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Download NESA 2025 HSC Rules and Procedures guide
Current as of Tuesday, 10 September 2024.
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Rules and Procedures Guide 2025
1. Students with atypical circumstances
1.1 Understanding HSC pathways
While most students complete their HSC over 2 years during Years 11 and 12, there are other study options. For example, if you want to study while you work, care for your family or take part in elite sports or cultural activities, one of these 5 pathways may suit you.
| Pathway | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Accumulating | You can take up to 5 consecutive years to finish your studies, starting from the first year you complete an HSC course. |
| 2. Repeating | You can repeat one or more courses within the 5 years (see pathway 1) without a penalty. Your RoSA will report the results of all completed courses. Courses not completed will be listed with a date you stopped participating. If eligible, the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will calculate your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) from your most recent HSC results. |
| 3. Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning (RPL) | You may be able to count courses you did at TAFE or other non-school educational institutions towards your HSC as Credit Transfer. Or you may not need to complete some course components, if you can show that you have met the necessary outcomes in another way via RPL, such as through interstate study. For general education this may apply to an entire Preliminary course, part of a Preliminary course or part of an HSC course. For more information, see Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning on the NESA ACE website. For VET this may apply to part of a course or the entire course. For more information, see Recognition of prior learning (RPL) and credit transfer within VET courses on the NESA website. |
| 4. Accelerating/Early commencement | You may be able to complete an HSC course, sit for the HSC exam in that course and accumulate these results before you are in Year 12. You may be able to start a Stage 6 course while in Year 9 or Year 10 and accumulate the course unit credit towards the HSC. |
| 5. Undertaking a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship | You can start an apprenticeship or complete a traineeship while you study at school. A school-based apprenticeship or traineeship combines paid work, training and school studies. You will gain an industry recognised national VET qualification and credit towards your HSC. |
1.2 Leaving without your HSC
If you decide to leave school before completing the requirements for your HSC, you can access various records that summarise the courses you have studied and any results:
- eRecord: You can retrieve a record of your results from Students Online in the Certificates/eRecord section at any time until 30 June the year after you leave school.
- Transcript of Study: Once your school nominates you as a school leaver, you can download a PDF copy from Students Online in the Certificates/eRecord section until 30 June the year after you leave school.
- Record of School Achievement (RoSA): You may be eligible for a RoSA if you meet certain criteria. The RoSA shows your courses and results for Years 10 and 11, and any HSC courses you have taken. Once your school nominates you for a RoSA, you can download a PDF copy from Students Online in the Certificates/eRecord section until 30 June the year after you leave school.
- Reading, writing and numeracy test results: While you are still enrolled in school, you can take online minimum standard reading, writing and numeracy tests and show the results to potential employers. Access results via the Messages section in Students Online.
Talk to your teachers about the RoSA and the reading, writing and numeracy tests, if you are thinking about leaving school before you complete the HSC. You should also talk to your school about how to request your RoSA.