How Does The Australian Grading System Work?

Australia has some of the best universities globally. The Australian Grading System can seem confusing and intimidating to many students. This mostly happens if they dream of getting enrolled in these Australian universities to pursue their graduation and post-graduation to enhance their upcoming future. 

The most important is the requirement to be eligible to apply for the Australian universities, for which it’s essential to be aware of the Australian grading system. It is essential to know about the grading system to fulfil the requirements, get into the desired Australian university, and mark their first step towards making their dreams come true.

How Does the Australian Grading System Work?

Each country has its specific academic grading system on which they work to classify students to measure their performance and academic standards. The Australian grading system varies from state to state.

Before getting into the Australian grading system, all students, especially international students, need to know about various grading systems on which Australian universities work. This grading system differs based on whether you’re in high school, undergraduate, postgraduate, vocational education, etc. Some essential grading scales to take into consideration are:

School Grading System (Primary & Secondary Education)

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degree

Australian grading system in universities also adopted the grading system more familiar to the United Kingdom for their honours degree which are:

Honours Degree

What Is Grade Point Average(GPA)?

Where, Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade point x course unit values)/ total number of credit points attempted, in which grade points denote descriptions as:

High Distinction= 7

Distinction =6

Credit =5

Pass = 4

Fail level 1= 1

Fail level 2 = 0

It’s important to know how GPA is calculated as they are used in many different universities across Australia.

Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR)

A number between 0 to 99.95 tells you where you rank regarding your performance in the whole academic year. In this ranking system, 70.00 is the average ATAR and 30.00 or less represents low ATAR.

Vocational Training and Education Grades (VET)

Vocational education and training (VET) is training and education providing occupational skills for work. It helps freshers get into the workplace quickly and enhance their careers in their chosen field. The grades here are assigned based on whether you are competent or not in the skill you’re learning.

Students in vocational education can also earn merits or distinctions along with their competent grades based on their performance.

University Grading System in Australia Based On Different States & Territories

New South Wales (NSW)

It is the most popular state in Australia for university students, as it includes some of the best universities like The University of Sydney, The University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University, University of Wollongong, University of Technology Sydney, The University of Newcastle, Charles Sturt University, University of New England, Southern Cross University, Australian Catholic University, etc. Each has its specific grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of New South Wales are:

This grading system does not imply to all universities of New South Wales as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website. So, it’s essential to check in with the university about which grading system they use to avoid any confusion.

Victoria (VIC)

The most popular universities in Victoria are The University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University, Federation University, etc. Each has its specific grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of Victoria is:

This grading system cannot be implied to all universities of Victoria as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

Queensland (QLD)

The most popular universities in Queensland are  The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, James Cook University, Bond University, University of the Sunshine Coast, Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland, etc. Each has its inherent grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of Queensland is:

Again, this grading system does not imply to all universities of Queensland as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

South Australia (SA)

The most popular universities in South Australia are The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Flinders University, Torrens University, etc. Each has its specific grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of South Australia are:

This grading system provided here cannot be applied to all universities of South Australia as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

Western Australia (WA)

The most popular universities in Western Australia are Curtin University, Western Australia, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University, The University of Notre Dame Australia, etc. Each has its specific grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of Western Australia is:

This grading system does not imply to all universities of Western Australia as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

The most popular universities in the Australian Capital Territory are the Australian National University,  Canberra, etc. Each of these universities has a specific grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of Australian Capital Territory are-

This grading system does not imply to all universities of the Australian Capital Territory as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

The Northern Territory (NT)

The most popular universities in Northern Territory are Charles Darwin University, etc. Each has its inherent grading system. The basic grading system followed in universities of The Northern Territory is-

Well, this grading system does not imply to all universities of The Northern Territory as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website. This is just the grading system that is generally used in the territory.

Tasmania (TAS)

The most popular universities in Tasmania are the Institute of TAFE, Institute of Marine and Antarctic, Australian Maritime College, The University of Tasmania, etc. Each has its specific grading system. the basic grading system followed in universities of Tasmania is:

This grading system does not imply to all universities of Tasmania as some universities have their specific grading system for the selection of students for their university about which details are available on the university’s website.

The Australian University grading system differs from state to state and territories and between universities within the same states or different states of Australia. In order to get into your desired university, students not only need to be aware of the Australian grading system but also check the requirements and grades points needed to be eligible for that specific university from the inherent university website and prepare accordingly.