Overview

This report examines the relationship between institution size (domestic undergraduate headcount) and equity student participation rates across Australian universities.

Larger universities may have access to more resources which could be used to increase equity student participation share. Conversely, smaller universities could have dedicated mission statements with more bespoke focuses on equity students. Examining the relationship between university size and equity student participation provides a way to explore how these factors manifest across the sector, particularly whether participation rates vary systemically with institutional size.

In this report, correlations (“R”) are used to assess the direction and strength of association between size and participation. R values closer to one indicate a more positive relationship between university size and equity student participation, while values closer to negative one indicate a more negative relationship.

How to access the full report

The report is available for download in Word [1 MB] and PDF [2 MB] format.

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success Data Insights Series

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) is an evidence-based research and public policy centre based at Curtin University and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education. ACSES is committed to providing the higher education sector with tangible proof of what works to improve the quality and impact of student equity practices in higher education.

The ACSES Data Insights Series reports on equity student participation and outcomes in Australian higher education. It focuses on trends among identified equity groups in domestic undergraduate enrolments in Australia, including, but not limited to:

• low socio-economic status (SES) students
• students with disability
• First Nations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Australian students
• regional students
• remote students.