Understanding your SACE results and ATAR (2026): grades, scaled scores, the TES and your certificate

For release dates and SATAC's offer rounds, see SACE results day, SATAC offers and changing preferences. This page is about reading what you get.

When do SACE results come out in 2026?

The SACE Board says end-of-year results are released in December in Students Online. Its official calendar lists the "End of assessment cycle" for the week beginning Monday 14 December 2026, noting that the Board makes online results for Stage 1 and Stage 2 subjects available during that week. The exact release day for students is set by the SACE Board, so check the SACE calendar and your school's messages closer to the date.

What you receive, and from whom

Subjects you withdrew from or didn't complete are not listed on your Record of Achievement.

How to read your SACE subject results

At Stage 2 each subject has a final grade from A+ to E-. Inside each subject, Students Online shows the grade for every assessment type, so you can see which school-assessed tasks and which external assessment pulled your overall grade up or down. The comparison chart shows where you sit in the whole subject cohort.

If you got an A+ and a selection panel judged your work exceptional, the subject shows as "A+ with Merit" on your Record of Achievement, and you'll be invited to the SACE Merit Ceremony.

To complete the SACE, compulsory requirements need a C or better at Stage 1 and a C- or better at Stage 2 (see the ATAR explainer for the full credit rules). If you study in the Northern Territory, the same results come to you under the NTCET: see NTCET explained.

How to read your Tertiary Entrance Statement

The TES is issued by SATAC on behalf of Adelaide University, Flinders University and TAFE SA. Read it from top to bottom:

1. Scaled scores. One line for each Stage 2 subject that could count towards an ATAR, out of 20 (20-credit subjects) or 10 (10-credit subjects). Approved Recognised Studies appear under their own heading.
2. University aggregate. Out of 90: your best three 20-credit Tertiary Admissions Subjects (60 credits) plus a 30-credit flexible option, chosen by SATAC to give you the best possible total under its rules.
3. ATAR. Your rank, from 0 to 99.95, against the relevant age group. It is a rank, not a mark.

You can download an official copy of the TES from Students Online. SATAC says hard copies are only available until the end of the Stage 2 clerical check period in early February of the following year.

What is and isn't in your ATAR?

In it: scaled scores from Stage 2 Tertiary Admissions Subjects and any approved Recognised Studies (such as some VET at Certificate III or above, or university studies), combined into the 90-credit aggregate.

Not in it:

• Adjustment points. SATAC's equity and language, literacy and mathematics schemes add up to 9 points to your aggregate to make a selection rank for eligible courses. Your ATAR itself does not change, so check your selection rank in mySATAC. The lower-than-expected guide explains these.
• Stage 1 results. They count for SACE completion, not the ATAR.
• Late Recognised Studies. If the SACE Board hadn't received those results by its deadline, they may not be in your ATAR on release day. Once processed, SATAC recalculates and issues a new ATAR and TES.
• Study finished after your first ATAR. SATAC says an ATAR cannot be recalculated to include studies completed after it is first issued.

What should I do first on results day?

1. Log in to Students Online and download your Record of Achievement and TES.
2. Check the TES lists every Stage 2 subject you expected, especially any VET or university studies.
3. Check your selection rank in mySATAC before changing preferences.
4. If a grade looks wrong, read SACE results reviews and clerical checks.
5. Then look at your options calmly with how to handle results day.

Want to see how your scaled scores fit together? Try the SACE ATAR calculator or browse the other SACE calculators. If you're choosing a course now, start with choosing a uni course and the university pages for Adelaide University, Flinders and Charles Darwin University.