Selective Entry Schools Victoria: The Complete Guide to All 4 Government SEHS

Selective entry schools in Victoria are four government high schools that admit students based on academic merit through a competitive entrance exam. If you are a parent researching these schools for the first time, the amount of information online can be overwhelming. This guide covers every detail you need - what each school offers, where they are, how admission works, and how to decide which schools to preference on your child's application.

Victoria's selective entry high schools - Melbourne High School, The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School - are among the highest-performing government schools in the state. Every year, thousands of Year 8 students sit the ACER-administered entrance exam for approximately 950 places across all four campuses.

What are the selective entry schools in Victoria?

The Victorian Government operates four selective entry high schools (SEHS). Unlike zoned government schools, these schools accept students from anywhere in Victoria based on their performance in a single entrance exam. There is no tuition fee beyond the standard government school charges, making them an attractive pathway for academically gifted students whose families may not be able to afford private school fees.

The four Victorian selective entry high schools are:

• Melbourne High School - boys, South Yarra (est. 1905)
• The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School - girls, Melbourne CBD (est. 1907)
• Nossal High School - co-educational, Berwick (est. 2010)
• Suzanne Cory High School - co-educational, Werribee (est. 2011)

All four schools offer Year 9 to Year 12 programs and consistently rank among the top Victorian schools for VCE results. Entry is at Year 9 level, meaning students apply during Year 8 and sit the exam partway through that year.

Melbourne High School

History and reputation

Melbourne High School is the oldest of the four selective entry schools, established in 1905 in South Yarra. It has operated as a government selective school for over a century and has produced generations of notable alumni across law, medicine, politics, science and the arts. It is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious government boys' schools in Australia.

Key details

• Gender: Boys
• Location: Forrest Hill, South Yarra (inner-city Melbourne)
• Approximate Year 9 intake: 300 students
• Specialisation: Strong across all academic disciplines. Renowned for mathematics, sciences and debating programs
• VCE performance: Consistently in the top 5 government schools for median VCE study score
• Transport: Excellent public transport access via South Yarra station and tram routes

Melbourne High is the most sought-after placement for boys, and competition is intense. The school draws applicants from across greater Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School

History and reputation

The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School - commonly called Mac.Rob - was established in 1907 and is located on Kings Way in the Melbourne CBD. Named after Sir Macpherson Robertson, the school has a long tradition of academic excellence and regularly produces some of the highest VCE scores in the state. It is the girls' equivalent of Melbourne High.

Key details

• Gender: Girls
• Location: Kings Way, Melbourne CBD
• Approximate Year 9 intake: 230 students
• Specialisation: Strong in sciences, humanities and the arts. Well-known music and debating programs
• VCE performance: Regularly ranked among the top 3 government schools in Victoria for VCE results
• Transport: Central location with easy access via Flinders Street station, Southern Cross station and multiple tram lines

Mac.Robertson attracts applications from across Melbourne and is the top preference for most families with daughters sitting the Victorian selective entry exam.

Nossal High School

History and reputation

Nossal High School is a co-educational selective entry school located on the Monash University Berwick campus in Melbourne's south-east. Established in 2010, it is one of the two newer SEHS campuses created by the Victorian Government to expand selective school access beyond inner Melbourne. Despite being the youngest of the four schools, Nossal has rapidly built an outstanding academic reputation.

Key details

• Gender: Co-educational (boys and girls)
• Location: Monash University Berwick campus, Clyde Road, Berwick
• Approximate Year 9 intake: 200 students
• Specialisation: Strong emphasis on science and technology, benefiting from the university campus setting. Active STEM program
• VCE performance: Consistently in the top 10 government schools statewide
• Transport: Accessible via Berwick station (Pakenham/Cranbourne line). School bus services also available from surrounding suburbs

Nossal is the preferred choice for families in the south-eastern suburbs and Gippsland region. The co-educational environment and modern campus make it an appealing option for families who want a selective school experience outside the inner city.

Suzanne Cory High School

History and reputation

Suzanne Cory High School is a co-educational selective entry school in Werribee, in Melbourne's western suburbs. Named after Nobel Prize-winning immunologist Professor Suzanne Cory AC, the school was established in 2011 on the grounds adjacent to the Werribee campus of Victoria University. Like Nossal, it was created to ensure that selective school education was accessible to families outside the inner-city corridor.

Key details

• Gender: Co-educational (boys and girls)
• Location: Hoppers Lane, Werribee
• Approximate Year 9 intake: 225 students
• Specialisation: Science, mathematics and technology. Named after a scientist, the school culture reflects a strong STEM identity
• VCE performance: Rapidly climbing the state rankings, now regularly in the top 10 government schools
• Transport: Accessible via Werribee station (Werribee line). Bus connections available from surrounding growth corridors

Suzanne Cory is the natural preference for families in Melbourne's western and north-western suburbs, Geelong and regional western Victoria. The school is relatively new but has already established itself as a high-performing selective entry institution.

Selective Entry Schools Victoria - Side-by-Side Comparison

VCE results - and what the rankings actually mean

The metric families look up first is the VCE median study score, where the state average sits at roughly 30 out of 50. All four selective schools sit well above that. The typical ranges below are observed across recent years - exact figures shift annually and are published by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), so check current data before relying on a number.

Before reading too much into a ranking, keep three things in mind:

• Rankings reflect the intake, not just the teaching. Selective schools admit the highest-performing students in the state, so strong results are partly a function of who is admitted.
• A one or two point gap is not meaningful. Median scores move year to year; small differences between schools of similar calibre are noise, not signal.
• The median hides the spread. A school with a median of 36 still has students above 45 and below 30. Your child's individual experience depends on far more than an aggregate figure.

Where are the selective entry schools located?

The four Victorian selective entry high schools are spread across greater Melbourne to provide geographic access for families across the state.

• Inner Melbourne: Melbourne High School (South Yarra) and Mac.Robertson (CBD) are both centrally located with excellent public transport links. Most families from the inner, eastern and northern suburbs preference these two schools.
• South-East: Nossal High School sits on the Monash University Berwick campus, serving families in the Casey, Cardinia, Greater Dandenong and Gippsland areas. The Pakenham and Cranbourne train lines provide direct access.
• West: Suzanne Cory High School in Werribee serves families in the rapidly growing western suburbs including Wyndham, Melton, Brimbank and Geelong. The Werribee train line connects directly to the school precinct.

Students from regional Victoria can apply to any of the four schools. There is no residential zone requirement for selective entry admission. Some regional families choose the school closest to a train line that suits their commute, while others arrange boarding or shared accommodation in Melbourne.

The entrance exam - same test, four schools

All four government selective entry schools use a single exam administered by ACER (the Australian Council for Educational Research). Students sit the test once, and their score is used to assess them for every school they have listed on their preference form.

The selective entry exam has three sections:

• Section 1: Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (60 minutes)
• Section 2: Reading Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning (55 minutes)
• Section 3: Writing - two tasks, one persuasive and one narrative (40 minutes total)

The exam tests reasoning ability, not curriculum knowledge. It is designed to identify students who think critically, solve problems under time pressure, and communicate ideas clearly in writing. Preparation that focuses on reasoning strategies - not rote learning - tends to produce the best results.

Want to see how your child handles exam-style questions? SK Mock Tests simulate real exam conditions with section-by-section scoring so you can identify strengths and gaps before exam day.

How to choose the right selective entry school

Choosing which selective entry schools to preference is a practical decision, not an emotional one. Here are the factors that matter most.

Gender eligibility

Melbourne High accepts boys. Mac.Robertson accepts girls. Nossal and Suzanne Cory accept both. This narrows the field immediately for most families. Boys can preference Melbourne High, Nossal and Suzanne Cory. Girls can preference Mac.Robertson, Nossal and Suzanne Cory.

Commute and location

Your child will travel to this school five days a week for four years. A 90-minute each-way commute sounds manageable in theory but wears down energy and study time quickly. Choose the school that gives your child the shortest, most reliable commute. Public transport reliability matters as much as distance.

School culture and fit

Visit open days where possible. Talk to current parents and students. Melbourne High and Mac.Robertson have heritage campuses and long traditions. Nossal and Suzanne Cory are newer, with modern facilities and a slightly different culture. Neither is better - they are different, and different children thrive in different environments.

Preference order strategy

You can preference all eligible schools. The system assesses your child for their first preference school initially. If their score is not high enough for that school, they are considered for the next preference, and so on. There is no penalty for preferencing more schools. Most families preference two or three based on gender and geography.

Starting preparation early

Regardless of which schools your family preferences, the preparation journey is the same - because the exam is the same. Building strong reasoning skills in maths, reading comprehension, verbal reasoning and writing gives your child the best chance across all four Victorian SEHS campuses. The earlier you start building these skills, the more natural they feel on exam day.

If you are unsure where your child currently stands, take the free SK Diagnostic Test to get a section-by-section baseline. It takes about 60 minutes and highlights which areas need the most attention.

Frequently asked questions