What is the VCE?
The VCE is a high school graduation certificate administered by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). It serves as a gateway to universities across Australia and around the world. Students typically complete their coursework over the course of Years 11 and 12. The VCE offers a total of 129 subjects for students to choose from, covering nine major subject areas: English, Mathematics, Science, humanities, languages, business and economics, arts, technology, and health and physical education.
Unlike other high school curriculum structures, the VCE adopts a “subject supermarket” model for course selection. Students can choose 5 to 6 subjects from over 90 options to study in depth. English is the only mandatory subject; all other subjects can be freely selected based on personal interests and future academic or career goals. Each subject consists of four units. Units 1 and 2, studied in Year 11, are foundational units and are not included in the final exam scope, while Units 3 and 4, studied in Year 12, are advanced units, and their grades are factored into the ATAR score. Achieve VCE Certificate
List of Top Majors
The VCE offers a choice of over ninety subjects; listed here are some representative subject areas.
| Subject Areas | Representative Subjects |
|---|---|
| English | English, English as an Additional Language (EAL), Literature |
| Mathematics | Foundation Mathematics, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics |
| Science | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Science |
| Business | Accounting, Business Management, Economics, Legal Studies |
| Humanities | History, Geography, Politics, Philosophy, Sociology |
| Languages | Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Greek |
| Arts | Art Creative Practice, Art Making and Exhibiting, Media, Drama, Music |
| Technology | Applied Computing, Product Design and Technology, Food Studies |
| Health and Physical Education | Health and Human Development, Physical Education |
Latin saw the largest scaling increase in 2025, rising from a 35-point weighting to 50 points—an increase of 15 points; Chinese as a Second Language (Chinese SL) also saw a moderate increase, with an average weighting increase of +12 points. Among STEM subjects, Specialist Maths saw an average weighting increase of +10 to +13 points, Mathematical Methods by 5 points, Chemistry by 4–9 points, and Physics by 2–8 points, all of which are high-weighting subjects.
Diploma Value: The ATAR Ranking System
The VCE uses a standardized scoring system, with a maximum Study Score of 50 points per subject and an average score of 30 points. Fifty percent of students achieve a score of 30 or higher, the top 8% achieve 40 or higher, and the top 2% achieve 45 or higher.
The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is the core value of the VCE; It is not a raw score but a ranking ranging from 0.00 to 99.95, indicating the percentage of students a candidate outperforms among all current year graduates statewide. The calculation method is as follows: the Compulsory English exam plus the three highest-scoring subjects are counted at 100% toward the core subjects; the two highest-scoring subjects among the fifth and sixth subjects are counted at 10% toward the supplementary subjects; the total score is converted into an ATAR by VTAC.
Due to significant variations in subject difficulty, the VCAA employs a scaling method to ensure fairness across subjects. Points are added to difficult subjects—for example, Advanced Mathematics is adjusted from 10 to 13 points—and subtracted from easier subjects, such as Basic Mathematics, which is adjusted by -5 points. Additionally, some niche subjects with incentive value receive an extra 3 to 5 points; Latin and Chinese as a Second Language fall into this category.
Key Changes and Trends for 2026
- VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) offers career-oriented students a non-ATAR pathway that directly connects to university or TAFE courses, with core unit tuition waived (only material fees apply).
- The 2025 VCE Scaling Report is out, and Latin, Advanced Mathematics, and Chinese as a Second Language consistently rank among the top subjects in weighted rankings.
- There are no major changes to the 2026 VCE curriculum; all subjects have been retained.
- The 2025–26 CCAF funding provides targeted support for the VCE VM and VPC programs.
