Find out about student numbers

If you are a Victorian student, you will have one or more of the student numbers listed below. These student numbers are used to maintain accurate records of your journey through the Victorian and broader Australian education systems. To help you find out about these student numbers, the following information is included for each:

a description of the student number
the purpose of the student number
examples of when the student number is used; and
how you can request your student number.

The VSN

If you are a Victorian student under 25 years of age, you will be given a Victorian Student Number (VSN) when you first enrol at a Victorian education or training provider, or are registered by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) for home schooling. The VSN is a randomly generated nine digit number assigned to all Victorian students as a unique identifier.

Most students receive their VSN at Foundation level. However, you can be allocated a VSN at any time up until you reach 25 years of age, for example if you have moved to Victoria from interstate or overseas.

You will receive a VSN if you are enrolled at a:

Government school
Catholic school; or
Independent school.

Or, if you are under 25 years of age and undertaking vocational education and training (VET) with a:

TAFE institute
registered training organisation (RTO); or
adult, community and further education (ACFE) provider that is funded by the ACFE Board.

Your VSN always remains the same and connected to your personal information, even if you change education or training providers in Victoria.

Purpose of the VSN

The VSN allows education and training providers to record and monitor the enrolment of students in Victoria, and to track their progress through their school age years and beyond, should they continue into VET. This enables all student records to be accurately maintained, ensures education and training providers have appropriate levels of resourcing, and enables schools and support services to identify instances of student disengagement from the school system while they remain of compulsory school age.

The VSN also provides the Department of Education, the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, education and training providers, and other relevant parties with a data set to conduct analysis and research, including monitoring statistical trends that can inform operational and policy decisions to improve education and training at an individual provider level and for the wider Victorian education system.

When your VSN is used

You will see your VSN in everyday communications from your education and training provider. These communications may include, for example:

enrolment confirmations
academic reports and student identification cards: or
student profile sections of school management platforms e.g., Compass.

Your VSN is required to:

enrol at a Victorian school,
enrol in a government-funded or fee-for-service accredited course at a VET provider,
register with the VRQA for home schooling; or
apply for Selective Entry High School Examinations.

Education and training providers (schools) will normally source your VSN on your behalf during the above administrative processes.

Note: You do not need your VSN to register to access your VCE results and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) service. To register you will require your VCAA Student Number instead, see under Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) Student Number.

Requesting your VSN

Students

If you wish to obtain your VSN you can:

check everyday communications from your education and training provider (school); common examples are listed in the section above, ‘When your VSN is used’

ask your education or training provider (school) which will have your VSN recorded along with your other personal information.

If you are unable to obtain your VSN using the above sources, then you may apply directly to the VCAA by emailing vsr@education.vic.gov.au and include the following:

completed Student Data Request form; and
evidence of your identity in the form of a primary identity document such as your birth certificate or passport (attaching a scanned copy or screenshot of this document is acceptable)

The VCAA will assess and process your request with reference to Part 5.3A11,12 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (the Act) and the Secretary’s Guidelines on the Victorian Student Number.

Parents and Guardians

If you are a parent or guardian and you wish to obtain a VSN for a student, you can:

check everyday communications from the student’s education and training provider (school); common examples are listed in the section above, ‘When your VSN is used’
ask the student’s education or training provider (school) which will have their VSN recorded along with other personal information.

If you are unable to obtain their VSN using the above sources, and the student is under 18 years of age, then you may apply directly to the VCAA by emailing vsr@education.vic.gov.au and include the following:

completed Parent and Guardian Data Request form,
evidence of your identity in the form of a primary identity document such as your birth certificate or passport (attaching a scanned copy or screenshot of this document is acceptable); and
evidence showing your relationship to the student in the form of a primary identity document such as a birth certificate or Medicare card (attaching a scanned copy or screenshot of this document is acceptable)

Note: Please be aware that the Act restricts the VCAA from providing VSN and related information to a parent or guardian if an order of a court or tribunal prevents or restricts access by the parent or guardian to that student, Part 5.3A12(2) the Act.

For more information on the VSN see: The Victorian Student Number.

The VCAA Student Number

If you are a Victorian student, you will be given a VCAA Student Number when you first enrol in senior secondary schooling in the VCE or VET. The VCAA Student Number is a randomly generated 8 digit number ending with a letter character i.e. XXXXXXXXA. The first 2 digits represent your first enrolment year.

Your VCAA Student Number is generated when your personal information is collected by your home school and recorded on the Victorian Assessment Software System (VASS), which is managed by the VCAA.

Purpose of the VCAA Student Number

The VCAA Student Number allows the VCAA to securely maintain student personal details, enrolment and assessment information associated with the VCE, VCE(VM), VPC and VET qualifications and to identify students for their VCE examinations.

If you have at least one VCE Unit 3 and 4 enrolment, your VCAA Student Number is also used by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) to verify your identity when calculating your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

When your VCAA Student Number is used

You will see your VCAA Student Number on senior secondary documents including:

Student Full Details Reports – these reports are printed and given to each senior secondary student at the beginning of the academic year to check that their personal details and enrolment information are correct
Assessment documents for School-assessed Coursework (SACs) and School-assessed Tasks (SATs)
Examination papers; and
Final results documents including VCAA Statement of Results, Certificates, Statement of Marks and Statement of Study Score and VTAC ATAR Certificates.

You will need your VCAA Student Number to:

apply for a VCE study with an enrolment restriction (EAL, VCE Second Languages and VCE Chinese Language, Culture and Society)
Register for or access the VCE results and the Australian Tertiary Rank (ATAR) service
order VCAA replacement results and certificates. Although the VCAA Student Number is not mandatory for the application process, confirming your VCAA student number will enable your application to be processed quicker.

Requesting your VCAA Student Number

If you wish to request your VCAA Student Number you must either:

ask your home school or assessing school which will have your VCAA Student Number recorded along with your other personal information; or
if you have difficulty contacting your home school or assessing school, you may apply directly to the VCAA at student.records@education.vic.gov.au. Your email to the VCAA must include:

your full name (as it appears on official identification documents)
your date of birth
a copy of one of your primary identification documents such as your birth certificate, passport, learner’s permit, driver’s licence or proof of age card.

The USI

The Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a unique identifier issued and managed by the Australian Government. The USI is comprised of a combination of 10 letters and numbers which is attached to an online record of any nationally recognised training and higher education qualifications (including VET qualifications) you may complete.

Purpose of the USI

The USI enables the collection and central recording of information about students’ training and study activity, as well as their movements within the VET and Higher Education systems.

When your USI is used

You need a USI to access your nationally recognised qualification certificates and statements of attainment for VET and Higher Education courses.

Requesting your USI

Unlike the VSN and the VCAA Student Number, the USI is not generated and maintained by the VCAA. To create a USI, you must log into the USI website and follow the steps.

To find out more about the USI, visit USI helpline.