Number of undergraduates from low socioeconomic backgrounds falls
Data from the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success shows a decline in undergraduate enrollment for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Experts attribute this trend to rising living costs and increased course fees, which disproportionately affect disadvantaged students.
Why it matters
The decline in socioeconomic diversity at universities threatens social mobility and highlights systemic barriers in the higher education sector.
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Share A A A Denzel James is less likely to be at university than most of his peers.
The Yankunytjatjara man, from a remote area of South Australia, received an ATAR of 27 and is from a low-income family.
Victoria University students Athraa Yousif (left), Denzel James and Brooke Theodoridis have studied under the university’s block model, which allows students to do a single subject at a time. Jason South But he is the first of his eight siblings to pursue a degree and hopes it will pave the way for them to see university as an achievable pathway as well.
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