Caps on the selective school selection process

Your guide to the admission caps for selective school prospective students

We don’t need to tell you how competitive and challenging selective school exams are. You are, after all, competing against the most academically talented students in Victoria (and, in fact, students beyond our state and national borders) for a limited number of seats at one of Melbourne’s most prestigious schools.

Your challenge is about to get a little harder: not only does each selective entry high school have limited seats, but they also have additional admission caps that apply to each feeder school. In this guide, we’re going to explain what the 4% and 10% caps are.

Before we get into the details, let’s bring your blood pressure down a little. As exigent as the selective school process is, you’re in the best possible hands to meet and exceed its demands. Integral’s students have the highest offer rate of any cohort in Melbourne, with one-third of our students earning enrolment in their first-preference school (as opposed to the one-fifth average of all applicants). Explore our full range of preparation services.

The 4% and 10% rule for selective entry high schools

Each selective entry high school has a cap on how many students it can accept from other schools. These caps exist to ensure that more than one school can have its students represented, preventing any single school from dominating the enrolments in a given year. These caps apply to all selective schools, including:

• Suzanne Cory High School
• Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School
• Melbourne High School
• Nossal High School

What is the 4% cap?

A maximum* of 4% of students from any one secondary or senior secondary school may be accepted into a selective entry school. This cap applies to standard offers and principal’s discretion seats. 

*Fortunately, adjudicators tend to be generous with their rounding to ensure as many students are rewarded with offers as possible, so the 4% cap may flex.

What is the 10% cap?

No more than 10% of prospective students from schools offering Prep to Year 9 may be accepted into selective schools. This allows students attending government or non-government schools with broader year groups to have a fair shot at entry.

Do these caps apply to equity and consideration applicants?

No, the 4% and 10% caps do not apply to equity and consideration students.

Equity offers are reserved to ensure students from all backgrounds can earn enrolment. These offers are reserved for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students or those whose parents have a pensioner or healthcare card.

Fee-paying international students are subjected to a different cap than domestic students. However, these students are typically inhibited by the fact that they’ll be paying international student fees on top of managing the rigours of the selection process.

Example scenario: comparing two schools

These caps can be frustrating and confusing. We hope this example scenario clears things up. In it, we’ll compare students from two fictional schools.

School A: Greenfield High

• Total Year 8 Students: 200
• Exam Participants: 100
• Top Performers: 12 students score exceptionally well

With the 4% rule, only 8 students from Greenfield High can receive standard or principal discretion offers. This means that even though 12 students achieved high scores, only the top 8 will receive offers based on performance. The remaining 4, despite their high scores, will not receive an offer from the selective entry schools due to the cap.

School B: Oakwood College (Prep to Year 9)

• Total Year 8 Students: 150
• Exam Participants: 80
• Top Performers: 15 students score exceptionally well

Oakwood College benefits from the 10% cap due to its structure from Prep to Year 9. This allows up to 15 students to receive offers, aligning perfectly with the number of top performers. As a result, all students who scored exceptionally well can receive offers, showcasing the advantage of the 10% cap for certain schools.

Equity consideration:

Both schools have students who qualify for equity consideration, which is not limited by the 4% or 10% cap. This category provides additional opportunities for students from low-income families or those identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, allowing more students to gain entry based on broader criteria.

In summary: success is relative

Your success in the entrance exam is not just measured against an objective standard; you’ll be graded on a curve against the other applicants from your school specifically. That’s what makes enrolment so challenging: you must literally be the best of the best to receive an offer. We can make sure you are.

Whatever your school preferences, Integral offers the most successful selective school exam preparation course in Victoria. We also offer an exceptional principal’s discretion interview preparation masterclass. Enrol today, and you’ll graduate as a confident, motivated, intelligent and principled student who will thrive in a selective school setting — exactly what your dream school is looking for.