Applications open
Friday 14 February 2025 10am
Applications close
Friday 02 May 2025 11:59pm
What you'll need to complete
your application
- Victorian Student Number (if applicable)
- Health care or concession card details (if applying for equity consideration)
- Debit or credit card (if paying application fee)
- Approximately 10-15 minutes
How to apply
- Create an account in the application portal
- Complete your details and your child’s details
- Select at least one preference
- Complete equity consideration (if applicable)
- Confirm eligibility
- Submit payment
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the Victorian Selective Entry High School entry exam, your child must:
- be in their second year of secondary schooling or its equivalent (Year 8) in 2025
- have not previously sat the exam for Year 9 entry
- and be:
- an Australian citizen, or
- a New Zealand citizen residing in Australia, or
- hold a visa or ImmiCard, which would exempt them from paying International Student Fees to attend a Victorian government school (more information)
- able to meet the citizenship or visa criteria by the time the offers process commences.
Students attending government and non-government schools, as well as home-schooled students, are eligible to apply. The above eligibility criteria apply to candidates living in Victoria, as well as those living and studying interstate or overseas. Fee-paying international students enrolled in Victorian schools are not eligible to apply.
Verifying eligibility
Candidates who are offered a place must provide original documents, such as a Certificate of Evidence of Australian Citizenship, visa and/or birth certificate, to the Selective Entry High School in order to complete enrolment. Home-schooled students in Victoria will also need to upload their home-school registration letter provided by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority to the application portal.
Offers will be withdrawn if eligibility requirements for enrolment are not met. An administration fee of $52 will be retained if an application is submitted and the candidate is unable to verify their eligibility.
Offers will be withdrawn if eligibility requirements for enrolment are not met. An administration fee of $52 will be retained if an application is submitted and the candidate is unable to verify their eligibility.
Preferences
As a parent or carer, you must indicate on the application which of the Selective Entry High Schools you would prefer your child to attend. Up to three school preferences can be listed; however, you may choose to only list one or two schools.
The order of preferences is important. Record the most preferred school as number one. If your child qualifies for more than one school, they will only be offered the highest preference for which they qualify.
Only list schools you are prepared to accept and would like your child to attend. Ensure you consider factors such as distance to each school from your home and how your child will travel to school. Do not add a preference for a school that you do not wish to attend (due to distance or other factors) as offers are not transferrable at any time.
Offers for one Selective Entry High School are not transferable to another Selective Entry High School.
Offers for one Selective Entry High School are not transferable to another Selective Entry High School.
Common questions
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Yes, you can amend your preferences up until Wednesday 2 July 2025, when you will no longer be able to edit your application.
To amend your preferences, log in to the application portal and navigate to the preferences page of your application. Change your preferences as required and then save your application.
Preferences entered in the portal at Wednesday 2 July 2025 will be considered final and no further amendments can be made.
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To find out information about about the four Selective Entry High Schools, it is best to visit the websites of each individual school, or reach out to them with any particular questions about their programs.
- The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School
- Melbourne High School
- Nossal High School
- Suzanne Cory High School
Equity and fairness
Your child may be eligible for equity consideration category if:
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as their parent, you have either a Commonwealth Health Care Card or a Pension Card and qualify for income support benefits
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they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Eligibility for the equity consideration category is verified at the application stage.
Payment
An application fee of $175 is payable at the time of application. Payment is made online.
Applications are free for low-income or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. If a candidate’s eligibility to have the fee waived cannot be confirmed, they will be required to pay the application fee.
Apply for Special Arrangements
Accessibility
Accessibility arrangements (e.g. wheelchair access, materials for visually impaired candidates) and alternative exam settings (e.g. student has a medical condition or disability that could affect their safety during the test or cause disruption) will be organised where required.
Once an application for the exam has been submitted, the ‘special arrangements’ submission will be available within the portal. To request special arrangements, complete the form, provide relevant evidence by photographing or scanning documentation and upload to the portal. The ACER support team will be in contact with you within 5 business days to advise of the status of the request or let you know if further information is required.
Requests for special arrangements must be made by Friday 2 May 2025 in the application portal. Requests for special arrangements after this date cannot be accommodated.
Requests to sit the exam interstate, overseas, or on an alternative date
In special circumstances, a candidate may be eligible to sit the exam interstate or overseas or on an alternative date. To see more information on whether your child qualifies for a remote sitting or alternative date, please see the Victorian Department of Education website.
All requests must be made using the special arrangements application form. Requests must be accompanied by suitable evidence uploaded to the secure application portal after application is complete. Use the ‘special arrangements’ tab to access the application form and the document upload function.
ACER may contact your current school principal if clarification is required.
Requests to sit the exam interstate or overseas must be made by the application closing date Friday 2 May 2025 within the application portal and at the time of application. No late applications to sit remotely will be accepted.
Additional charges apply to remote sittings, as follows:
- $215 remote sitting fee (in addition to the application fee)
- any costs by the approved invigilating organisation for their services – paid directly by the parent/carer to invigilating organisation.
Special arrangement deadlines
Applications for special arrangements must be received by Friday 2 May 2025.
Requests for special arrangements following this date cannot be accommodated.
Parents must disclose relevant information about their child's medical condition/s and/or disability that could affect safety or performance during the test, could cause disruption to the test, or may require a life-saving response. This information must be submitted using the ‘Special Arrangements’ tab in the application portal.
Common Questions
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Yes, tracking devices and medication can be brought to the exam venue. To ensure your child is permitted access to these items if required during the exam, please complete a special arrangements application as this will assist in notifying the supervisor of your child’s requirements on the day.
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Yes, medication can be brought to the venue and kept in a clear plastic bag under your child’s seat. If your child needs to use the medication during the exam, they should notify their supervisor.
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No, an alternative sitting date will be set. Other dates will not be offered.
Your SEHS Candidate Number
When you complete an application for the Selective Entry High School exam, you will receive a unique SEHS Candidate Number in your initial confirmation email.
You will use this number to log in to the application portal to make any changes or to access additional information.
The SEHS Candidate Number will also need to be quoted when requesting specific advice for your child from the support team.
Common questions
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You can find your child’s SEHS Candidate Number on your confirmation email from ACER when you create your account in the application portal.
It will also be quoted in the subject line of all subsequent emails regarding your application.
The SEHS Candidate Number contains seven (7) digits.
If you cannot find this number, please contact the ACER support team.
Change an application
Registered parents/carers can change their contact details at any time in the application portal. It is important to ensure both the mobile phone number and email address is up to date. You can also make changes to your child’s current school in the application portal. This must be correct by Wednesday 2 July 2025.
Similarly, any change of school preference must be made in the application portal and will not be accepted in other formats. Changes to preferences must be made by Wednesday 2 July 2025 and cannot be accepted after this date.
If you have any difficulties making changes to your application, please contact the ACER support team.
Parents/carers can withdraw their application at any time. An administration fee of $52 will be retained if an application is withdrawn prior to Friday 2 May 2025. There is no refund if an application is withdrawn after this date.
Common questions
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To amend your preferences, log in to the application portal and navigate to the preferences page of your application. Change your preferences as required and then save your application.
Preferences entered in the portal at Wednesday 2 July 2025 will be considered final and no further amendments can be made.
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Requests for a remote exam sitting can be made during the intitial application process, up until Friday 2 May 2025 in the application portal. Select 'Interstate' or 'Overseas' from the location drop down menu.
