Best ATAR Subjects for Commerce in WA

Commerce is one of the largest undergraduate enrolments in WA. UWA, Curtin, Notre Dame and Murdoch all offer Bachelor of Commerce or equivalent business degrees. Major specialisations include finance, accounting, marketing, management, economics, business analytics and human resources.

Most commerce degrees have soft prerequisites and a wide ATAR cutoff range. Choosing your subjects strategically can lift your ATAR by 8 to 12 points and prepare you for first-year better than a default mix.

What each WA university requires

The optimal 5-subject combination

For students aiming at UWA Commerce (Honours), the strongest combination is:

1. English (mandatory for WACE).
2. Mathematics Methods (high-scaling; better than Apps for finance and quantitative economics).
3. Economics (directly aligned with Commerce content; scales modestly).
4. Accounting (lifts your first-year accounting unit by months of preparation).
5. One stretch subject: Mathematics Specialist, Chemistry, or Physics for ATAR scaling boost.

ATAR projection: 88 to 96 for competent students. The 5th subject can be dropped from your top 4 calculation if it underperforms.

Methods vs Applications: the commerce decision

UWA accepts Applications for Bachelor of Commerce, but Methods is preferred. Here is why:

• Methods scales by ~5-6 marks at the median; Applications scales -3 to -5 at the median. The ATAR difference for similar raw marks is 8 to 11 points.
• Methods covers calculus, which is used in first-year economics (microeconomics) and finance (option pricing, time value of money).
• Applications covers networks and bivariate data, which appears in business analytics but at a less rigorous level.

For finance, quantitative economics or business analytics majors, take Methods. For marketing, management or HR majors, Applications is sufficient. Read more in our Methods vs Applications post.

Why Accounting Year 12 matters

Year 12 Accounting is not high-scaling (typically -1 to neutral at the median). But for commerce-bound students who plan an accounting major, it transforms first-year. The first-year accounting unit at UWA covers debits/credits, balance sheets and income statements. Year 12 Accounting covers exactly this.

Students with Year 12 Accounting typically score 10 to 15 marks higher on the first-year accounting unit than peers without it.

Economics: the dual-purpose subject

Year 12 Economics scales close to neutral (1 to 2 marks at the median). It pairs perfectly with Commerce: most first-year units cover supply/demand, market structures, fiscal policy. Year 12 Economics is the highest-leverage non-mandatory subject for commerce students.

What about double degrees?

UWA offers Commerce combined with Engineering, Science, or Law. Each adds prerequisites:

• Commerce/Engineering: requires Methods plus Specialist/Chem/Physics combination. ATAR cutoff ~88-90.
• Commerce/Science: requires Methods plus a science. ATAR cutoff ~85.
• Commerce/Law: requires English. ATAR cutoff ~98.

Curtin and Notre Dame pathways

Curtin Bachelor of Commerce admits at lower ATAR cutoffs (70-80). The same Methods recommendation holds: even though Curtin does not require it, taking Methods lifts your ATAR enough to provide buffer.

Curtin offers majors not at UWA, including Property Management, Logistics and Supply Chain, and Hospitality and Tourism Management. Curtin's commerce degree is more applied and less research-focused than UWA's.

What to actually do this week

1. Open the UWA Bachelor of Commerce admissions page (handbooks.uwa.edu.au) and the Curtin Commerce page. Note the prerequisite section and ATAR cutoff.
2. Use our ATAR calculator with the recommended 5-subject combination. Compare to your current trajectory.
3. Decide on a major direction (finance vs marketing vs accounting). The major shapes whether you should take Methods or stay with Applications.

If you want help mapping your ATAR plan for commerce, book a free trial at our centres.