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Welcome to the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Equity Insights 2025: Policy, Power, and Practice for a Fairer Australian Tertiary Education System

Equity Insights 2025: Policy, Power, and Practice for a Fairer Australian Tertiary Education System brings together 22 leading voices from across the higher education landscape to examine what has changed for student equity and what more needs to be done.

The report includes university leaders, researchers, policymakers and students contemplating the future of equity in higher education.

Notable voices such as Professor Harlene Hayne (Curtin University Vice-Chancellor), Professor Margaret Sheil (Queensland University of Technology Vice-Chancellor), Professor the Hon Verity Firth AM (Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement, UNSW), Distinguished Professor George Williams AO (Vice-Chancellor & President, Western Sydney University), Sarah Bendall (National Student Ombudsman), and Ashlyn Horton (National Union of Students) address pressing issues such as Indigenous leadership and cultural safety, the impact of artificial intelligence on access and participation, disability inclusion, the student union voice, and pathways between vocational education and higher education.

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success launched the report at the Student Equity in an Era of Change 2025: The Australian Student Equity Symposium in Sydney on 8 September 2025.

Publications
Download the full report
Equity Insights 2025: Policy, Power, and Practice for a Fairer Australian Tertiary Education System
ACSES, 2025
Featured publications
Is the problem us? Helping part-time students succeed in a full-time world
Kelly Linden​ , 2026
An ACSES Equity Fellowship final report. The project looks at the increasingly complex challenges facing part-time university students and what interventions are needed to help them succeed.
Part-time students
Research Reports
Towards a financially inclusive higher education system
A McMahon, K Charlton, K Lambert, Y Probst, K Kent, K Walton, J Russell, K Austin, and G O’Flynn​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study examined the prevalence and impact of financial hardship on university students. It evaluated the effectiveness of existing financial support services and identified barriers that prevent students from accessing essential assistance.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Disability
First Nations students’ progress into and through university
J Beaufils, R Taylor, and D Edwards​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study provides insight into the pathways and approaches to university by First Nations students and the role that a university centre designed specifically to support First Nations students can have on building success for students.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Indigenous
Australian Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
J M Lodge et al.​ , 2025
Published by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success, in collaboration with the Australian National AI in Schools Taskforce.
Resources
More publications
Is the problem us? Helping part-time students succeed in a full-time world
Kelly Linden​ , 2026
An ACSES Equity Fellowship final report. The project looks at the increasingly complex challenges facing part-time university students and what interventions are needed to help them succeed.
Part-time students
Research Reports
Towards a financially inclusive higher education system
A McMahon, K Charlton, K Lambert, Y Probst, K Kent, K Walton, J Russell, K Austin, and G O’Flynn​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study examined the prevalence and impact of financial hardship on university students. It evaluated the effectiveness of existing financial support services and identified barriers that prevent students from accessing essential assistance.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Disability
General / all students
Indigenous
International
Research Reports
First Nations students’ progress into and through university
J Beaufils, R Taylor, and D Edwards​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study provides insight into the pathways and approaches to university by First Nations students and the role that a university centre designed specifically to support First Nations students can have on building success for students.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Indigenous
Research Reports
Australian Framework for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
J M Lodge et al.​ , 2025
Published by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success, in collaboration with the Australian National AI in Schools Taskforce.
Resources