UWA drops minimum ATAR entry for 23 Bachelor degrees in move slammed by Murdoch Vice-Chancellor

The University of Western Australia is lowering its minimum entry bar in a shock move slammed by rival Murdoch University From next year, UWA will drop its minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank cut-off required for entry from 75 to 70. The new entry level will apply to 23 degree courses — including science, nursing and primary education — bringing it into line with all of WA’s other universities. “As a UWA alumnus and former staff member, I am surprised to see UWA surrendering its status as WA’s elite university,” Murdoch Vice-Chancellor Andrew Deeks said. “Murdoch University has a long history of successfully supporting students coming in at these ATAR entry levels to complete their degrees, and we understand the extra effort required from academics and professional staff, and the necessity of providing an inclusive and supportive environment.” UWA — which in recent years has seen a decline in first preference applications from school leavers — said the move was in response to the evolving nature of secondary education, with fewer students tackling ATAR courses. Deputy Vice-Chancellor for education and student experience Guy Littlefair said setting the threshold at 70 for some undergraduate degrees was based on sound evidence. “Our research data tells us that students with an ATAR in the 70-to-80 range are highly capable of succeeding at university,” Professor Littlefair said. “Adjusting the ATAR threshold to 70 is a recalibration based on evidence of student performance and the changing uptake of ATAR in secondary schools. “In 2024, WA’s ATAR participation rate across the school leaving age population was the lowest in Australia at 27.4 per cent.” UWA, which is the State’s only member of Australia’s elite Group of Eight universities, for many years held its advertised minimum entry point at an ATAR of 80. In 2021, the minimum cut-off was lowered to 75 for degrees in business, arts, environmental design and music. The minimum rank for Curtin, Murdoch and Edith Cowan universities is 70. Last year, a Year 12 student could have achieved an ATAR of 70 by averaging scores of about 55 per cent across four school ATAR subjects. Professor Littlefair said the adjustment would open the door to many students who may not have previously considered applying to UWA based on their predicted ATAR results. “It will also help students from diverse backgrounds who may have faced systemic academic achievement barriers while being academically capable,” he said. “This is particularly important when universities are increasingly expected to balance teaching excellence with inclusivity.” The university will also become the first Group of Eight institution to offer work-integrated placements every year for students studying degrees in arts, commerce and science. And UWA plans to introduce a range of preparatory pathway programs for high school graduates and mature age students in the second half of next year. It comes after The West revealed UWA’s own brand research showed many students were going elsewhere because of perceptions the university was “elitist, aloof and standoffish”.