The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) has been steadily growing internationally as an endorsement of the exceptional South Australian curriculum.
The SACE has been delivered internationally since 1982 through a network of accredited international schools.
Students at SACE International schools study the same curriculum as their South Australian peers, and benefit from the flexibility offered by the availability of both northern and southern hemisphere intake and assessment cycles.
Between 2017 and 2025, SACE International's global reach has expanded from Malaysia, China and Vietnam to schools in Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Currently, the SACE is offered at 27 accredited international schools with over 1,200 students.
This represents an 84 per cent increase in students since 2016, including an 18 per cent growth in enrolments in 2024. This number is forecast to grow further over the next five years.
SACE International has recently seen increased demand from schools seeking to offer the SACE on a northern hemisphere teaching calendar and therefore being able to adapt the timetable to a local context.
This includes the recent accreditation of Haileybury Senior School Tianjin in China, a prominent and purpose-built international school operated by Victoria-based Haileybury International.
There are many reasons for international schools to choose the SACE curriculum – most notably, its flexibility, assessment model, and focus on skills and capabilities that best prepare students for tertiary study.
SACE International graduates are equipped with a robust and innovative internationally recognised qualification which opens the doors for them to pursue opportunities for study and work across the globe.
Many of these graduates also come to South Australia to study at our universities, with data from the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) showing that between 2018 and 2025, 1,120 SACE International graduates received offers to undergraduate courses at Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, and University of South Australia.
As put by Blair Boyer
Education is something our state does extremely well with international jurisdictions looking to South Australia as leaders in this space.
This includes our focus on vocational pathways, our STEM opportunities and strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.
The substantial growth SACE International has seen over the past few years, is a testament to South Australia leading the education agenda.
As put by Joe Szakacs
Education is a key export for South Australia, but beyond that SACE International enables our brand and culture to become more recognised and trusted in overseas markets.
The growth that we've seen in SACE International is evidence of the coordinated efforts across government to deliver improvements to the state's profile and prosperity through education.
As put by SACE Board Chief Executive Michaela Bensley
Through SACE International, we are delivering our world-class, innovative curriculum to students in 27 international schools in seven countries.
The steady growth of the SACE internationally is a testament to its strong value proposition characterised by flexible pathways, a holistic assessment model, and focus on developing the skills and capabilities which will empower students to thrive in their post-school journeys.
