Highest scaling HSC subjects for 2026 (UAC's 2025 scaling data)
In UAC's scaling report on the 2025 HSC, the highest scaled means per unit (courses with 500+ students) were Mathematics Extension 2 (43.4), Mathematics Extension 1 (39.7), English Extension 1 (36.1), English Extension 2 (35.8), French Continuers (34.4), Music 2 (34.1), English Advanced (32.8), History Extension (32.7), Chemistry and Science Extension (32.0), Mathematics Advanced (31.9) and Economics (31.4). A high scaled mean describes the students who take a course, not a bonus you get for enrolling.
Jump to a section
Every ranking on this page comes from Table A3 of UAC's Report on the Scaling of the 2025 NSW Higher School Certificate, the latest report available for 2026 subject choices. Marks are on a 1-unit basis (0 to 50). The average scaled mark across the whole HSC candidature is about 25.
How to read a scaled mean
UAC's model sets each course's scaled mean equal to the average overall academic achievement of the students in that course, measured by their average scaled mark across all their courses. So a high scaled mean means "strong students take this", not "this course adds marks".
UAC warns that Table A3 is not an HSC-mark-to-scaled-mark conversion table. It exists to show the relativities between courses.
The highest-scaling courses in 2025 (500+ students)
| Rank | Course | Students | Scaled mean | Scaled mark at median (P50) | Scaled mark at 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathematics Extension 2 | 3,844 | 43.4 | 44.7 | 48.3 |
| 2 | Mathematics Extension 1 | 9,279 | 39.7 | 41.5 | 47.2 |
| 3 | English Extension 1 | 3,691 | 36.1 | 36.9 | 43.9 |
| 4 | English Extension 2 | 1,423 | 35.8 | 36.5 | 44.0 |
| 5 | French Continuers | 520 | 34.4 | 35.4 | 44.2 |
| 6 | Music 2 | 762 | 34.1 | 35.1 | 44.9 |
| 7 | English Advanced | 26,292 | 32.8 | 33.7 | 42.6 |
| 8 | History Extension | 1,777 | 32.7 | 32.9 | 42.7 |
| 9 | Chemistry | 10,369 | 32.0 | 33.9 | 43.6 |
| 9 | Science Extension | 855 | 32.0 | 32.5 | 41.0 |
| 11 | Mathematics Advanced | 16,809 | 31.9 | 33.2 | 42.9 |
| 12 | Economics | 5,741 | 31.4 | 33.0 | 43.0 |
| 13 | Physics | 8,817 | 31.0 | 32.2 | 43.0 |
| 14 | Japanese Continuers | 794 | 30.8 | 32.1 | 42.4 |
Two things stand out:
- English Advanced (32.8) and Economics (31.4) scale at least as well as Mathematics Advanced (31.9). Mathematics Advanced taken without Extension 1 (the "2-unit-only" group, 11,521 students) had a scaled mean of 29.4.
- The extension courses dominate the top. Extension students are, by definition, the strongest students in the parent course.
Small courses
Several small courses had high scaled means but very few students, so a single year says less about them: Latin Extension (80 students, 42.3), Latin Continuers (140, 40.5), Italian Extension (48, 39.5), French Extension (104, 38.9), German Extension (55, 38.4), Japanese Extension (134, 38.0), Chinese Extension (106, 37.3) and Music Extension (447, 35.9).
The lowest-scaling courses in 2025 (500+ students)
| Course | Students | Scaled mean |
|---|---|---|
| English Studies (with exam) | 2,717 | 9.0 |
| Mathematics Standard 1 (with exam) | 3,737 | 13.9 |
| Aboriginal Studies | 827 | 14.8 |
| Retail Services (exam) | 909 | 16.1 |
| Primary Industries (exam) | 663 | 16.2 |
| Construction (exam) | 1,951 | 16.5 |
| Industrial Technology | 5,999 | 17.7 |
| Community & Family Studies | 9,838 | 18.5 |
| Hospitality (exam) | 5,642 | 18.7 |
| Food Technology | 4,187 | 18.9 |
| English Standard | 33,651 | 20.4 |
| Mathematics Standard 2 | 31,762 | 23.3 |
For context, Biology (26.2), Legal Studies (25.3), Modern History (25.0), Business Studies (23.9) and PDHPE (22.8) all sat near the overall average of about 25.
What this means for your ATAR
Your aggregate is your best 2 units of English plus your best 8 other units, out of 500. UAC's 2025 table gives a sense of scale: an aggregate of 450 corresponded to an ATAR of 99.10, 400 to 94.40, 350 to 86.45 and 300 to 77.40.
Scaling only helps if you finish well within a course. Compare the percentile columns:
- A median Mathematics Advanced student scaled to 33.2; a 90th-percentile Mathematics Standard 2 student scaled to 37.3.
- A median Chemistry student scaled to 33.9; a 90th-percentile Biology student scaled to 39.9.
A strong result in a course that suits you can beat a middling result in a course that scales well.
Choosing a course only because it "scales well". If you finish in the bottom quarter of Mathematics Extension 1 or Chemistry, your scaled mark reflects that position. Choose courses you can do well in that also meet your university prerequisites or assumed knowledge.
Using this list
- Start with prerequisites and assumed knowledge for the courses you are considering at university.
- Be honest about where you would finish in each course's cohort. Your Year 11 results and teacher advice are the best guide.
- Use scaling as a tie-breaker, not the main reason, when two courses suit you equally.
- Recheck after results. UAC publishes a new report each year; the 2026 figures will replace these once they are released.
For the method behind these numbers, see how HSC subjects are scaled. For the full ATAR calculation, see how the HSC ATAR is calculated. You can model different subject mixes with the HSC ATAR calculator.
Sources & how we know this
- Report on the Scaling of the 2025 NSW Higher School Certificate — Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) (2026)
- HSC scaling and the ATAR — Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) (2026)
Last updated: 2026-09-23. Rules change. For the official source see NESA.