NSW Selective and OC Entry for 2028: Dates, Places and the New Equal-Places Rule

NSW has not yet published 2028 dates for selective high school and opportunity class (OC) entry, but last cycle's applications ran from 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026. If NSW repeats that rhythm, families of children now in Year 5 (Year 7 selective entry) and Year 3 (OC entry) will be applying within weeks. Last year the dates were announced on 17 October.

This guide puts the official facts in one place. It then adds what only our school data shows: where the places sit, how single-sex schools fit the new rule, and how far a selective school is from home. Every official fact below was read on government pages on 7 October 2026.

Key takeaways

• Who needs to act: families of NSW children now in Year 5 (Year 7 selective entry in 2028) and Year 3 (OC entry in 2028). Dates for 2028 are not published yet, so check the department's key dates page.
• Last cycle (2027 entry): applications ran 6 November 2025 to 20 February 2026. Tests were 1 to 2 May (selective) and 8 to 9 May (OC). Outcomes came on 19 August (selective) and 9 September (OC).
• The size of it: the department's 2027 table lists 4,338 Year 7 selective places, including 90 Aurora College online places. There are 89 opportunity classes with 1,840 Year 5 places.
• The equal-places rule covers co-ed schools, which hold two-thirds of places. Boys-only schools still offer 110 more places than girls-only schools, so boys hold 2,179 places statewide and girls 2,069.
• Up to 20% of places at each school are held for four equity groups, offered on test performance.
• No cut-off marks are published, so nobody outside the department can tell you how the rule changes your child's odds.

What is the difference between an opportunity class and a selective high school?

An opportunity class (OC) is a Year 5 and 6 class for high-potential and gifted students inside a public primary school. A selective high school is a public high school that admits Year 7 students by test. They are two separate applications at different ages, each with its own test.

Both tests are computer-based and mostly held at local NSW public high schools. Your child sits on one of the two days. The department's practice tests are on its opportunity class practice tests page.

NSW public primary schools with opportunity classes do not charge attendance fees, though schools may ask for payments for curriculum resources and excursions.

When do 2028 applications open, and what did NSW do last time?

Nobody outside the department knows the 2028 dates yet, so plan around last cycle's rhythm and check the official key dates page weekly. The 2027-entry dates were announced on 17 October 2025 and applications opened about three weeks later.

For 2028 entry, the same pattern one year on points to a window from early November 2026 to February 2027, with tests in May 2027. That is a planning assumption from one cycle, not an announcement. Applications are made online through the department's selective high school and OC applicant site.

Two details from the department's own pages are worth noting now:

• Residency and test location. For Year 7 selective entry, your family must be living in NSW by the start of the entry year. Both placement tests are held only in NSW, so interstate or overseas applicants must return to NSW to sit one.
• You receive one offer. If your child's results would earn offers from several schools, the offer comes from your highest-ranked school only, and you lose it if you don't accept by the due date.

What does the equal-places rule actually change?

From the 2027 intake, every co-ed selective and partially selective high school, and every OC, must offer equal numbers of places to girls and boys. The department's wording is "an equal number of selective places made available for girls and boys". It applies at every co-ed selective and partially selective high school and in public primary school opportunity classes.

The reason is in the department's numbers. Boys made up 58% of selective high school students and 60% of OC students. The share of Year 7 places taken up by girls slid from 45% in 2019 to 41% in 2025.

The department says entry "will continue to be based on performance in the placement test." In effect, what changes is who your child is ranked against: boys for the boys' places in a co-ed school, girls for the girls' places.

• OC example: in a 15-place intake, 7 places go to boys, 7 to girls, and the last place goes on merit regardless of gender.
• Unfilled places: if places for one gender are not filled, they are offered to qualifying students of the other gender, ranked on the test.
• Gender diverse students: a student who scores above the lowest eligible student of either gender is offered a place, even if it slightly changes the balance.

What our count of the department's table adds

The rule only reaches co-ed schools. Adding up the department's 2027 table, 34 co-ed schools hold 2,818 of the 4,248 school-based places (66%). Seven boys-only schools hold 770 and six girls-only schools hold 660.

That means boys still hold 110 more selective Year 7 places than girls statewide (2,179 against 2,069, before Aurora College's 45 and 45). The gap comes from the set of schools, not from the rule. Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School alone has 110 boys-only places, including 60 boarding.

Nobody outside the department can tell you the effect on odds. It does not publish cut-off marks or minimum scores, and none of the official pages we read states how many children apply. Treat any "one in N" figure you see online with caution.

Which schools are selective, and how many places does each offer?

The department lists 47 selective and partially selective high schools for 2027 entry, plus Aurora College's online classes. Six in ten places are at 17 fully selective schools (2,550 places), 29% are at 26 partially selective schools (1,228 places) and 11% are at four agricultural schools (470 places).

Partially selective schools admit a smaller selected group alongside local-area students. Co-ed partially selective schools offer 15 to 45 places per gender. The 21 fully selective and agricultural schools are below, with a link to each school's profile on AroundSchools.

The department's Year 7 table also lists 26 partially selective schools, from Alexandria Park Community School to Tempe High School. You can find them on the department's list of selective high schools. Agricultural schools with boarding places are an option for families outside Sydney.

How far is a selective high school from where you live?

For a typical Sydney-area public primary school, a selective high school is about 4 km away. Elsewhere in NSW the median is 78 km. We matched all 47 schools on the department's list to our school directory and measured the straight-line distance from 1,673 NSW government primary schools to the nearest one.

The Sydney figures reflect where the places are: 37 of the 47 schools, with 3,598 of the 4,248 places (85%), sit within 60 km of the Sydney CBD. Ten schools with 650 places sit beyond it: Gorokan, Smiths Hill (Wollongong), Merewether (Newcastle), Peel and Farrer (Tamworth), Armidale, Karabar (Queanbeyan), Kooringal (Wagga Wagga), Yanco and Grafton.

Three caveats. Distances are straight-line, not driving time. Placement rests on test performance and your school choices, so living near a school does not earn the place. And Aurora College's online classes and the agricultural schools' boarding places reach families this map does not.

To see what is near you, browse our NSW government secondary schools, including the boys and girls lists. Then use the school catchment checker to find your local high school, which is your fallback either way. Long commutes also shape the after-school week, so check what is on near a school in our kids' activities directory and the Activity Index.

What is the Equity Placement Model?

Up to 20% of places at each selective high school and opportunity class are held for high-potential and gifted students from four groups, and offered on test performance. The department publishes the split:

• 10% for students from communities of low socio-educational advantage
• 5% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• 2.5% for students from rural or remote NSW
• 2.5% for students with disability

Check the department's fair access page for how to apply under these groups and what evidence is needed.

How does selective entry work outside NSW?

Compared with NSW's 4,338 Year 7 places, the other states run smaller programs, and the entry year is often different. Victoria offers about 1,000 Year 9 places across four schools, and Perth Modern School in Western Australia has up to 225 Year 7 places. The table below is from each state's official pages, read on 7 October 2026.

Families in Tasmania and the Northern Territory should ask their education department or local high school what is available for high-ability students.

The official pages:

• Victoria: selective entry high schools
• Western Australia: gifted and talented key dates
• Queensland: gifted and talented education and Queensland Academies Year 10 entry
• South Australia: special interest programs list
• ACT: gifted and talented students

What if my child does not get a place?

Selective entry is one pathway, not the only one. Here are the real alternatives:

• Years 8 to 11 entry. Selective high schools run a separate application for Years 8 to 11, and each school manages its own vacancies and assessments. For 2027 entry it ran from 17 June to 24 July 2026.
• The local public high school. Use the catchment checker to confirm yours, and read our guide to choosing a high school.
• A private school scholarship. Registrations run on their own calendar. See our complete guide to private school scholarships, the Sydney region-by-region guide and ACER vs EduTest vs AAS compared.

If you are weighing public against private, our public vs Catholic vs independent guide sets out the trade-offs.

Frequently asked questions

When do NSW selective and OC applications open for 2028?

The department has not published 2028 dates as of 7 October 2026. For 2027 entry it announced dates on 17 October 2025, opened applications on 6 November 2025 and closed them on 20 February 2026.

Which year is my child in when I apply?

For OC, apply near the end of Year 3 or the start of Year 4. For Year 7 selective entry, apply near the end of Year 5 or the start of Year 6.

Do public schools give scholarships?

Not in the private-school sense. The NSW Government says public education is free. Voluntary contributions are optional and capped at $51 for primary and $110 for secondary students in 2026, so there is no tuition to reduce. The public-school route for high-potential students is selective and OC entry. For private-school scholarships, see our scholarships guide.

Does the department publish cut-off marks?

No. It says there are no set minimum entry scores, because results depend on how many apply, how they perform and how many places are available.

How many offers will we receive?

One. If your child qualifies for several schools, the offer comes from your highest-ranked choice. Students may also be placed on reserve lists for higher-ranked schools.

Can we appeal an outcome?

Yes. Appeals are due by the date listed in the key dates, typically five business days after outcomes are released.

Can my child sit the test if we live interstate or overseas?

Not from outside NSW. Both placement tests are held only in NSW, so applicants must return to sit one. For Year 7 selective entry, the family must also be living in NSW by the start of the entry year. Applicants who cannot attend are not considered.

How we checked

Dates, places, test details and the equal-places and equity rules were read on 7 October 2026 from NSW Department of Education pages, its 17 October 2025 announcement and its parents' guide. Place counts are the department's 2027-entry table, and our transcription of its 47 rows adds to its total of 4,338. Distances and the Sydney-area split are our own calculation from our school directory. Details for other states are from their education department pages.

Related reading

• The complete guide to private school scholarships in Australia
• Private school scholarships in Sydney: a region-by-region guide
• How to find your school catchment area: a state-by-state guide
• Our master timeline for private school entry in Australia

Sources and further reading

• NSW Department of Education: applications to open for 2027 selective school entry (17 October 2025)
• NSW Department of Education: selective high schools list and Year 7 places
• NSW Department of Education: opportunity classes
• NSW Department of Education: placement test
• NSW Department of Education: outcomes
• NSW Department of Education: fair access
• NSW Department of Education: Years 8 to 11 applications
• NSW Department of Education: voluntary school contributions
• NSW Government: help with school costs