100
AACUHO FEATURED
95 75
25
They educate 25% of all Australian regional students, 34% of all distance education students, 16% of all low socioeconomic students, 15% of all Indigenous students and 32% of all students in enabling courses.
5 0
There are gaps in educational outcomes in rural and regional areas with, for example, their Year 12 completion rates being about 20 per cent lower than in the capitals, and 12 per cent of adults in regional Australia having a degree compared to 27 per cent in the capitals. One of the obstacles to improving this situation is the aspiration levels of students in regional areas. The following graph shows the intentions of Year 10 students’ intentions to finish Year 12 in a range of Victorian regions. It remains a major issue that 32% of all Australians in rural areas aspire to higher education compared with 63% in capital cities.These lower aspirations contribute to regional participation rates in Australia being lower than the national rates in countries such as Argentina, Korea and Israel. Adding to the challenges, the socio-economic status (SES) profiles of students at regional universities is lower than at metropolitan universities and they are more likely to be female, older and have caring responsibilities (30%). Regional campuses also have proportionally higher numbers of Indigenous students and it is a key responsibility of regional universities to foster the success of one of society’s most marginalised groups.
Six in every 10 students attending a regional university are the first members of their family ever to attend a university. Research from the US shows that by the act of attending a university (even if they do not continue through to graduation) these students play a positive role in lifting the educational aspirations of other members of their families. Of those students from regional areas who attend a capital city university, less than a quarter return to the regions. Conversely, a very high percentage of students who study at a regional university, more than 60 per cent by conservative estimates, secure their first employment in a regional area. More research is needed, but it is safe to say a high percentage of these graduates settle down for life to bolster the social and economic fabric of regional areas. To summarise: • The gap between regional and metropolitan students’ access to university is widening even with the lifting of the enrolment caps;
Participation rates by groups, 1989 to 2007
• Regional students’ under-representation in higher education is increasing; and
100
Non-English speaking background
Rural/regional students
Low SES students
95
Students with disabilities
Isolated/remote students
Indigenous
75
25
Note: a) Definitions for regional/rural and isolated/remote students were altered in 2001 causing a break in series, b) Post 2001 is based on 2006 Census SES postcode allocations, whereas prior years are based on earlier census SES postcode allocations Source: DEEWR (Equity Performance Indicators – national indicators), various years
• The gap between the percentage of Australians living in regional communities and those from the regions attending university is also increasing. So how are we addressing these issues? At the University of Ballarat we do this by creating support
5 0
The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal
17