2017 HSC students overview
Learn more about the 2017 HSC students, including numbers, regions and cites, top names, multiple births and languages studied.
How many students are studying for the HSC?
The HSC is the most popular high school credential in Australia with 77,975 students studying one or more HSC courses in 2017. Of these students, 70, 270 are on track to complete their HSC this year.
Total HSC students studying one or more courses
| Male | Female | Total |
| 37842 | 40133 | 77975 |
Where are students studying their courses?
The majority are studying for the HSC at schools in the Sydney metropolitan area. The others are studying in regional areas of NSW, and a small number outside NSW.
Total HSC students by region
| Region* | Total students |
| Sydney | 49549 |
| Regional NSW | 28015 |
| Outside NSW | 411 |
| Total | 77975 |
*ABS Statistical Area 4
View enrolments by region.
What courses are students studying?
Over 140 Board developed HSC courses, covering a broad range of subjects, are available to meet students’ diverse needs.
This includes:
- 104 examinable courses
- 13 Industry Curriculum Frameworks (with examinations)
- 27 Life Skills courses for students with special education needs.
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.
Several languages courses were renamed for the 2017 HSC to better reflect the nature of the subject, rather than the nature of the candidature.
New courses being examined in the HSC for the first time in 2017 include, Chinese and Literature, Chinese in Context, Indonesian and Literature, Indonesian in Context, Japanese and Literature, Japanese in Context, Korean and Literature, Korean in Context, and Korean Beginners.
Courses no longer part of the HSC in 2017 include Dutch, Chinese Background Speakers, Heritage Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian Background Speakers, Heritage Indonesian, Japanese Background Speakers, Heritage Japanese, Korean Background Speakers and Heritage Korean.
English
It is compulsory to study an English course for the HSC. 71,076 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC English courses:
- English Standard
- English Advanced
- English as a Second Language
- English Extension 1
- English Extension 2
- English Studies
- English Life Skills.
Mathematics
58,539 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Maths courses:
- Mathematics
- Mathematics Extension 1
- Mathematics Extension 2
- Mathematics General 2
- Mathematics General 1
- Mathematics Life Skills.
Science
36,745 students are enrolled in at least one of the following HSC Science courses:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Earth and Environmental Science
- Senior Science
- Science Life Skills.
Languages
6146 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Language course.
VET
21,657 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Vocational Educational and Training (VET) course. Of these, 19,658 are enrolled in one or more of the VET Industry curriculum frameworks.
Life Skills
2046 students are enrolled in at least one HSC Life Skills course.
Top 15 subjects
| Subject | Unique enrolments |
| 1: English | 71076 |
| 2: Mathematics | 58539 |
| 3: Biology | 18425 |
| 4: Business Studies | 17929 |
| 5: Personal Development, Health & Physical Education | 16974 |
| 6: Studies of Religion | 15301 |
| 7: Modern History | 11338 |
| 8: Chemistry | 11127 |
| 9: Legal Studies | 11044 |
| 10: Physics | 9692 |
| 11: Visual Arts | 9570 |
| 12: Ancient History | 9036 |
| 13: Community and Family Studies | 8780 |
| 14: Senior Science | 8007 |
| 15: Hospitality | 7943 |
Top 5 languages
| Language | Unique enrolments |
| 1. Japanese | 1446 |
| 2. French | 1249 |
| 3. Chinese | 1026 |
| 4. Italian | 627 |
| 5. Spanish | 427 |
Top 5 VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks
| Framework | Unique enrolments |
| 1. Hospitality | 7943 |
| 2. Construction | 3499 |
| 3. Business Services | 2295 |
| 4. Retail Services | 1941 |
| 5. Entertainment Industry | 1298 |
Fun facts
Top 10 names
| Rank | First name | Total |
| 1 | Joshua | 754 |
| 2 | Emily | 719 |
| 3 | Thomas | 707 |
| 4 | Jessica | 700 |
| 5 | Jack | 699 |
| 6 | Matthew | 681 |
| 7 | James | 671 |
| 8 | Daniel | 661 |
| 9 | Lachlan | 656 |
| 10 | Sarah | 648 |
| Rank | Family name | Total |
| 1 | Smith | 505 |
| 2 | Nguyen | 494 |
| 3 | Lee | 332 |
| 4 | Jones | 276 |
| 5 | Tran | 262 |
| 6 | Chen | 259 |
| 7 | Brown | 249 |
| 7 | Li | 249 |
| 9 | Wang | 233 |
| 10 | Williams | 230 |
Multiple births
| Sets of twins | Sets of triplets | Sets of multiple births |
| 913 | 16 | 929 |
NSW Government