Insights
This document describes the student equity data and calculations that contribute to Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program[1] (HEPPP) funding allocations. The information is accurate as of 28 November 2024 and has been produced by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) to the best of our knowledge. However, we cannot guarantee the completeness or current validity of the information provided here. While we strive to ensure accuracy, this document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change.
We can think of the HEPPP Allocation in two parts – that is, the weighting based on the number of equity students enrolled at an institution, and the amount of money available for HEPPP. This guide will focus on the calculation of the weighting.
1. Equity groups
Three equity groups contribute to the HEPPP weighting. These can be extracted from the Department of Education’s (the Department) “Section 11 – Equity groups” spreadsheet, specifically in Table 11.6: “All Domestic Undergraduate Students by State, Institution and Equity Group, 2023”. The data need to be filtered to Table A institutions only.
Figure 1: Screenshot of “Table 11.6: ‘All Domestic Undergraduate Students by State, Institution and Equity Group, 2023’” of the Department’s “Section 11 – Equity groups” spreadsheet
The groups are:
- First Nations Australians [column F of the 2023 spreadsheet].
- Low socioeconomic status (SES) by SA1 [column G of the 2023 spreadsheet] – this uses the student’s most recent residential address in TCSI at the time of verification. A student is low SES if their SA1 is in the bottom 25% of the 2021 Socio Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Education and Occupation for 15–64 year olds.
- First Address Regional and First Address Remote [sum of columns J and L of the 2023 spreadsheet] – this uses the student’s first residential address at the commencement of study, based on postcode. Regional and Remote categories are derived from the 2021 Australian Statistical Geography Standard.
2. Formula
From 2024[2], the formula for calculating a university’s HEPPP allocation is:
HEPPP allocation = Funding available * Weighting
HEPPP allocation = Funding available * [ 0.45 * (Low_SES/Total_Low_SES) + 0.45 * (Regional_Remote/Total_Regional_Remote) + 0.10 * (First_Nations/Total_First_Nations)]
Low_SES , Regional_Remote and First_Nations are the counts of these equity groups at an institution, and Total_Low_SES, Total_Regional_Remote and Total_First_Nations are the counts of these groups across all Table A institutions.
3. Timing
A year’s HEPPP allocation is based on equity student participation from two years prior. For example, the 2024 HEPPP allocation was based on equity student data from 2022. The 2025 HEPPP allocation will be released in late 2025, using the 2023 student enrolment data.
Worked Example
This is a worked example of how the 2024 HEPPP allocation would be calculated for a theoretical university, University D.
1. Identify the number of equity students at University D in 2022, as a percentage of the total number of equity students from Table A universities across the sector.
2. University D’s weighting is calculated as:
Weighting = 0.45 * (7200/120,000) + 0.45 * (21,600/135,000) + 0.10 * (850/17,000)
Weighting = 0.45 * (0.06) + 0.45 * (0.16) + 0.1 * (0.05)
Weighting = 0.027 + 0.072 + 0.005
Weighting = 0.104
This means that University D would receive 10.4% of the HEPPP funding allocation for that year.
If the total HEPPP funding available is $150,000,000, University D would receive $15,000,000.
[1] Please see the Department of Education’s HEPPP site for details.
[2] The HEPPP allocation formula has changed over time. Please see the legislation for previous and current formulae.
