Historical top candidature subjects data
This historical data reports on the top HSC general education courses, languages and VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks for the 2021 to 2025 HSC cohorts.
About the data
NESA takes a snapshot of HSC enrolments at 1 September every year. Discover the top courses for each respective year.
Top 15 HSC subjects
| Rank | Subject | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 69,446 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 59,310 |
| 3 | Biology | 19,178 |
| 4 | Business Studies | 18,137 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health & Physical Education | 17,894 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 14,770 |
| 7 | Modern History | 11,284 |
| 8 | Legal Studies | 10,974 |
| 9 | Chemistry | 10,038 |
| 10 | Community and Family Studies | 9,415 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 9,028 |
| 12 | Physics | 8,063 |
| 13 | Hospitality | 7,274 |
| 14 | Ancient History | 6,686 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 5,992 |
| Rank | Subject | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 68,158 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 59,000 |
| 3 | Biology | 19,304 |
| 4 | Business Studies | 18,413 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health & Physical Education | 17,399 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 14,755 |
| 7 | Legal Studies | 10,510 |
| 8 | Modern History | 10,465 |
| 9 | Chemistry | 10,098 |
| 10 | Community and Family Studies | 9,472 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 8,723 |
| 12 | Physics | 7,746 |
| 13 | Hospitality | 6,795 |
| 14 | Ancient History | 6,641 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 5,965 |
| Rank | Subject | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 69,589 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 60,093 |
| 3 | Biology | 19,808 |
| 4 | Business Studies | 19,087 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health & Physical Education | 18,238 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 14,117 |
| 7 | Modern History | 10,742 |
| 8 | Legal Studies | 10,461 |
| 9 | Chemistry | 9,995 |
| 10 | Community and Family Studies | 9,535 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 9,206 |
| 12 | Physics | 8,027 |
| 13 | Hospitality | 7,040 |
| 14 | Ancient History | 6,907 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 6,020 |
| Rank | Subject | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 72,297 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 61,963 |
| 3 | Business Studies | 20,008 |
| 4 | Biology | 19,444 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health and Physical Education | 18,776 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 14,839 |
| 7 | Modern History | 10,873 |
| 8 | Legal Studies | 10,425 |
| 9 | Community and Family Studies | 10,293 |
| 10 | Chemistry | 9,851 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 9,424 |
| 12 | Physics | 8,315 |
| 13 | Ancient History | 8,072 |
| 14 | Hospitality | 7,587 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 6,220 |
| Rank | Subject | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 75,646 |
| 2 | Mathematics | 64,990 |
| 3 | Biology | 21,062 |
| 4 | Business Studies | 20,872 |
| 5 | Personal Development, Health and Physical Education | 19,352 |
| 6 | Studies of Religion | 15,121 |
| 7 | Modern History | 11,310 |
| 8 | Chemistry | 10,508 |
| 9 | Community and Family Studies | 10,338 |
| 10 | Legal Studies | 10,305 |
| 11 | Visual Arts | 9,694 |
| 12 | Physics | 8,953 |
| 13 | Hospitality | 8,622 |
| 14 | Ancient History | 7,753 |
| 15 | Industrial Technology | 6,233 |
Top 5 languages
| Rank | Language | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,246 |
| 2 | French | 987 |
| 3 | Chinese | 786 |
| 4 | Italian | 526 |
| 5 | Spanish | 430 |
| Rank | Language | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,448 |
| 2 | French | 847 |
| 3 | Chinese | 760 |
| 4 | Italian | 472 |
| 5 | Spanish | 385 |
| Rank | Language | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,250 |
| 2 | French | 817 |
| 3 | Chinese | 625 |
| 4 | Italian | 405 |
| 5 | Spanish | 321 |
| Rank | Language | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,202 |
| 2 | French | 908 |
| 3 | Chinese | 708 |
| 4 | Italian | 469 |
| 5 | Spanish | 415 |
| Rank | Language | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 1,199 |
| 2 | French | 866 |
| 3 | Chinese | 812 |
| 4 | Italian | 494 |
| 5 | Spanish | 470 |
Top 5 VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks
| Rank | Industry Curriculum Framework | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 7,274 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,663 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,564 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,600 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 1,206 |
| Rank | Industry Curriculum Framework | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 6,795 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,800 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,446 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,503 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 1,003 |
| Rank | Industry Curriculum Framework | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 7,040 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,521 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,198 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,555 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 975 |
| Rank | Industry Curriculum Framework | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 7,587 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,529 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,401 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,615 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 1,243 |
| Rank | Industry Curriculum Framework | Students |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | 8,622 |
| 2 | Construction | 3,958 |
| 3 | Business Services | 2,857 |
| 4 | Retail Services | 1,763 |
| 5 | Entertainment Industry | 1,357 |