Two years ago, Ethan Bundle-Bell was considering dropping out of school, considering himself “not a book person”. Yet he has now become the first person in his family to complete year 12.
“I didn’t think it would happen,” the 17-year-old says. “I didn’t think I’d be finishing year 12.”
Bundle-Bell is among more than 65,000 Victorian students who will graduate with their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) on Thursday.
At the same time, Victorian students will become the first in the country to receive their Australian Tertiary Admission Rankings (Atar) scores, with the remaining states and territories to follow next week.
Bundle-Bell, a Gunditjmara and Butchulla man, is the first in his family to complete year 12 after he undertook the vocational major program at Braybrook Secondary College in Melbourne’s west. The program is a practical and alternative pathway for students to secure a high school certificate.
While the cohort does not receive an Atar score, they do receive their VCE and a statement of results.
They account for 9,777 of the record 65,586 students graduating with their VCEs this year, according to the state government.
More than 15,300 students received at least one study score of 40 or higher, while 664 students have received at least one maximum study score of 50.
Additionally, more than 1,150 students received the Victorian Pathways Certificate, which prepared students for future studies or entry into the workforce.
‘I’m a practical person’
Bundle-Bell says, despite considering leaving school, he stuck it out for two more years to complete his VCE – and feels “very satisfied and glad with myself”.
He opted for the vocational pathway because of its hands-on approach.
“I’m a practical person. I learn better that way. I see something, do something – rather than being told what to do,” he says.
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During a work-experience stint with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, he took part in horticulture activities, which sparked an interest in further study. He will begin an apprenticeship in horticulture in the new year.
“It will be good to learn new stuff and be outdoors. That will be aligned with my interests,” he says.
He was set to join his fellow graduates in receiving their full results from 7am on Thursday.
Victoria’s acting education minister, Lizzie Blandthorn, congratulated those receiving their results.
“I wish you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your lives, whether that is at university or Tafe, in apprenticeships or traineeships, in joining the workforce or taking a well-earned break for now,” she said.
Students in South Australia and the Northern Territory will receive their Atar results on 15 December, followed by Tasmania on 17 December, New South Wales and the ACT on 18 December, and Western Australia on 19 December.
Students wrongly told of equity scheme eligibility
The release of results comes after some students were mistakenly told they were eligible for an equity scheme, which includes automatic consideration for a range of scholarships, at the University of Melbourne, due to an administrative bungle at the state’s tertiary admissions centre.
A spokesperson for the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (Vtac) said that, due to a technical issue when processing information collected from applicants, some students were incorrectly classified as the first in their family to attend university. Some who had applied to the University of Melbourne were then sent incorrect information relating to their eligibility for the Access Melbourne program.
No other universities were affected by the administrative error, which was first reported by the Age.
A spokesperson for the University of Melbourne said it was working closely with Vtac to support those affected.
“The university did not make any course or scholarship offer in these communications,” the spokesperson said.
– With AAP
• This article was amended on 11 December 2025. An earlier version incorrectly stated that students were wrongly told of scholarship eligibility. They were mistakenly told they were eligible for an equity scheme, which includes scholarship consideration.
