UAC, the Universities Admissions Centre, is the body that scales HSC results, calculates the ATAR, and manages university applications for New South Wales and ACT students. NESA sets and marks the HSC exams; UAC takes those marks, scales them, works out your ATAR, and processes your university preferences.
Key takeaways
- UAC is the Universities Admissions Centre for NSW and the ACT.
- It scales HSC marks and works out your ATAR.
- It also manages your university applications and preferences.
- NESA is different: it sets and marks the HSC exams.
- So NESA gives you your HSC; UAC gives you your ATAR.
- You register with UAC during Year 12 to apply for university.
What is UAC?
UAC stands for the Universities Admissions Centre. It is a central body that handles university admissions for students in New South Wales and the ACT.
Rather than applying to each university separately, you apply once through UAC and list your course preferences. UAC then processes those applications on behalf of the universities.
What does UAC do?
UAC does three main jobs. It scales your HSC marks. It calculates your ATAR from those scaled marks. And it manages your university applications and preferences.
So UAC is involved at both ends: it turns your HSC results into an ATAR, and it uses that ATAR to process your university offers.
UAC versus NESA: what is the difference?
This trips up a lot of students. NESA, the NSW Education Standards Authority, runs the HSC. It sets your courses, writes your exams, and gives you your HSC marks.
UAC takes over from there. It scales those HSC marks and works out your ATAR. In short: NESA gives you your HSC; UAC gives you your ATAR. They are two separate bodies with two separate jobs.
How UAC works out your ATAR
Once NESA releases your HSC marks, UAC scales each subject, based on how strong its cohort is. It then takes your best 10 units of scaled marks, including English, and adds them into an aggregate.
That aggregate is ranked against your age group and turned into your ATAR, from 0.00 to 99.95. We cover the full process in how is ATAR calculated in NSW.
Applying to university through UAC
During Year 12, you register with UAC and list your university course preferences, in order. You can change these preferences up to certain deadlines, including after you receive your ATAR.
After results, UAC matches your ATAR and selection rank against course cutoffs and sends offers in rounds. You do not apply to each university separately — UAC handles it centrally.
Key UAC dates
The UAC year has a few key moments: registration and preference deadlines during the year, ATAR release in mid-December, and offer rounds through January and February.
UAC publishes exact dates on its website. It is worth noting the preference-change deadlines, because you can adjust your choices after seeing your ATAR. See the NSW results timeline.
Estimate your ATAR
You can estimate your ATAR before UAC releases the official one. Our NSW ATAR calculator uses the latest official scaling to estimate your ATAR from your HSC marks.
It is a guide, not your official UAC result, but it helps you plan your preferences with realistic expectations.
Common questions
What is UAC?
UAC is the Universities Admissions Centre, the body that manages university admissions for New South Wales and ACT students. It scales HSC marks, calculates the ATAR, and processes university applications.
What does UAC do?
UAC scales your HSC marks, works out your ATAR, and manages your university applications and course preferences. It handles admissions centrally, so you apply once rather than to each university.
Is UAC the same as NESA?
No. NESA sets and marks the HSC exams and gives you your HSC marks. UAC scales those marks and works out your ATAR. NESA gives you your HSC; UAC gives you your ATAR.
How does UAC work out my ATAR?
UAC scales each HSC subject based on its cohort, takes your best 10 units of scaled marks including English, adds them into an aggregate, and ranks that aggregate into an ATAR from 0.00 to 99.95.