La Trobe University

This NCSEHE Equity Fellowship study investigated the national profile of Indigenous students enrolled in select higher education and vocational education allied healthcare study, as well as the institutional factors linked with success in access and retention.

This NCSEHE-funded research examined student equity stratification by field of education and institution using national student enrolment data released to universities by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

This NCSEHE-funded report recommends institutions embed greater data literacy and equity consciousness, in light of increasing interest in advanced data analytics techniques.

Drawing on the first longitudinal data set on care leavers in Australian higher education, this research examined the access, geo-demographic profile, course selection, success, retention, and completion rates of care leavers.

This NCSEHE-funded project sought to address the gap and establish the first major evidential base of student parents in Australian higher education.

Disparity in educational and career outcomes between rural, regional and remote (RRR) students and their metropolitan counterparts persists despite successive federal and state government initiatives. In this paper, we will present a study that highlights one important, yet overlooked, avenue to improve outcomes for RRR students: early-stage careers education.

This report recommends a strengths-based approach to supporting university student carers, harnessing their unique skills and attributes to benefit themselves and their peers. The research found the challenges of caring responsibilities and university study could be mitigated by institutional awareness and accommodations.

A quarter of university fail grades represent ‘ghost students’, who remain enrolled in undergraduate units but show no evidence of participation. This research found improved identification and support is required for ‘ghost students’, particularly Indigenous students who are at a high risk of ghosting behaviours.

In 2014, the NCSEHE provided funding to La Trobe University’s Centre for Higher Education Equity and Diversity Research to map the Australian higher education sector in relation to people from out-of-home care backgrounds, including kinship care, foster care and residential care. This impact report details the outputs, outcomes and ongoing impact of the research.

Research recommended an institution-wide approach, including staff and students, to reduce the structural barriers to higher education retention and success for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The report recommended institutions prioritise a culture of equal opportunities and experiences, rather than relying on students to adapt to existing structures.