HSC Results 2026: Wednesday 16 December, ATARs at 9am

HSC results for the class of 2026 are released by NESA on Wednesday 16 December 2026, and UAC releases ATARs the same morning at 9am. Two days later, at 11.59pm on Friday 18 December, preferences close for the main university offer round. This guide covers how to get your results and your ATAR, what they mean, the deadlines that follow, and what to do if your ATAR isn't what you hoped for. It's written for students and parents.

Key dates for the class of 2026

When	What happens
Wednesday 16 December	HSC results released by NESA by email, text message and in Students Online
Wednesday 16 December, 9am	ATARs released by UAC
Thursday 17 December	NESA's results services open; EAS eligibility letters start going out
Friday 18 December, 11.59pm	Change preferences for December Round 2
Wednesday 23 December, 7.30am	December Round 2 offers (the main offer round)
Tuesday 29 December, 11.59pm	Change preferences for January Round 1
Friday 8 January 2027, 7.30am	January Round 1 offers
Thursday 14 January 2027, 11.59pm	Change preferences for January Round 2
Thursday 21 January 2027, 7.30am	January Round 2 offers
Friday 7 May 2027	Last day to order NESA's results services
Wednesday 30 June 2027	Your Students Online account closes

These are NESA's and UAC's published dates. Check UAC's key dates page before you act, in case anything changes.

How you'll get your HSC results

NESA sends your HSC results by email and text message, and they're also in Students Online (log in with your student number and PIN). NESA hadn't announced this year's release time at the time of writing; in 2025, results were available from 6am.

The text message uses short codes. For example, "EngAd 85 5" means English Advanced, HSC mark 85, Band 5.

Before results day, check your details in Students Online. Use an email you'll still read after you leave school (your school email may not be the best choice), and check your mobile number and postal address, since your HSC testamur is posted there. You can update these yourself; if your name is misspelt, your school has to fix it.

If you have questions about your marks, NESA's HSC results enquiry centre is on 1300 13 83 23, from 8am on results day and then 9am to 5pm on weekdays.

What your results show

For most courses you'll see three marks:

• your assessment mark, from your school's assessment tasks, moderated by NESA so results from different schools can be compared fairly,
• your exam mark, and
• your HSC mark, the rounded average of the two, which sets your performance band.

For 2 unit courses the bands run from Band 6 (90 to 100) down to Band 1 (0 to 49), and extension courses use E4 down to E1. NESA notes that the average performance in most courses is usually a mark in the mid-70s, which is Band 4. More in HSC bands explained.

Your HSC credentials include your HSC testamur, your Record of Achievement (Year 12, 11 and 10 results) and a course report for each HSC course, with the bands and a graph of the mark distribution. Download them as free PDFs from Students Online and save them, because your account closes on 30 June 2027. If you're eligible for the HSC, your printed testamur is mailed from the end of January.

If you're leaving school and aren't eligible for the HSC, NESA issues a Record of School Achievement (RoSA) instead.

How to get your ATAR

Your ATAR comes from UAC, not NESA, and it won't appear in Students Online.

• ATARs are released on the UAC website at 9am on Wednesday 16 December. Before 9am, UAC sends an SMS or email with a direct link to the login page.
• Log in with your 8-digit Year 12 student number (issued by NESA) and your 4-digit UAC PIN, which UAC emailed to you on 8 April. Your UAC PIN is different from your HSC PIN. Lost it? Call UAC on (02) 9752 0200. Lost your student number? Call NESA on 1300 13 83 23.
• You'll see the ATAR courses and units that counted, and you can download your official ATAR Advice Notice. You can also claim your ATAR as a free digital credential in CredFolio, which emails you an invitation a couple of days before release.
• ATARs are calculated for all ATAR-eligible students. An ATAR between 0.00 and 30.00 shows as "30 or less", and if you didn't meet the ATAR requirements it shows as "not eligible".

The ATAR is a rank from 0 to 99.95, not a mark, and it's built from scaled marks, so it won't look like an average of your HSC marks. See how the ATAR is calculated in NSW, how HSC scaling works and our ATAR hub.

Lock in your preferences by Friday night

You have until 11.59pm on Friday 18 December to change preferences for December Round 2, the main offer round for semester 1. After that, preferences are locked until offers come out at 7.30am on 23 December.

• Log in to your UAC application to add, delete or reorder courses. It's free, you can change them as often as you like before the deadline, and it can only be done online.
• You can list up to five courses. Order them by what you want most. Listing a course lower doesn't reduce your chance of getting into it, and listing it higher won't get you in on its own.
• Keep your dream course first. Lowest selection ranks change from year to year, and adjustments may lift your selection rank above your ATAR.
• Have a plan B. Include at least one course whose recent selection rank matches your ATAR, and a pathway course at the bottom.
• Already have an early offer? If you received an offer to your first preference at an institution, for example through a Schools Recommendation Scheme, you won't be considered for your lower preferences at that institution in later rounds unless you change your list. If you'd now rather do a different course there, make it your first preference for that institution before the deadline.
• Haven't applied yet? You can still apply by 11.59pm on Friday 1 January 2027 for January Round 2, and there are later rounds into February and early March.

Selection ranks, adjustments and EAS

Universities make offers using your selection rank: your ATAR plus any adjustments. Adjustments don't change your ATAR. They're specific to each course and applied automatically if you're eligible, though you may need a minimum ATAR first, you may only get 1 or 2 points, and institutions cap the total. The main types are:

• Subject adjustments for strong results in Year 12 courses relevant to the degree, usually the equivalent of a Band 5 or 6.
• Location adjustments if you live or go to school in a designated region.
• Equity adjustments through the Educational Access Scheme (EAS), if your Year 11 or 12 studies were seriously affected by circumstances beyond your control.
• Elite athlete and performer adjustments through UAC's Elite Athlete and Performer Scheme, for achievement at state, national or international level.

This is why many applicants receive offers with an ATAR below the published lowest selection rank.

EAS deadlines: applications for December Round 2 closed on 19 November 2026, but you can still apply (with a UAC undergraduate application in place) by 11.59pm on 25 December for January Round 1, and EAS closes for semester 1 at 11.59pm on 5 February 2027. Year 12 applicants are emailed about their EAS eligibility after ATAR release. Illness or misadventure during your HSC exams isn't considered under EAS; NESA has its own process for that.

When offers arrive

December Round 2 offers are released at 7.30am on Wednesday 23 December, and UAC emails you if you receive one.

• Accept it, even if it's not your first preference. UAC advises accepting, because there's no guarantee of another offer, and accepting an offer to a lower preference doesn't stop you being considered for higher ones in later rounds. Accept promptly: some offers lapse after a set period.
• If a better offer comes later, you can accept it before withdrawing from the first. Just withdraw by the first institution's census date, or you'll be charged fees.
• If you get no offer, ask the institution why. Not every institution makes offers in December Round 2, and some courses wait until January. If you weren't competitive enough, compare your ATAR with the published December Round 2 lowest selection ranks and change your preferences by 11.59pm on Tuesday 29 December for January Round 1, choosing courses likely to have vacancies, with selection ranks at or below your ATAR, plus a pathway course.
• Want to defer? Most institutions allow it, but it depends on the institution and the course. Ask before you assume.

If your ATAR is lower than you hoped

Let yourself feel it first. Then remember that an ATAR decides which courses you can get into this year, not which field you end up in. The preference deadline is Friday night, so you have time to think, call and research before you change anything.

1. Look at selection ranks, not just ATARs. With adjustments, your selection rank for some courses may be higher than your ATAR.
2. Talk to the universities. Many run special phone lines and information days after ATARs come out, and they can tell you about pathways into the course you want.
3. Consider a pathway. UAC describes several:
   • A different degree with a lower entry rank, then apply to transfer after a successful first year.
   • An undergraduate certificate, usually six months full-time, which can get you into a related degree and count as credit.
   • A diploma, usually one to two years; at some universities it leads into the second year of a bachelor degree.
   • An associate degree, two years, with generally less competitive entry than a bachelor degree.
   • Foundation or preparation programs, intensive bridging courses to get you ready for uni.
4. Consider TAFE. Many HSC courses give credit towards TAFE NSW qualifications, and the NSW Smart and Skilled program subsidises vocational training for school leavers, up to Certificate III.
5. Remember some providers don't use the ATAR. Several UAC institutions, mostly specialist colleges, have courses with no ATAR requirement.

Can you check or challenge your HSC marks?

NESA doesn't re-mark HSC exams on request. From 17 December 2026 to 7 May 2027 you can order these fee-based services in the Results Services section of Students Online. Orders are delivered to your account within 20 working days.

• HSC results check: confirms your marks were processed correctly, for example that your whole response was scanned and matched to the right question and your multiple-choice answers were recorded as you marked them. It isn't a re-mark, and NESA charges a fee per course.
• Raw mark report: lists the raw mark you got for each exam question (a fee applies per course, and you need a results check too if you haven't ordered one).
• Exam responses: a copy of what you wrote in each written exam, without the markers' marks (a fee applies per course, plus a results check if you haven't ordered one).

For questions like why your assessment mark is lower than your school marks suggested, or why an illness or misadventure application wasn't successful, call the results enquiry centre on 1300 13 83 23.

Looking after yourself on the day

• Decide in advance how you'll open it, alone or with someone. Muting the group chat for a few hours is allowed.
• Don't compare. A friend's ATAR tells you nothing about your path.
• Keep the number in proportion. It's a selection tool for university courses, not a verdict on you or your future.
• Plan something for the afternoon, whatever the result.
• Parents: ask how they're feeling before you ask the number. Offer to help with the admin (dates, phone calls, the preference list) and leave the decisions to them.

If it's hitting hard, talk to someone. Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) is free, confidential and open 24/7 for young people aged 5 to 25. Lifeline is on 13 11 14, or text 0477 13 11 14, also 24/7. In an emergency, call 000.

Before offers, the ATAR eligibility checker is worth two minutes if you're unsure whether your unit pattern qualifies you.

The bottom line

Check your Students Online details before results day, read your HSC results on Wednesday 16 December and your ATAR from 9am, then get your UAC preferences right before 11.59pm on Friday 18 December. Keep your dream course first, include realistic and pathway options, and accept an offer when it comes. A lower ATAR than you hoped can change your route for next year. It doesn't take your goal off the table.