National Priorities Pool 2018

Curtin University

National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education

The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) is funded by the department and will continue to be hosted by Curtin University through to the end of 2022. NCSEHE's purpose is to inform public policy design and implementation, and institutional practice, in order to improve higher education access, participation, retention and success for marginalised and disadvantaged people.

$4,500,000

Curtin University

Equity Fellows

This project will continue to the existing Equity Fellows Program for two years to 2020. The project will deliver world class research outcomes and develop the research and knowledge transfer skills of both equity researchers and equity practitioners. Fellowships will be targeted to address priority equity issues, with a specific focus on emerging regional and remote issues.

$1,500,000

Curtin University

Higher education careers advice for low SES students

Curtin University will invite proposals from Table A universities through a competitive grant process for a project to explore higher education careers advice for low SES students, including low SES Indigenous students and low SES regional, rural and remote students.

$300,000

Curtin University

Key influencers of low SES students

Curtin University will invite proposals from Table A universities through a competitive grant process for a project to examine the key influencers of low SES students, low SES regional, rural and remote students, and low SES Indigenous students towards higher education pathways and career choices.

$600,000

University of Tasmania

Admission and Success for Low-Socio-Economic Status (SES) Students

This project will investigate the impact of university admission practices on the retention, success and completion of low SES students (including those from Indigenous, and regional and remote backgrounds), and by doing so seek to identify further opportunities and potential interventions to improve the retention and success of low SES students.

$379,999

University of Queensland

The Effects of Cumulative Disadvantage

This project will investigate the effects of compound and/or cumulative factors of disadvantage, as represented by multiple equity group membership, on higher education performance.

$322,171

La Trobe University

Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) Student Deferrals

This project will investigate the characteristics of low SES students, (including those from Indigenous, and regional and remote backgrounds), who choose to defer their first year of university. It will undertake a critical analysis of initiatives implemented by Australian universities to maintain contact with low SES students who have deferred and seek to encourage their return, and identify best practice approaches that might be adopted by other institutions. It will develop evidence based advice on maximising low SES uptake of university places following deferral.

$300,000

University of Newcastle

International Literature Review: Equity in Higher Education

This project will deliver a literature review that:

• is contextualised in view of contemporary Australasian equity literature and frameworks
• identifies overseas academic research on interventions designed to improve the higher education outcomes of disadvantaged students, specifically low SES, Indigenous and regional/remote students
• makes a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the research, and
• determines the potential for the research to provide evidence-based policy guidance that could be applied to interventions designed to improve the higher education outcomes of low SES, Indigenous and regional/remote students in the Australian context.

$113,996

University of Newcastle

Success from the perspective of the successful: low SES students, success and completion in higher education

This project will investigate the experiences, perceptions, and understanding of successful low SES undergraduate students at Australian universities (including people from low SES Indigenous and low SES regional and remote backgrounds) to determine the factors (including equity interventions) to which students attribute their success.

$324,311