to be called bonus points, but they work the same way. They don’t change your ATAR, but they improve how your application is ranked by universities, including RMIT.
Types of adjustment factors at RMIT
At RMIT, there are several kinds of adjustment factors available, depending on your background, achievements and the course you’re applying for. Here’s a quick rundown.
Equity access schemes
These schemes are designed to support students who’ve experienced barriers to education.
They include:
- SNAP Access Scheme: For Year 12 students from partner secondary schools.
- RMIT Access Scheme: Equity consideration for direct applicants that recognises the impact of personal circumstances on your education.
- Indigenous Access Program (IAP): Tailored support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants.
- VTAC Equity Schemes (SEAS) and Scholarships: The Special Entry Access Scheme used across many Victorian universities.
- Regional adjustments: For applicants whose highest qualification is Year 12, living in areas classified as low SES.
Depending on the scheme, you may receive adjustment factors and/or have other entry requirements reduced, such as English prerequisites.
Subject adjustments
If you’ve done well in a Year 12 subject that’s relevant to your course, you may get extra points.
For example, if you’re applying for an engineering degree and the entry requirements list certain Year 12 subjects that attract adjustments, achieving the required study score in these subjects can boost your selection rank.
RMIT Elite Athlete Program (REAP)
If you’re competing at a state, national or international level in sport or athletic performance, you may be eligible for adjustments to support your dual commitments.
How do adjustment factors work?
When you apply to uni, your raw ATAR is combined with any eligible adjustment factors (like equity, subject or location-based adjustments) to calculate a new number called your selection rank. Your selection rank is what universities actually use to determine who receives an offer for a course.
Selection rank = ATAR + adjustments (measured in aggregate points)
Adjustment factors are extra points added to your total aggregate. These points can boost your aggregate, which is then converted into a higher selection rank.
While adjustment factors may improve your selection rank, they do not guarantee an offer of a place. Offers still depend on course demand, available places and meeting any other entry requirements.
Because the ATAR scale is not linear, the size of the increase depends on your original ATAR. The same number of aggregate points will have a larger impact on lower ATARs.
For example:
- A student with an ATAR of 90 who receives 10 aggregate points for equity would have a selection rank of 93.60.
- A student with an ATAR of 60 who receives the same 10 aggregate points would have a selection rank of 67.45.
This means that two students with similar raw ATARs can end up with different selection ranks once adjustments are applied – improving the chances for students who qualify for equity or subject-based adjustments.
The exact conversion between aggregate points and ATAR points changes each year. You can refer to the VTAC ATAR to Aggregate table for the latest scaling information.
Understanding ATAR profiles (Admissions Transparency)
On each course page that uses the ATAR selection rank to determine offers, you'll see a single figure at the top of the course page (or multiple, if different course plans have different ATARs, but let's keep this simple for now). This number is the lowest selection rank to receive an offer, including any adjustment factors. On the ATAR Profile (Admissions Transparency) page for the course, you'll find a more detailed breakdown of the students who were most recently admitted to the course.
It will look something like this:
| ATAR profile | ATAR (excluding adjustment factors) | Selection rank (ATAR plus any adjustment factors) |
|---|---|---|
| Highest rank to receive an offer | 96.05 | 98.5 |
| Median rank to receive an offer | 69.25 | 75.45 |
| Lowest rank to receive an offer | 50.05 | 67.00 |
Understanding your ATAR selection rank
Let’s say:
- your ATAR = 62.00 (109.61 aggregate points*)
- you qualify for location points (10 aggregate points*)
- you also qualify for a subject adjustment (2 aggregate points*).
Add those aggregate points together and your selection rank is approximately 70.85 (remember to use the VTAC ATAR to Aggregate table). This puts you in the running for courses with higher entry requirements than your raw ATAR alone would allow.
What does this look like?
Fran applied for the Bachelor of Business in 2025. Her raw ATAR was 62. Without any adjustment factors applied, Fran's rank was lower than the ATAR displayed for this degree, which was 67.00.
However, due to a combination of the adjustment factors she was eligible for, Fran received an additional 12 aggregate points, boosting her selection rank equivalent to an ATAR of 70.85 (her original 62 + 12 aggregate adjustment points).
This gets Fran over the 67.00 required for the Bachelor of Business.
Please note:
You can’t directly calculate all adjustment factors yourself. Some are managed via VTAC, and universities aren’t always allowed to publish the exact weighting. The example above is for illustrative purposes only and not a reflection of what an applicant may or may not be entitled to.
*Based on the 2024 VTAC ATAR to Aggregate Table
Adjustment factors vs equity schemes
These terms often get used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.
Equity access schemes
Equity access schemes are the broader programs that support students facing educational disadvantage.
Adjustment factors
Adjustment factors are just one part of how these schemes work. They’re a tool used to level the playing field – but they’re also used in non-equity contexts such as strong subject performance or elite sporting achievement.
Some equity schemes, such as the Indigenous Access Program, offer ongoing support after you enrol, not just at the application stage.
Know what you’re eligible for
If you’re applying for university and your ATAR isn’t where you hoped it would be, have a look at the range of adjustment factors you could be eligible for. RMIT's equity access schemes are in place to support applicants whose potential isn't reflected by their ATAR results, and they can make all the difference when it comes to securing a place in your preferred course and building a path to the future.
Search courses by ATAR
Now you understand how adjustment factors affect your selection rank, use our ATAR Course Calculator tool to learn what you're eligible for.
