Disability provisions data
Disability provisions in the HSC give practical assistance to students who may otherwise be disadvantaged when undertaking their exams. Learn about the number of provisions provided across schools and school sectors in 2025.
About the data
Disability provisions (called ‘HSC exam provisions’ from the 2026 HSC) allow students to participate in the exam process and show markers what they know and can do. Emergency provisions are also approved for late injuries such as a broken arm prior to the exams.
Applicants approved for disability provisions do not receive additional marks. Provisions are not intended to provide any advantage.
You can view all the 2025 disability provision applications data in NSW schools by searching the table below.
Total applications by school sector
In 2025, there was a total of 858 schools with HSC exam students. Of those schools, 783 schools submitted application(s) for disability provisions. This represents 91.3% of all schools with HSC students.
| School sector | Schools with HSC exam students | Schools with applications | % of schools with applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government | 462 | 407 | 88.1% |
| Catholic System | 117 | 116 | 99.1% |
| Independent | 279 | 260 | 93.2% |
| Total | 858 | 783 | 91.3% |
Summary of students by school sector
Click the tabs to view the total number and percentage of students with disability provision applications for each school sector in 2025.
In 2025, there was a total of 78,743 HSC exam students and 12,677 of these students submitted an application for disability provisions. This represents 16.1% of all HSC students across NSW.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 8,934 | 70.5% |
| Partially approved | 3,530 | 27.8% |
| Fully declined | 213 | 1.7% |
In 2025, there was a total of 42,045 HSC exam students in Government schools. Of these, 5,441 submitted a disability provision application. This represents 12.9% of students in Government schools. Government school students represented 42.9% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 3,847 | 70.7% |
| Partially approved | 1,510 | 27.8% |
| Fully declined | 84 | 1.5% |
In 2025, there was a total of 23,004 HSC exam students in Independent schools. Of these, 4,882 submitted a disability provision application. This represents 21.2% of students in Independent schools. Independent school students represented 38.5% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 3,397 | 69.6% |
| Partially approved | 1,400 | 28.7% |
| Fully declined | 85 | 1.7% |
In 2025, there was a total of 13,694 HSC exam students in Catholic schools. Of these, 2,354 submitted a disability provision application. This represents 17.2% of students in Catholic schools. Catholic school students represented 18.6% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 1,690 | 71.8% |
| Partially approved | 620 | 26.3% |
| Fully declined | 44 | 1.9% |
Types of provisions
This table displays most of the disability provisions available to students and the number of students approved for each provision in 2025.
Students may be approved for more than 1 provision (for example, a reader and a writer).
| Provision | Total | Approved for |
|---|---|---|
| Rest breaks | 9,846 | Students with demonstrated pain, anxiety disorder or concentration issues who have difficulty completing the exam without a break. |
| Reader | 2,674 | Students with low reading ability, as demonstrated on an accepted reading test. |
| Extra time | 2,138 | Students with demonstrated vision or cognitive disability or very limited reading ability. Additional 2.5 minutes or 5 minutes per half hour. See also 'reader or extra time'. |
| Various other provisions | 1,439 | A small number of students, for example, brailler, headphones or talking calculator. |
| Writer or Typist | 1,337 | Students unable to write/type (fracture or sprain), persistent pain when writing/typing, illegible writing or poor spelling. Includes additional five minutes per half hour to compensate for dictation. |
| Stand/stretch | 1,282 | Students with chronic pain or concentration disability that prevents sitting for an extended period. |
| Extra time to write | 553 | Students with demonstrated slow writing speed on extended responses. Additional 2.5 minutes per half hour. |
| Special furniture1 | 529 | Students requiring special furniture such as a tilted desk, padded chair or footrest. |
| Varied seating1 | 511 | Students who require particular seating, for example students with a hearing or vision disability which requires sitting at the front, or students needing to sit near a window or exit. |
| Reader OR extra time | 501 | Students with very low reading ability who may elect at each exam to use a reader OR extra time. |
| Medication1 | 496 | Students with a medical need to take prescribed medication at regular intervals. |
| Bite-sized food1 | 473 | Students who have a medical need for regular nutrition. |
| Assistance | 434 | Students who require assistance in negotiating the exam, for example, an aide to turn pages or prompt student with an obsessive condition to move to the next question. |
| Individual supervision | 356 | Students who are unable to sit with other students, generally for reasons such as anxiety or vocal tics. |
| Drink (other than water)1 | 351 | Students who have a medical reason for regular hydration, or who require a drink such as glucose or electrolytes. Note: all students may take water in a clear container into the exams. |
| Modified exam | 291 | Students with a demonstrated need for modified exam papers such as enlarged print, a split paper or inability to use mathematical instruments. |
| Heat or ice pack1 | 248 | Students whose pain is shown to be alleviated by this provision. |
| Toilet breaks | 238 | Students with an infection or chronic condition that requires frequent or extended visits to the toilet. |
| Diabetic provisions | 220 | Students with diabetes who need to check their blood glucose level and possibly take remedial action. |
| Individual instructions1 | 169 | Students with hearing or attention disabilities who may not hear general announcements. |
| Special lighting1 | 134 | Students with vision disability who have problems with fluorescent or artificial lighting. |
| Personal computer | 115 | Students with a demonstrated handwriting disability and for whom no other provision (rest, extra time or writer) is shown to be effective. |
| Coloured lenses/overlay1 | 100 | Students who need coloured filters to address glare or print distortion. |
| Hospital or alternative venue | 85 | Students currently in hospital, or unable to attend a school due to medical or psychological conditions. |
| Examiner aware | 83 | Performance exams where the examiner may mistake a pre-existing condition (such as a stutter) for performance anxiety. |
| Towel1 | 77 | Students with hyperhidrosis who need to dry their hands frequently. |
| Rescheduled exam | 65 | Students with a condition such as cystic fibrosis, chronic fatigue or sleep apnea who are unable to sit an exam at the scheduled time. |
| Ventilation1 | 51 | Students who require a controlled temperature range. |
| Black & white paper | 23 | Students with colour blindness who cannot interpret the colour material in Geography or Visual Arts. |
| Vision aids1 | 18 | Students who require magnification or other vision assistance. |
| Oral and/or Sign interpreter | 17 | Students who communicate by lip reading and/or signing. |
| Thesaurus/dictionary | 12 | Students with a moderate to profound hearing loss. |
| Extra time to type | 9 | Students granted a computer with a very slow demonstrated typing speed; conditions such as cerebral palsy. |
| Feeding breaks2 | - | Recent mothers who need to feed their baby regularly. This is not a disability but uses the provision application process. |
| Extra time – work or rest | 0 | Students who require both extra time and rest breaks, but not cumulatively. Additional 5 minutes per half hour. |
| Individual audio | 0 | Students who have a hearing disability which affects their access to a listening exam in the exam centre. |
1. Refers to a provision approved by the principal under delegation from NESA.
2. Number of students suppressed for privacy reasons.