Victorian selective entry dates and how the process runs
The 2026 cycle (for Year 9 entry in 2027) ran from applications in March to Round 1 offers on 3 August, and Principal Discretion results are due on 15 October. Dates for the next cycle (Year 9 entry in 2028) are not published; we show month windows only.
Last checked against the official sources.
The 2026 cycle, for Year 9 entry in 2027, ran from 2 March to 24 April (applications), the exam on Saturday 20 June, and Round 1 offers on Monday 3 August. Principal Discretion interviews are under way (5 to 14 October) and results are due on Thursday 15 October. Nothing is published yet for the next cycle (Year 9 entry in 2028).
Your child applies in Year 8 for entry to Year 9 the following year. The steps below describe how the 2026 cycle ran, as ACER published it. One cycle is not a rule for the next. The table underneath lists each date.
How the 2026 cycle ran
- Applications opened on 2 March and ran for about eight weeks.
- Applications closed on Friday 24 April. ACER says late applications are not accepted, and requests for special arrangements or for a remote sitting had to be made in the application portal by that date.
- Advice on exam arrangements was sent to parents and carers on Wednesday 3 June 2026. ACER does not say what it covers; venues are emailed about two weeks before the exam and admission tickets about a week before.
- The entrance exam was held on Saturday 20 June. Venues are allocated by home address and notified about two weeks before.
- Preferences could be changed until Friday 26 June.
- Exam outcome reports and Round 1 offers were available from 3 August, then further rounds followed.
- Principal Discretion applications (invited families only) closed on 8 September 2026. Interviews are under way from 5 to 14 October, and schools notify successful candidates on 15 October 2026.
The Principal Discretion process
For the 2026 cycle, invitations were published on Thursday 3 September, applications closed on Tuesday 8 September at 4:00 pm, interviews run from 5 to 14 October (they are under way now), and schools notify successful candidates on Thursday 15 October at 10:00 am, which is still ahead. The Department says principals may invite selected students with strong exam results to apply, and an invitation is not an offer of a place. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed. See how selection works. ACER has not published the Principal Discretion dates for the next cycle (Year 9 entry in 2028).
The next cycle
ACER has not published dates for the next cycle (Year 9 entry in 2028). Going by the 2026 cycle, applications may open in March 2027, close in April and the exam may be in June 2027. These are month windows only, and no day is confirmed. Check ACER's selective entry site before you plan.
If your child is unwell or has a misadventure on exam day, there is a process to request a resit. For 2026 requests closed on Tuesday 23 June 2026 and needed supporting evidence.
Key dates
The table below is drawn from our dates register. Confirmed means ACER has published it. Expected means ACER has not published it, so we show a month window based on the 2026 cycle.
Checked against the ACER site on 7 October 2026.
© Copyright State Government of Victoria. Summarised and adapted from vic.gov.au, Selective entry high schools (https://www.vic.gov.au/selective-entry-high-schools), accessed 7 October 2026, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes were made. The Victorian Government does not endorse ExamExplained.