An adult student is a student who is at least 18 years old by 1 January of his or her final year of Stage 2 study and who has left school for at least one continuous year. 

Adult students who complete their SACE will be awarded a maximum of 110 credits at Stage 1, which includes the compulsory Exploring Identities and Futures subject.

To gain the maximum number of credits, adult students are required to demonstrate that they have met the literacy and numeracy requirements from the range of options described in the SACE Accreditation, Recognition, and Certification policy, which is part of the SACE Policy Framework. Alternatively, adult students can demonstrate that they have completed the literacy and/or numeracy requirements using folio(s) of evidence derived from a range of sources verified by the principal. This verification occurs against the SACE literacy or numeracy benchmarks. The Board has endorsed the Australian Core Skills Framework Level 3 descriptions in reading, writing, and numeracy as reference points for the SACE literacy and numeracy benchmarks. The folios must be retained in the school for 12 months for SACE Board auditing purposes. 

Adult students are granted 70 credits, plus 20 credits for demonstrating that they have met the literacy requirement, 10 credits for demonstrating that they have met the numeracy requirement, and 10 credits for the Exploring Identities and Futures subject.

To complete the SACE, adult students are also required to gain: 

• 10 credits by achieving a C* grade or better in Stage 2 Activating Identities and Futures or Research Project
• 60 credits by achieving a C* grade or better in Stage 2 Board-accredited subjects, or the equivalent of at least satisfactory achievement in Board-recognised vocational education and training courses 
• 20 credits by achieving an E grade or better in other Board-accredited subjects, or the equivalent of at least satisfactory achievement in other Board-recognised courses, at Stage 1 or Stage 2.

*At Stage 2, a C grade is defined as C, C+, or C–. 

Adult students should apply for recognition of qualifications and learning experiences at Stage 1 using Form 12.