Greater funding to support student equity in higher education

The Australian Government will provide $20.5 million over four years to expand the work of the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) at Curtin University.

The Centre provides national leadership in student equity in higher education, connecting research, policy and practice to improve higher education participation and success for marginalised and disadvantaged Australians.

This includes students from low socio-economic backgrounds, regional and remote areas and Indigenous Australians.

Where you live, how much your parents earn, whether you are Indigenous or not, is still a major factor in whether you are a student or graduate of an Australian university.

More than 43 per cent of Australians aged between 25 and 34 have a bachelor’s degree.

That number drops to about 20 per cent if you’re from a low socio-economic background, about 16 per cent if you live in a remote area and less than 10 per cent if you’re an Indigenous Australian.

We know that 90 per cent of jobs created in the next five years will require post-school qualifications.

I want to see real results. That means trialling, evaluating, implementing and monitoring the sorts of things that will really shift the dial.

The centre will also work with universities and other education institutions to evaluate and improve their equity programs.

Further information about the work of the NCSEHE can be found at https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/