The Most Popular VCE Subjects (by Enrolment)
English is the most-taken VCE subject by a mile – 45,539 students in 2024 – followed by General Mathematics. That is no surprise, since almost every student does an English and most do a maths. But here is the thing worth saying up front: a subject being popular tells you about the crowd, not about whether it is right for you. This page has the real VCAA enrolment numbers, why these subjects top the list, and what popularity does – and does not – mean for your own choices. (Written by Haobo Zhang – 98 ATAR, University of Melbourne Biomedicine; founder of HZ Tutoring.)
Key takeaways
- English (45,539) and General Maths (33,554) are the two most-enrolled subjects – both near-universal.
- After them come Psychology, Business Management, Health & Human Development, Maths Methods, Biology and Chemistry.
- These are 2024 Unit 3 enrolment counts from VCAA – a measure of how many take a subject, not how “good” it is.
- Popularity often means a broad, mixed cohort – which is part of why big subjects tend to scale around the middle.
- Choose for your strengths and your course, not the crowd.
The most popular VCE subjects in 2024
By Unit 3 enrolments, the biggest VCE studies in 2024 were:
| Rank | Subject | Unit 3 enrolments (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 45,539 |
| 2 | General Mathematics | 33,554 |
| 3 | Psychology | 18,001 |
| 4 | Business Management | 16,544 |
| 5 | Health and Human Development | 16,035 |
| 6 | Mathematical Methods | 15,780 |
| 7 | Biology | 15,103 |
| 8 | Chemistry | 10,606 |
These are enrolment counts, so English and General Maths sit far ahead mostly because they are close to compulsory. VCAA publishes the full figures for every study in its senior secondary completion statistics. (Source: VCAA – 2024 satisfactory completion of VCE units.)
Why these subjects top the list
The pattern makes sense. English is effectively compulsory, and General Mathematics is the most accessible of the maths options, so nearly everyone doing a maths who is not heading into heavy STEM lands here. Psychology, Business Management and Health & Human Development are broad, high-interest subjects with no hard prerequisites, which makes them easy to choose. And Maths Methods, Biology and Chemistry stay large because they are the gateway subjects for science, health and commerce degrees – students take them to keep those courses open (see prerequisites).
Popular doesn’t mean best for you
So use this list for context, not as a shopping list. The right way to choose is covered in our guides to choosing your VCE subjects, how scaling works, and the hardest VCE subjects.
98 ATAR · University of Melbourne Biomedicine · founder of HZ Tutoring
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular VCE subject?
English, by a wide margin – 45,539 Unit 3 enrolments in 2024 – because almost every VCE student must complete an English subject. General Mathematics is second with 33,554.
What are the most popular VCE science subjects?
Biology is the largest science (15,103 in 2024), followed by Chemistry (10,606). They stay popular because they are prerequisites or assumed knowledge for many health, science and medical pathways.
Does choosing a popular subject help my ATAR?
Not in itself. Popularity reflects a broad cohort, and big subjects tend to scale around the middle. What lifts your ATAR is scoring well in subjects you are genuinely strong in – regardless of how many others take them.
Are these the same as the highest-scaling subjects?
No – often the opposite. The highest-scaling subjects tend to be smaller, more competitive ones like Specialist Maths, while the most popular subjects are broad and scale nearer the average. See our scaling guide for the full picture.
Choosing your subjects?
A free trial with a tutor who has done VCE helps you pick for your strengths and your course – not the crowd. $94/hour, all HZ resources included.