Victorian Certificate of Education

Victorian Certificate of Education examination
A mock-up of an exam paper's front page
AcronymVCE
TypePaper-based Standardised Exam
AdministratorVictorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Skills testedVaries depending on the subject, but in almost all VCE subjects general knowledge, fundamental writing, and numerical skills are tested.
PurposeAdmission to undergraduate programs of universities and colleges
Year started1987 (1987)
DurationVarious
Score range0–50 study scores
OfferedBiannually
Restrictions on attemptsSame unit cannot count twice towards unit requirements
RegionsVictoria, Australia
LanguagesEnglish
Annual number of test takers90,780 (2022)
FeeFree for local students
AU$75.2–465.0 for international students depending on units taken
Used byUniversities, mainly through Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
Websitewww.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/Pages/Index.aspx

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria as well as in some international schools in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Study for the VCE is usually completed over three years, but can be spread over a longer period in some cases.

The VCE was established as a pilot project in 1987. The earlier Higher School Certificate (HSC) was abolished in Victoria, Australia in 1992.

Delivery of the VCE Vocational Major, an "applied learning" program within the VCE, began in 2023.