Melbourne has four selective entry high schools: Melbourne High School, The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School. All four take students from Year 9, through one entrance exam sat in Year 8. Together they offer about 1,000 Year 9 places a year.
That's only part of the picture, though. Melbourne families also have SEAL accelerated programs from Year 7 at around 40 government schools, and John Monash Science School, a specialist science school from Year 10. This guide covers all three and when your child would apply for each.
Your options at a glance
| Option | Entry year | When your child applies | Test | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEAL programs | Year 7 | Year 6 | Usually EduTest; some schools use ACER HAST | About 25 per school |
| Four selective entry high schools | Year 9 | Year 8 | Selective entry exam (ACER) | About 1,000 in total |
| John Monash Science School | Year 10 | Year 9 | EduTest | 200 |
Many high-achieving students take more than one path, for example a SEAL class in Year 7, then the selective entry exam in Year 8.
The four selective entry high schools
| School | Location | Students | 2025 VCE median | 2025 scores 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School | Melbourne CBD | Girls | 37 | 34.7% |
| Nossal High School | Berwick | Co-ed | 37 | 32.4% |
| Melbourne High School | South Yarra | Boys | 36 | 29.9% |
| Suzanne Cory High School | Werribee | Co-ed | 35 | 25.0% |
All four are free government schools and teach Years 9 to 12. They're consistently among the top government schools in Victoria. See our best public high schools in Melbourne ranking for the full table.
How entry works
- Your child sits one selective entry exam in June of Year 8, run by ACER. For 2027 entry it was held on Saturday 20 June 2026.
- The exam covers reading comprehension, mathematics, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and written expression.
- 85% of places are offered on exam rank. The rest go through equity and principal's discretion categories.
- A cap limits how many students can come from any one school.
- Each school also offers a small number of places at Years 10 and 11, managed by the school itself.
Read our Victorian selective entry exam guide, the exam dates for 2028 entry, and our guide to the selective entry writing test.
Choosing between the four
The biggest factors are usually gender and travel. Melbourne High is boys only and Mac.Robertson is girls only, both close to the city. Nossal (south-east) and Suzanne Cory (west) are co-ed. Most students travel 30 to 60 minutes each way. See how the four schools compare and our guides to Melbourne High School, Mac.Robertson and Suzanne Cory and Nossal.
SEAL programs (Year 7)
SEAL stands for Select Entry Accelerated Learning. It's a separate, faster-paced class inside an ordinary government secondary school. Most SEAL students cover Years 7 to 10 in three years, which opens up extra VCE subjects later.
Key points:
- About 40 government schools run SEAL, including Brighton Secondary College, Glen Eira College, Sandringham College, Williamstown High School and Albert Park College.
- Your child usually needs a Year 7 place at that school before they can sit the test.
- Tests are held between late July and mid-August of Year 6, mostly by EduTest.
Read our full SEAL program guide and our SEAL test guide.
John Monash Science School (Year 10)
John Monash Science School (JMSS) in Clayton, beside Monash University, is a specialist government school for students passionate about science, maths and technology. It takes 200 students into Year 10 each year, with limited places in Year 11.
- It's not one of the four selective entry high schools and runs its own process.
- Entry is by an EduTest assessment plus further selection steps. For 2027 entry, Year 10 applications closed on 22 May 2026 and the test was on 13 June 2026.
- Applicants also take part in a group activity or interview as part of selection.
JMSS entry sits right after the selective entry exam, so a student who misses out in Year 8 can apply again in Year 9.
Private school scholarships
Many Melbourne independent schools offer academic scholarships through the ACER Cooperative Scholarship Test or EduTest, usually sat in Year 6 for Year 7 entry. See our ACER scholarship test guide and EduTest vs ACER.
A typical timeline for a high-achieving student
| Year | What happens |
|---|---|
| Year 5 | Start building reading, vocabulary and reasoning skills |
| Year 6 | Sit SEAL tests (July to August) and any scholarship tests |
| Year 7 | Start preparing for the selective entry exam |
| Year 8 | Sit the selective entry exam (June) |
| Year 9 | Sit the John Monash test (June) if applying for Year 10 |
How to prepare
The tests share a lot. They all reward verbal and numerical reasoning, strong reading and timed writing, which aren't taught directly at school.
- EduTest practice tests cover the reasoning, reading, maths and writing sections used for most SEAL tests.
- Our Victorian selective entry practice tests are coming soon. Join the waitlist to hear when they're live.
Frequently asked questions
How many selective schools are there in Melbourne? Four selective entry high schools: Melbourne High, Mac.Robertson Girls', Nossal and Suzanne Cory. John Monash Science School is a separate specialist school, and about 40 schools run SEAL programs.
What year do Melbourne selective schools start? Year 9. Students sit the exam in Year 8.
Are Melbourne selective schools free? Yes. They're government schools.
Is there Year 7 selective entry in Melbourne? Not at the four selective entry high schools. SEAL programs are the main Year 7 option.
Sources: Victorian Government, selective entry high schools; Melbourne High School enrolment page; John Monash Science School admissions and FAQs; VCAA 2025 VCE results as compiled by School Explorer; Better Education, SEAL schools.