Tertiary Entrance Rank

The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) is a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states as a tool for selection to universities in Australia.

Equivalence

The TER is used in South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia. Although directly equivalent to the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) in Victoria, and the Universities Admission Index (UAI) in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, the terms ENTER and UAI are only used in their respective states or territories. Queensland uses a different system called the Overall Position (OP), but conversion tables are published each year to convert the OP to/from a TER or ENTER.

Calculation of the TER in South Australia and the Northern Territory

The TER is calculated by the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) for students who successfully complete the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) or the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE) and fulfill certain other criteria to qualify for a TER.

In South Australia, students' subject achievement scores (out of 20) are forwarded to SATAC by the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia (SSABSA), whereupon they are scaled (adjusted according to the level of performance in the group of students studying the subject in that year to ensure that each subject contributes equally to the TER).

The university aggregate is then calculated by adding:
* the scaled scores for the best four subjects,
* 50% of the scaled score for the next best (fifth) subject.

The university aggregates (out of 90) are ordered from lowest to highest, and the TER is assigned as a percentage rank (in steps of 0.05, ranging from 0.00 to 99.95) according to the student's position on that list.

The process is the same for secondary students in the Northern Territory, except results are forwarded to SATAC by the Northern Territory Board of Studies.

Calculation of the TER in Tasmania

The TER is calculated by the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority for students who successfully complete the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) and fulfill certain other criteria to qualify for a TER.

The tertiary entrance aggregate is calculated as the sum of the best five Level 5 TCE subject scores, of which a maximum of two can be selected from Year 11.

As in other TER systems, the aggregates are ranked in order and assigned a TER based on their position.

Calculation of the TER in Western Australia

The TER is calculated by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) for students who successfully complete the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and fulfill certain other criteria to qualify for a TER.

As the WACE qualification is being revised for from 2005-2009, the process for calculating the TER for WA students will change in for tertiary entry in 2009 and the exact process is yet to be finalised.

As at 2008, a Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) is calculated using the sum of the four highest Course of Study Levels of Achievement.

As in other TER systems, the TEAs are ranked in order and assigned a TER based on their position.

References

http://www.ssabsa.sa.edu.au/results/faq.htm

ee also

* Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER)
* Universities Admission Index (UAI)