Admission criteria
Improving uni entry for IB students
Until 2022, an IB student's UAC rank had been based on the overall score out of 45 based on subject grades.
For 2023 admissions onwards, an improved conversion schedule for IB scores was introduced. The International Baccalaureate has provided UAC access to scaled total marks for each subject, offering more conversion points and more detailed information about diploma students on the same overall score.
The change has provided more gradations for IB students on the same score and a more accurate mapping of their score to a Combined Rank.
Results from the IB Diploma, which are reported on a whole number scale between 24 and 45, are converted into an ATAR-like value to allow IB students to be considered for tertiary places alongside their counterparts who have completed state curricula. This ATAR-like value is known as the Combined Rank because it is a national conversion which combines results from across all states. This means that IB students can apply in any Australian state or territory with confidence about how their results compare to their peers who have completed state curricula and received an ATAR.
For IB students who are sitting the IB in Australia after November 2022, more detailed information about IB results is available to UAC. This is being used to improve the Combined Rank schedule by providing more conversion points. Scaled total marks from all subjects are being used to differentiate between IB students on the same IB score. The table below shows how it works, using the examples of students with scores of 37 and 38.
| IB Diploma score | Example of current Combined Rank (all applicants with the same IB score achieve the same Combined Rank) |
Example of new Combined Rank (2022) (applicants with the same IB score achieve a more precise Combined Rank based on their subject results) |
|---|---|---|
38 |
96.25 |
96.45 |
38 |
96.25 |
96.25 |
| 38 (below average in each subject band) |
96.25 | 96.00 |
38 |
96.25 |
95.75 |
37 |
95.20 |
95.45 |
37 |
95.20 |
95.20 |
| 37 (below average in each subject band) |
95.20 | 94.90 |
37 |
95.20 |
94.55 |
Example values only; the exact Combined Rank conversion values are set based on data for each year.
This change is for students undertaking the IB in Australia only; IB students in other countries will not be affected.
You will still receive a whole number score when completing the IB Diploma. However, you will also receive an IB Admissions Score from UAC (or, if your school is outside NSW and the ACT, the tertiary admissions centre in that state). The IB Admissions Score will add decimal places to your diploma score based on your average performance within each band of your subject results. For example, you may receive a diploma score of 41, and an IB Admissions Score of 41.75. This IB Admissions Score can then be used to look up your Combined Rank on the national schedule.
No. This change is not retrospective. Pre-2022 IB students will continue to be assessed using their IB score only.
The IB Admissions Score adds more detail within each level of diploma scores but does not change the score. The IB Admissions Score will always start with the same number as your IB Diploma score. For example, if you have a diploma score of 35, your IB Admissions Score will be 35.xx. It will not be 36.25 or 34.75.
Your IB Admissions Score will be recalculated if amended results are received for your study.
The new process does not substantially change the Combined Rank for individual students; it simply allows for a more detailed scale to be used. Our research suggests that approximately 60% of students would receive the same rank on the new conversion table, 25% will see an increase in their rank and 15% will see a decrease in their rank. Even if your Combined Rank goes up or down under the new process, it is still close to the value you would have received under the old system.
The new process will not have a significant effect on your competitiveness for your chosen tertiary courses.
The Combined Rank is a national conversion, so you can be confident about how your application for tertiary study will be considered in any Australian state or territory. The Combined Rank is expressed on the same scale as an ATAR, so you can look at the published ‘lowest selection rank’ for a tertiary course as an indication of the selection standard and relate this easily to your IB results.
When completing your final year of schooling, ensure that you provide permission via your school for your IB results to be released to UAC. As long as you identify yourself as an IB student and provide your IB candidate number when applying for courses, your IB scores and subject results will be received electronically and automatically converted for the purposes of selection and meeting prerequisites.
The IB Admissions Score is only relevant for students who have qualified for the award of the IB Diploma.