University Admissions Index

The University Admissions Index (UAI) is a measure of rank in the Higher School Certificate in New South Wales and ACT, Australia for entry into university. It is awarded to students on the completion of HSC (for NSW) and the completion a "T-Package" (tertiary package) (for ACT) - both at the end of year 12. In essence, it provides a ranking of individual students by indicating what percentile they sit compared to their cohort. Generally, in NSW, the UAI is determined by a series of end-of-year exams (HSC exams) plus assessment, whereas in the ACT, the UAI is determined by ongoing assignments and exams spanning through both years 11 and 12. Both states have its advantages and disadvantages.

The UAI is numerically identical to the ENTER, the Australian national university index used for interstate admissions, although it has a different name (i.e. a UAI of 50 is an ENTER of 50, and so on for all scores). This is different from some other states (e.g. Queensland) where the score used for admission in the state is numerically different from the national score (i.e. a Queensland OP has to be converted using a conversion table to yield the equivalent ENTER, and vice versa.)

For example, a student with a UAI of 63 is in the top 38 per cent of the State, whilst a student with a UAI of 99 per cent, is in the top two percent of the state. UAI's increment by 0.05 per cent, and the total student cohort includes all students that completed their School Certificate in year ten. The UAI's predecessor, the Tertiary Entrance Rank , was different because it defined the student population as only students in year 12. The UAI attempts to rank students who did not progress to their senior years of High School, by estimating what they would have got.

UAI's range from 30 to 100 per cent. Students who receive 30 or below, receive a 'Pink Slip' which simply informs them that they received below 30. It is said that pubs shout a round of drinks for students who have a Pink Slip, at the post-school celebrations, known as 'Schoolies'. On the otherhand, UAIs of 100 are extremely rare and are only achieved by a select few every year.

The organisation responsible for administering the UAI, the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), scales all subjects using mathematical formulae to ensure equity of marks across subjects. To be eligible for the UAI on top of the HSC there are certain rules that students must comply with. These can be accessed from the official Board of Studies and Universities admission centre websites.

External links

• New South Wales Board of Studies website
• Universities Admissions Centre website