Before the ATAR, states used different Year 12 ranking systems: the OP in Queensland (until 2019), the ENTER in Victoria, the UAI in NSW and the ACT, and the TER in most other states. The ATAR replaced these from 2009 to 2010 in most states, and in Queensland from 2020, to create a single national rank that universities everywhere could use.
Key takeaways
- Before the ATAR, each state had its own Year 12 rank with a different name.
- The OP (Overall Position) was used in Queensland, on a 1–25 scale, until 2019.
- The ENTER was Victoria’s rank; UAI was used in NSW and the ACT; TER in most other states.
- The ATAR replaced most of these from 2009–2010, and Queensland switched in 2020.
- The ATAR is a single national rank, so students across states can be compared for the same course.
- Old scores like OP and ENTER do not convert cleanly to an ATAR, though rough guides exist.
Why states used to have different systems
Education in Australia is run by the states, not the federal government. For decades that meant each state built its own Year 12 certificate and its own way of ranking students. A student in Brisbane and a student in Melbourne finished school with completely different-looking numbers.
That worked while students mostly applied to universities in their own state. As more students applied interstate, the mismatch became a problem. Universities needed one number they could trust from anywhere in the country.
The OP: Queensland’s old system
Queensland used the Overall Position, or OP. Unlike the ATAR, the OP was a band from 1 to 25, where OP 1 was the best and OP 25 the lowest. It grouped students into 25 bands rather than a fine percentile.
The OP ran until 2019. From 2020, Queensland moved to the ATAR, worked out by QTAC, bringing it into line with the rest of the country.
The ENTER: Victoria’s old system
Victoria used the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank, better known as the ENTER. It worked much like the ATAR: a rank out of 100, based on scaled VCE results. In practice the ENTER was the direct ancestor of Victoria’s ATAR.
Victoria replaced the ENTER with the ATAR in 2009. If a parent mentions their ENTER score, it is roughly comparable to an ATAR, because the two were built on the same idea.
The UAI: NSW and the ACT
New South Wales and the ACT used the Universities Admission Index, or UAI. Like the ENTER, it was a rank out of 100 based on scaled Year 12 results, and it is the direct predecessor of the ATAR in those states.
NSW and the ACT moved to the ATAR in 2009. The change was mostly a change of name and national alignment, rather than a change in how the rank worked.
The TER: South Australia, WA, NT and Tasmania
Several states used the Tertiary Entrance Rank, or TER. South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania each had a version. Like the others, it was a rank out of 100 based on scaled results.
These states adopted the ATAR around 2009 to 2010. The TER, ENTER and UAI were all similar enough that the switch to a shared ATAR was smooth.
When the ATAR took over
The ATAR was introduced to replace this patchwork with one national rank. Most states switched in 2009 or 2010: NSW, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Queensland held onto the OP the longest, moving to the ATAR only in 2020. Since then, every state and territory has used the same ATAR on the same 0.00 to 99.95 scale.
Can you convert an old OP or ENTER to an ATAR?
Not exactly. The systems were built differently, so there is no perfect formula. The OP in particular used 25 broad bands, which cannot map cleanly onto the ATAR’s fine percentile scale.
Rough conversion guides exist — for example, an OP 1 corresponds to roughly the top ATAR band. But for any official purpose, universities treat the old scores on their own terms, not as converted ATARs.
What this means for you today
If you are in Year 12 now, you will receive an ATAR, wherever you study. The old systems only matter if you are looking at historical cut-offs or listening to family stories.
To see how the current system works, start with what is an ATAR and then try our ATAR calculators for your state.
Common questions
What's the difference between OP and ATAR?
The OP was Queensland’s old rank on a 1 to 25 band scale, where 1 was best. The ATAR is a fine percentile rank from 0.00 to 99.95. Queensland replaced the OP with the ATAR in 2020.
When did Queensland switch from OP to ATAR?
Queensland switched from the OP to the ATAR in 2020. It was the last state to move to the national ATAR system.
What was the ENTER score?
The ENTER (Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank) was Victoria’s Year 12 rank out of 100, based on scaled VCE results. Victoria replaced it with the ATAR in 2009.
How do I convert an old OP to an ATAR?
There is no exact conversion, because the OP used 25 broad bands and the ATAR uses a fine percentile. Rough guides exist, but universities treat old scores on their own terms rather than as converted ATARs.