2018 HSC students overview

How many students are studying for the HSC?

The HSC is the most popular high school credential in Australia with 76,732 students studying one or more HSC courses in 2018. Of these students, 69,383 are on track to complete their HSC this year.

Total HSC students studying one or more courses

Male	Female	Total
37269	39463	76732

Where are students studying their courses?

The majority are studying for the HSC at schools in the Sydney metropolitan area. The others are studying in regional areas of NSW, and a small number outside NSW.

Total HSC students by region

Region	Total students
Sydney	49272
Regional NSW	27054
Outside NSW	406
Total	76732

View enrolments by region

What courses are students studying?

Over 140 Board developed HSC courses, covering a broad range of subjects, are available to meet students’ diverse needs.

This includes:

• 105 examinable courses
• 13 Industry Curriculum Frameworks (with examinations)
• 27 Life Skills courses for students with disability.

In addition, there are over 120 Board Endorsed courses available, including vocational courses, for which students can also achieve an Australian Qualifications Framework credential, and courses designed by schools to meet local needs.

English

It is compulsory to study an English course for the HSC. 71,036 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC English courses:

• English Standard
• English Advanced
• English as a Second Language
• English Extension 1
• English Extension 2
• English Studies
• English Life Skills.

Mathematics

58,624 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Maths courses:

• Mathematics
• Mathematics Extension 1
• Mathematics Extension 2
• Mathematics General 2
• Mathematics General 1
• Mathematics Life Skills.

Science

35,991 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Science courses:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Earth and Environmental Science
• Senior Science
• Science Life Skills.

Languages

5754 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Language course.

VET

20093 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Vocational Educational and Training (VET) course. Of these, 18,105 are enrolled in one or more of the VET Industry curriculum frameworks.

Life Skills

2105 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Life Skills course.

Top 15 subjects

Subject	Unique enrolments
1: English	70136
2: Mathematics	58624
3: Biology	18361
4: Business Studies	18093
5: Personal Development, Health & Physical Education	17399
6: Studies of Religion	14748
7: Modern History	11349
8: Chemistry	11295
9: Legal Studies	10606
10: Physics	9586
11: Visual Arts	9260
12: Community and Family Studies	8472
13: Ancient History	8378
14: Hospitality	7349
15: Senior Science	6738

Top 5 languages

Language	Unique enrolments
1. Japanese	1449
2. French	1130
3. Chinese	979
4. Italian	570
5. Spanish	334

Top 5 VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks

Framework	Unique enrolments
1. Hospitality	7349
2. Construction	3437
3. Business Services	2261
4. Retail Services	1783
5. Entertainment Industry	1155

Fun facts

Top 10 names

Rank	First name	Total
1	Joshua	729
2	Thomas	658
3	Jessica	649
4	Jack	612
5	Lachlan	598
6	James	577
7	Matthew	569
8	Sarah	555
9	William	507
10	Nicholas	506

Rank	Family name	Total
1	Nguyen	548
2	Smith	478
3	Lee	323
4	Tran	282
5	Chen	272
6	Brown	259
7	Li	249
7	Williams	245
9	Jones	240
10	Zhang	195

Multiple births

Sets of twins	Sets of triplets	Sets of multiple births
946	25	971

View enrolments by course