Comparison of Chinese Gaokao and Western University Admission Criteria - Australian ATAR Example - Accepted Version Abstract

Sep 5, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

The study compares the validity of the Chinese National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) and the Western secondary performance measure, Australia’s Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), as criteria for admission to an Australian undergraduate degree program. Results caution against using only an aggregate Gaokao score as a sole selection measure, while indicating that with adjustments for gender and time Gaokao performs comparably to ATAR. Adding Gaokao English results further improves selection accuracy and informs global admission policy for Chinese international students.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Question and Motivation

Background: Gaokao Use Across Countries

Abstract

Study Purpose and Approach

Key Findings and Implications

Comparison of Chinese Gaokao and Western university undergraduate admission criteria: Australian ATAR as an example This is the Accepted version of the following publication Farley, Alan and Yang, Hong (helen) (2019) Comparison of Chinese Gaokao and Western university undergraduate admission criteria: Australian ATAR asan example. Higher Education Research and Development. ISSN 0729-4360 The publisher’s official version can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2019.1684879](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2019.1684879)[ ](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2019.1684879)Note that access to this version may require subscription. Downloaded from VU Research Repository [https://vuir.vu.edu.au/39782/](https://vuir.vu.edu.au/39782/) Comparison of Chinese Gaokao and Western university undergraduate admission criteria: Australian ATAR as an example Alan Farley Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia [alan.farley@vu.edu.au](alan.farley@vu.edu.au) [a.farley@latrobe.edu.au](a.farley@latrobe.edu.au) ORCID: 0000-0002-1835-3029 Helen Hong Yang* La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia [helen.yang@latrobe.edu.au](helen.yang@latrobe.edu.au) [ORCID: ](ORCID: 0000-0003-1130-6825)[0000-0003-1130-6825](ORCID: 0000-0003-1130-6825) *Correspondence Acknowledgement: This is a part of a larger project funded by Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching Grant (SD15-5138) . Abstract This is the first study that examines the comparative validity of the Chinese National College Entrance Exam (known as Gaokao) to a Western end of secondary school performance measure, Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) , as admission criteria to an Australian undergraduate degree program. The study offers a strong warning about using just aggregate Gaokao score as a sole admission criterion. However, the findings suggest that with adjustments for gender and time Gaokao is found to be as good an admission criterion as ATAR hence justifying its use for selection purposes if such adjustments are made. Supplementing selection criteria by also using the Gaokao English result is found to be a further improvement. The findings can help inform the admission policy relevant to Chinese international students into undergraduate degree programs globally. Keywords: Admission criteria; Australian Tertiary Admission Rank; Chinese Gaokao; comparative study; validity 1. Introduction The final year Chinese secondary school and university entrance exam, known as the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE or the Gaokao), has become increasingly relevant to Western universities over the last ten years (AEI, 2009; Davey, Lian, & Higgins, 2007; The Economist, 2018; Zhang, 2015). This is in line with the continual growth of Chinese international students in Western universities (China’s Ministry of Education, 2019) . The four major destinations of Chinese school leavers studying overseas, US, UK, Australia, and Canada have different approaches to the use of the Gaokao score as an admission criterion into undergraduate programs. In UK, Gaokao is considered by many UK universities to be at a lower level than those qualifications traditionally used to demonstrate readiness for undergraduate study, with students completing 12 years of education (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, UCAS, 2018) . In US, there has been a low but growing number of universities accepting Gaokao score (the Economist, 2018) . The limited acceptance of Gaokao in UK and US universities contrasts with the wide acceptance of Gaokao by universities based in Australia and Canada. Almost all 1 (92%) Australian universities accept Gaokao as a direct admission criterion, and around 30 Canadian universities accept Gaokao score to be used instead of the SAT or similar test (the Economist, 2018) . The Australian and Canadian universities’ adm

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this study?

To examine whether the Chinese Gaokao and Australia’s ATAR are comparably valid admission criteria for an Australian undergraduate program.

Why does the study warn against using only the aggregate Gaokao score?

Because the findings indicate aggregate Gaokao alone is not sufficient as a sole selection criterion.

How can Gaokao use be improved according to the findings?

Adjust Gaokao results for gender and time, and supplement selection with the Gaokao English result to further improve admission outcomes.

Sep 5, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

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