Senior Secondary Certificate Statistical Information 2024 - Section 1
Section 1: Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Data source: 2024 data were extracted from the VCAA corporate database at 17 January 2025 (Published).
If you have any concerns or comments, please contact the Data Analysis and Reporting Unit by emailing: research.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au.
Section 1
In Victoria as of 2024, there is one certificate of senior secondary education, the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) which ensures every student has access to studies where they will gain the skills and knowledge they need to find rewarding careers and reach their full potential.
Within the VCE students have the option to undertake the VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM).
This section covers the VCE including the VCE VM.
1. Victorian Certificate of Education
VCE completion is calculated on the basis of satisfactory completion of units. Refer to the VCE Administrative Hand book for VCE eligibility requirements, which can be found on the VCAA website.
| Students | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible to complete the VCE | 51,162 | 51,746 | 50,602 | 59,220 | 63,682 |
| Satisfactorily completed VCE | 50,302 | 50,774 | 49,638 | 57,736 | 62,083 |
| Percentage of VCE completions | 98.3 | 98.1 | 98.1 | 97.5 | 97.5 |
| Gender | Eligible | Completions | % Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 32,495 | 31,749 | 97.7 |
| Male | 30,746 | 29,925 | 97.3 |
| Gender X | 441 | 409 | 92.7 |
| All | 63,682 | 62,083 | 97.5 |
The VCE (Baccalaureate) is an additional form of recognition for those students who choose to undertake the demands of studying both a higher level of mathematics and a language in their VCE program of study. Refer to the VCE Administrative Handbook for VCE eligibility requirements, which can be found on the VCAA website.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Students | 3,763 | 3,574 | 3,351 | 3,049 | 3,162 |
2. Unit Enrolments and Completions
2.1 VCE Units
| Units Enrolled | Units Satisfactorily Completed | % Satisfactorily Completed | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Female | 204,474 | 198,456 | 167,670 | 164,081 | 192,501 | 188,773 | 164,422 | 162,012 | 94.1 | 95.1 | 98.1 | 98.7 |
| Male | 201,644 | 194,181 | 156,199 | 152,362 | 186,767 | 181,857 | 152,433 | 150,015 | 92.6 | 93.7 | 97.6 | 98.5 |
| Gender X | 2,240 | 2,033 | 2,122 | 2,036 | 1,850 | 1,702 | 1,980 | 1,926 | 82.6 | 83.7 | 93.3 | 94.6 |
| All | 408,358 | 394,670 | 325,991 | 318,479 | 381,118 | 372,332 | 318,835 | 313,953 | 93.3 | 94.3 | 97.8 | 98.6 |
| % Female | 50.1 | 50.3 | 51.4 | 51.5 | 50.5 | 50.7 | 51.6 | 51.6 | ||||
| % Male | 49.4 | 49.2 | 47.9 | 47.8 | 49 | 48.8 | 47.8 | 47.8 | ||||
| % Gender X | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | ||||
Note that students who withdrew during the year without an outcome recorded against their unit enrolments were removed from the dataset. Section 2 (Satisfactory Completion of VCE Units) provides more detailed information of unit participation and completions by study and sequence.
| Gender | Enrolments | Completions | % Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 734,681 | 707,708 | 96.3 |
| Male | 704,386 | 671,072 | 95.3 |
| Gender X | 8,431 | 7,458 | 88.5 |
| All | 1,447,498 | 1,386,238 | 95.8 |
| % Female | 50.8 | 51.1 | |
| % Male | 48.7 | 48.4 | |
| % Gender X | 0.6 | 0.5 |
There were a total of 1,447,498 VCE (including the VCE VM) unit enrolments in 2024 of which 95.8% were successfully completed. 170,939 of these unit enrolments were VCE VM, of which 86% were successfully completed. With the introduction of the Northern Hemisphere Timetable (NHT) there were 626 students from 17 home schools with total 2,767 unit enrolments at units 1-4 in 2023/2024.
The female completion rate was 96.3% while the male completion rate was 95.3%. Females comprised 50.8% of the total unit enrolments while male comprised 48.7%. Females comprised 51.1% of the total unit completions while males comprised 48.4%.
2.2 VCE VET Units
Students gain credit toward VCE VET units by successfully completing a prescribed number of hours of Units of Competency.
| Gender | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 20,194 | 12,757 | 9,592 | 8,439 |
| Male | 25,380 | 16,247 | 10,977 | 9,152 |
| Gender X | 271 | 175 | 119 | 106 |
| All | 45,845 | 29,179 | 20,688 | 17,697 |
| % Female | 44.0 | 43.7 | 46.4 | 47.7 |
| % Male | 55.4 | 55.7 | 53.1 | 51.7 |
| % Gender X | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
3. Outcomes of VCE Graded Assessment 2024
Section 3 (Grade Distributions for Graded Assessments VCE) provides more detailed information on the outcomes for each study where Graded Assessment is available. VCE studies at Unit 3 and 4 level have three Graded Assessments, while scored VCE VET programs have two Graded Assessments.
In summary, the most awarded grade in 2024 was B comprising 16.1% of the distribution. The median grade was a B, with 56.4% of grades at a B or higher. Table 3.1 shows the number of grades awarded (N), and the percentage awarded per grade. The table includes data for both VCE Unit 3-4 sequences and scored VCE VET programs.
| Grade | UG | E | E+ | D | D+ | C | C+ | B | B+ | A | A+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 3,140 | 5,438 | 17,055 | 37,768 | 66,483 | 92,595 | 117,778 | 125,634 | 122,930 | 108,692 | 83,530 | 781,043 |
| % | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 8.5 | 11.9 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 13.9 | 10.7 | 100.0 |
- These figures are derived from VCAA information in January and include overseas students. Students who have successfully achieved their VCE in previous years but undertook further studies in the current year are included.
- The number students that were awarded VCE Baccalaureate are also included in Table 1.1: VCE Participation and Completion, 2020 - 2024 and Table 1.2: VCE Participation and Completion by Gender, 2024.