Students who are going to be in Year 12 in 2025 may want to apply to complete a Higher Education Studies (HES) subject as part of their normal VCE course.
Students who complete two Unit 3/4 subjects in Year 11 are strongly encouraged to apply for a HES. This would take the place of 5th timetabled subject in year 12, rather than completing seven VCE courses.
A HES subject is an extension subject that:
Is equivalent in content and assessment in every respect to one or more current first-year university subjects and constitutes at least 20% of a full-time first-year university undergraduate course.
Is of a level for a high-achieving student.
Builds on an identified VCE Unit 3 and 4 study, and thus is equivalent in workload to an additional VCE subject.
Is of a level that will normally allow the student, on successful completion, to proceed to a second-year university subject that builds on the HES subject.
The benefits of completing a HES subject include:
Experiencing an academic challenge.
Gaining credit towards an undergraduate qualification, while still in high school.
A contribution towards the calculation of the student’s ATAR via an increment for a sixth study. In other words, the HES subject is guaranteed to be in a student’s ‘bottom two’.
Higher Education studies are offered by various universities in Victoria, as well as the new Centre for Higher Education Studies. Further information about Higher Education Studies can be located via the Suzanne Cory High School Careers Website.
HES subjects are designed for high achieving and highly independent Year 12 students. Ultimately, the university will decide whether to accept a student. Normally, for an application to be successful, students will have demonstrated:
High achievement across all their subjects.
A VCE study score of 40 or more in the preparatory subject.
A strong work ethic in all their VCE subjects.
If a student is enrolled in a HES subject, they will be required to complete a minimum of four Unit 3/4 studies at Suzanne Cory High School in addition to the HES subject.
Interested students should discuss the opportunity to enrol in HES subjects with Ms Dalgleish or Mr Taig.
Typically, applications are made directly to universities, with the school putting in a recommendation. However, you may wish to apply through the Education Department-run Centre for Higher Education Studies, which can streamline the application process somewhat.
Further information can be found on the VCAA website: Higher Education Studies in the VCE