Beyond aspirations: addressing the unique barriers faced by rural Australian students contemplating university

Abstract

Central to the widening participation agenda in Australia is a focus on rural and regional students given their continued underrepresentation in higher education. The ACT University Experience camp is a joint venture by the Country Education Foundation Australia, the University of Canberra and the Australian National University providing academically able rural students a first-hand experience of university and city life. Utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods, the current research explored the unique factors affecting rural students’ transition to higher education. Along with increasingly positive views about university, students reported greater understanding of their post-school options and greater confidence in making this choice. Students’ descriptions of their imagined futures highlighted the strong connection between these young people and their families and communities, emphasising the need for a continued focus on the unique aspects of rural young people in securing their educational and occupational futures.

Keywords:

• Widening participation
• rural students
• university access
• barriers
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Inner regional is defined according to ASGC Remoteness Areas and ARIA indices (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2004).

2. Travelling by air is not an option for these areas, with only one town having a commercial airport. Flights to and from this centre are extremely limited and expensive. Similarly, other forms of public transport, for example trains and buses, are either non-existent or offer limited services.

3. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions provide vocational education in Australia.

4. Gender of participant was included in a series of mixed-model Anovas conducted on each of the ratings. No gender main effects or interactions emerged; hence the data are presented in their simplest form.

5. Visits were unable to be arranged to one school as a result of competing commitments.