Choosing VCE or HSC Subjects: A Guide for Year 10 Families
Written by
BestSchools Team
Year 10 is when Victorian and NSW families choose the subjects that will fill Year 11 and Year 12. The certificate rules are published. The right mix for one student is not.
As of 20 October 2026, the VCE rules below are from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, including its 2027 Where to Now guide, opens in a new tab. The HSC rules are from NESA's choosing HSC subjects, opens in a new tab page. For results, scaling and the ATAR as a rank, use VCE, HSC and ATAR explained. For the other states' certificates, use senior certificates.
How do you choose VCE subjects?
You choose subjects the student can see themselves doing for two years, that the school actually runs, and that meet the VCE rules.
To be awarded the VCE, the VCAA's advice for current students, opens in a new tab says a student must satisfactorily complete at least 16 units, including:
- at least three units from the English group, and one of those must be a Unit 3 and 4 sequence
- at least three other Unit 3 and 4 sequences, which can include VCE VET
The English group on that page includes English, English as an Additional Language (Units 3 and 4), English Language, Literature, and Foundation English (Units 1 and 2).
Units 3 and 4 of a subject must be completed together in the same year if the student wants the study score path described in Where to Now. Units 1 and 2 are often taken in Year 11. They can sometimes start in Year 10.
The VCAA does not set a minimum number of subjects each year. Most students, the government subject choice page, opens in a new tab says, do the VCE over two years and complete more than the 16-unit minimum. That page describes a common pattern of six Unit 1 and 2 subjects in Year 11 and five Unit 3 and 4 subjects in Year 12. It is a common pattern, not a rule that every student must follow.
Where to Now says to choose subjects that interest the student, that they are good at, and that help with what they want to do next. It also says to check university prerequisites if a particular course is the goal. A subject that is not offered at the school may be available through Virtual School Victoria, the Victorian School of Languages, a registered training organisation, or another school. Ask the school. Do not assume a subject can be added later.
The VCE Vocational Major is a different VCE program, with its own unit rules on the VCAA page. If that is the path, use those rules rather than the general VCE list above.
How do you choose HSC subjects?
NESA's advice is to choose courses the student is good at, interested in, and may use later. Then check the pattern of study, because interest alone does not award the HSC.
To be eligible, a student must satisfactorily complete Year 9 and 10 or a qualification NESA recognises, complete HSC: All My Own Work before submitting work (unless they are only in Life Skills courses), complete the pattern of study, sit the required exams, and meet the HSC minimum standard of literacy and numeracy within five years of starting the HSC course.
The pattern of study is:
- a Year 11 (Preliminary) pattern of at least 12 units
- an HSC pattern of at least 10 units
Both patterns must include at least:
- 6 units of Board Developed Courses
- 2 units of a Board Developed Course in English
- 3 courses of 2 or more units, Board Developed or Board Endorsed
- 4 subjects
Some courses have extra rules. NESA says English Studies can sit inside the 6 units of Board Developed Courses, but it counts towards an ATAR only if the student sits the optional HSC exam. Beginners languages, and some other language courses, have eligibility rules. Enrolling in a course the student is not eligible for can put the HSC at risk. Check the course page before the form is signed.
The certificate is not the ATAR
Finishing the VCE or the HSC does not by itself produce an ATAR.
VCAA's 2027 Where to Now guide says that to receive an ATAR a student must meet the VCE requirements and have study scores in at least four subjects, including an English subject. Study scores come from Units 3 and 4, completed as a sequence in the same year, with the graded assessments done. VTAC sets the tertiary admission rules. The VCAA tells families to check with the school and with VTAC.
NESA sets HSC eligibility. An ATAR for NSW students is a separate tertiary rank. This page does not restate UAC's scaling rules. Use the current UAC advice, and read how senior results work before anyone chooses a subject because they have heard it "scales up".
Subjects sit inside a school
Check the school can actually run the plan
The School Choice Assessment helps you sort priorities such as travel, sector and learning needs. It does not choose VCE or HSC subjects.
About five minutes. Subject lists come from the school and the authority.
A simple way to decide
Write three columns: must do (the certificate rules), need for the next step (a prerequisite or a language eligibility rule), and want to do. If a subject is only in the third column and it blows up the workload, it is the one to question.
Then ask the school which of those subjects it will run in the student's year, and what happens if a class does not go ahead. Secondary school choice is the wider decision. Compare Schools helps once you are looking at real campuses.
Official sources
- VCAA, Where to Now? 2027 (PDF), opens in a new tab
- VCAA, VCE FAQ for current students, opens in a new tab
- Victoria, Choosing Year 11 and 12 subjects, opens in a new tab
- NESA, Choosing HSC subjects, opens in a new tab
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to go next
Turn this research into a clearer shortlist
Three practical ways to move from reading to action.
- Start the assessment
Take the School Choice Assessment
Get a personalised report based on your budget, commute, sector and learning priorities.
- Compare schools
Compare shortlisted schools
Put up to three schools side by side so trade-offs are easier to spot.
- Open schools map
Browse schools near you
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