Increasing participation of rural and regional students in higher education

Abstract

Regional and rural students in Australia face unique challenges when aspiring to higher education. These challenges reflect systematic disadvantage experienced by rural and regional populations as a whole. In an effort to redress these inequities, and aided by the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP), the University of Canberra’s flagship Aspire UC Schools Outreach Program involves multiple in-school sessions for students in years 7–10. This article presents findings from the delivery of this program to nearly 3000 students in 2012. Increased considerations of post-school study and work options were seen across all year levels and across all options, with greatest increases evident for university aspirations, and by Year 10 students. Moreover, girls exhibited greater positive changes in post-program aspirations than did boys. The program’s success is attributed to its depth and intensity and the concomitant recognition of the distinctive nature of rural and regional communities.