The most in demand VCE subjects revealed

Maths is in but creative subjects are on the nose with Victoria’s students. These are the most in demand VCE subjects over the past five years.

Albert Park Secondary College students Rohan Jain, Isabella Noble, Bonnie Sheppard and Max Crandal. Picture: Sarah Matray

Maths and science based subjects have remained the most popular choices among Victorian VCE students for more than five years in a row.

Data released by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority’s (VCAA) has revealed that behind English, a compulsory component for a student undertaking their VCE, more than 30,000 Year 11 and 12 students have enrolled for further mathematics every year since 2016.

In 2021, the top five most popular subjects were English, further mathematics, psychology, mathematical methods and biology.

Search the list below to see how the subjects stack up.

Figures show enrolments for psychology spiked between 2020 and 2021, with 16,964 enrolments climbing to 18,140 students undertaking the subject last year.

VTAC data shows of the 51,670 students who completed their VCE in 2021, 36,158 students enrolled in English, while 27,732 studied further mathematics.

Some 15,196 students enrolled in mathematical methods and almost 14,000 students also undertook biology as a subject that counted towards their Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking (ATAR) last year.

15,458 students also studied psychology last year.

Enrolments for business management, Victoria’s seventh most popular subject in 2021, have steadily climbed since 2019, rising from 13,856 enrolments to 14,772 enrolments last year.

No creative or arts based subjects have cracked the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority’s (VCAA) list of the ten most popular subjects since 2016.

VTAC acting director Tamara Barth said the same subjects have remained top choice for VCE students for the past decade.

“Students undertake their studies in various combinations. Of the 45,739 ATARs calculated in 2021, the most common combination was these five studies: English, Biology, Psychology, Further mathematics, Health and Human Development,” Ms Barth said.

“The same ten subjects have remained the most popular over the last 10 years, with students, these include; English, maths: Further mathematics Psychology maths: Mathematical Methods Biology Health And Human Development Business Management Chemistry Physical Education Legal Studies,” she said.

“Students that have an idea of what courses they wish to study once they finish secondary school can use the entry requirements published by institutions to ensure they study the prerequisite subjects for the specific course.”