About the statistics
Each year NESA provides statistics on HSC students and their courses. Find statistics from 2023, or view more from different years.
Cohort insights
2011 was the year that most students who are completing the HSC in 2023 started their 13 years of schooling.
The HSC is the most popular school credential in Australia in 2023.
Making the HSC the most popular school credential in Australia in 2023
Most of these students are not yet in year 12.
How many students are studying for the HSC?
The HSC is the most popular high school credential in Australia with 76,839 students studying one or more HSC courses in 2023. Of these students, 68,689 are on track to complete their HSC this year.
Where are students studying their courses?
The majority are studying for the HSC at schools in major cities. The others are studying in regional and remote areas of NSW, and a small number outside Australia.
The location is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Remoteness Area classification.
Enrolment data is taken from 1 September 2023.
Learn more about the HSC course enrolments by region
Learn more about HSC course enrolments
What courses are students studying?
There are almost 150 Board developed HSC courses, covering a broad range of subjects, are available to meet students' diverse needs.
These include:
- 103 examinable courses
- 12 Industry Curriculum Frameworks (with optional examinations)
- 32 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.
It is compulsory to study an English course for the HSC. 69,589 students (91% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC English courses:
- English Standard
- English Advanced
- English Extension 1
- English Extension 2
- English EAL/D
- English Studies
- English Life Skills.
60,093 students (78% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Mathematics courses:
- Mathematics Standard 1
- Mathematics Standard 2
- Mathematics Advanced
- Mathematics Extension 1
- Mathematics Extension 2
- Mathematics Life Skills
- Numeracy (Content Endorsed Course).
33,029 students (43% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Science courses:
- Biology
- Living World Science Life Skills
- Chemistry
- Chemical World Science Life Skills
- Physics
- Physical World Science Life Skills
- Earth and Environmental Science
- Earth and Space Science Life Skills
- Investigating Science
- Investigating Science Life Skills
- Science Extension.
4,731 students (6% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one HSC Language course.
19,184 students (25% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one HSC Vocational Educational and Training (VET) course. Of these, 16,895 are enrolled in one or more of the VET Industry curriculum frameworks.
2,344 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Life Skills course.
28,414 students (37% of the total cohort) are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC courses with a performance or submitted work.
- Dance
- Design and Technology
- Drama
- English Extension 2
- Industrial Technology
- Music Extension
- Music 1
- Music 2
- Society and Culture
- Textiles and Design
- Visual Arts
The performance examinations were held in August and the dates for submission of major works were in July. This means that these students have already completed some of the HSC examinations.
Students studying English Extension 2 and Music Extension have completed these courses as there are no written examinations.
Highest candidature subjects
There are almost 150 Board developed HSC courses.
| Rank | Subject | Unique students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 69,589 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 60,093 |
| 3 | Biology | 19,808 |
| 4 | Business Studies | 19,087 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health & Physical Education | 18,238 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 14,117 |
| 7 | Modern History | 10,742 |
| 8 | Legal Studies | 10,461 |
| 9 | Chemistry | 9,995 |
| 10 | Community and Family Studies | 9,535 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 9,206 |
| 12 | Physics | 8,027 |
| 13 | Hospitality | 7,040 |
| 14 | Ancient History | 6,907 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 6,020 |
| Rank | Language | Unique students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,250 |
| 2 | French | 817 |
| 3 | Chinese | 625 |
| 4 | Italian | 405 |
| 5 | Spanish | 321 |
| Rank | Framework | Unique students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 7,040 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,521 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,198 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,555 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 975 |
Course and region numbers
More detailed data for courses (including VET and Life Skills) and enrolment by regions across NSW. The data is taken from 1 September 2023.
2023 course enrolments
NESA reports on student enrolment information for HSC courses each year. Learn the number of students enrolled in Board Developed HSC courses in 2023.
2023 region enrolments
Students are studying their HSC courses in schools throughout NSW, and even at some schools overseas. View the number of students at schools in each region for the 2023 HSC cohort.