Research and Reports
On this page, you will find research and reports relevant to student life and experience at ANU, and the wider university sector.
If you need to get in touch with anyone regarding the research and/or reports contained on this page, please feel free to contact Student Life, or the author of the document(s) attached.
Similarly, if you have or know of any research or reports that you think belongs on this page, please feel free to contact Student Life.
Low-SES Student Experience
Low-SES Student Experience
Report and recommendations, July 2022
Sarah Walker, Sai Campbell
sarah.walker@anu.edu.au; sai.campbell@anu.edu.au
Executive Summary
The proportion of domestic undergraduate students at ANU that come from low-SES and low income backgrounds is approximately 4%, by enrolment headcount, of the total domestic undergraduate population. This figure has seen little change for over a decade. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that the university experience, including academic success and social engagement, of these students is negatively impacted by their socioeconomic status and there are several structural barriers to their full engagement in university life. Student wellbeing is critical to academic success and retention, and hence there is an urgent need to examine both the barriers to enrolment and their ongoing experience of tertiary education.
Read the full report here:
Low-SES Student Experience Report and Recommendations, July 2022.pdf
Read the full report here:
Low-SES Student Experience Report and Recommendations, July 2022.pdf
Recommendations & Updates
| Access | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendation | Proposed action | Status | Area responsible |
| Inclusion | |||
| Revise the domestic undergraduate scholarships model to consider only need. | In line with the work commencing with the Scholarship Strategy Working Group, consideration should be given to replacing academic and merit eligibility criteria with needs-based funding for all ANU-managed scholarships. Scholarships could be offered on a pro rata basis according to need and offered at the same time as the offer of admission. The value could be determined according to family financial position, estimated cost of living, and other financial supports. | Consideration was given in the working group to increase needs-based funding for all ANU managed scholarships. Two new scholarships commenced for the 2024 intake: ANU Changing Futures Scholarships and Bright Horizons Scholarship. Both scholarships specifically target students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, including those with financial disadvantage, or having attended a school with an ICSEA of 900 or below. | Scholarship Strategy Working Group |
| Collaborate with student-focused groups that target underrepresented youth to encourage aspirations to tertiary education | In line with the ANU Student Diversity Plan, undertake an audit of all outreach and widening participation activities to allow for greater collaboration and visibility. | An audit has commenced through the ANU Outreach and Recruitment Network. Widening participation programs have commenced collaborating with study hubs, schools, and communities in various regional locations. Additional work is also being undertaken in collaboration with University of Canberra regarding widening participation activities and resources. | Partnership between Future Students Team, Colleges and Student Life, led by ANU Student Diversity Working Group |
| Improve the visibility of supports available at ANU for prospective students | Create a centralized repository or summary of supports available for students including ongoing financial support, pastoral care, groceries, mental health, and academic with the aim of clarifying sources of assistance that students might expect to not have access to due to their financial circumstances. For example, highlighting that students receiving Centrelink benefits are eligible for a low-income healthcare card. | Information contained on the Community Connect website, and on Financial advice and assistance webpage. | University Experience portfolio |
| Increase the visibility of low-SES individuals at ANU | Marketing material that highlights the experience and financial supports received by students from low-income and other underrepresented background could be targeting to prospective applicants via material that is distributed to schools and on websites commonly navigated by prospective applicants. The purpose is to highlight that ANU is a financially feasible option and values students from all walks-of-life, as well as share the achievements, academic and otherwise, of others like themselves to build aspiration. | Collaborations between Future Students team and Engagement and Success to obtain student experience stories to be shared more broadly with potential future students, including through the student experience blog which will be launched in September 2023. Work is also under way between the two areas to create materials for distribution to schools and through university fairs that highlight available supports, and diverse student stories.Additional work is also being undertaken in collaboration with University of Canberra regarding widening participation activities and resources. | Student Recruitment & Admissions and ANU Media |
| Provide subsidized accommodation on-campus for commencing low-income students | Funding, potentially in the form of a bursary or scholarship, would be given to commencing low-SES students to subside the cost of their on-campus accommodation, increasing their capacity to do so with peers in accommodation that is the best fit for them. | Discussions underway through Residential Division improvement review | ANU Residential Experience, University Experience, Coursework Scholarships and Central Finance |
| Establish an academic mentoring program for commencing students | Create a formalized academic-student mentoring program that is initiated at the beginning of each semester which matches underrepresented students with a member of faculty. The purpose of the mentoring relationship is to provide academic and life advice to the mentee and direct them to university resources where available. Opportunities to meet will be facilitated by a third party via events such as afternoon teas and lunches. | A pilot of including this in the First-Year Experience program will commence for 2024. | Student Life |
| Increase visibility and suitability of resources related to the 'hidden curriculum' | Work with students to review and improve material addressing the hidden curriculum and ensure that it is distributed to students with the most need. | Materials currently under review with plans to update and distribute the Preparing for University Guide to the First-Year Experience cohort commencing in 2024, while also making it an available resource on the orientation website. The ANU Family Calendar, aimed at addressing the hidden curriculum for families supporting undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds has been reviewed and refreshed for 2024. The calendar is being distributed to families at the ANU in Place events throughout September which should reach approximately 800 families at the events and another 200 through a targeted mailing. | Student Life |
| Improve awareness of diverse socioeconomic experiences among the staff and student body | A common read will be created that is tailored towards commencing students and staff. The read could cover the need to be respectful of individual's diverse experiences and backgrounds. and low-income and culturally and linguistically diverse experiences. This could consist of a whole-of-university approach that emphases strength-based discourse. | A proposal is in draft to pilot a common read program for 2024. | Student Life |
| Fund access to social activities and cultural events for students on needs-based scholarships | Student societies and residential hall committees would be able to provide an unlimited number of equity tickets for students attending on financial-need packages. Such tickets could cover a range of social events including Commencements, balls, and Valetes which would be billed to the appropriate university body. This would seek to ensure that the number of equity tickets that can be provided by the society or hall does not restrict the attendance of low-income students. This could also be expanded to include collaborations with cultural and social events in Canberra such as theatre groups and festivals. | Plans are underway for this funding to be included as a pilot in the First-Year Experience cohort commencing in 2024. | Student Life |
| Facilitate opportunities for students from low-SES backgrounds to connect | ANU could consider further support student-run collectives for low-income and first-generation students via the provision of funding or assisting with the administration and marketing of such collections. The existence of the collective would be indiscriminately advertised to commencing students. ANU could also collaborate with key partners such as The Smith Family and the Country Education Foundation to hold welcome events for commencing students and continue to organise events such as the 2021 First-Generation Celebrations co-designed with students. | Key events were held in 2023 to begin building these networks including a First-Generation Celebration, Country Education Foundation morning tea and scholarship welcome events. Conversations are underway regarding what additional work is required to support the facilitation of connections for students. | Student Life |
| Increase the visibility of free food for students | Consultations with on- and off-campus students seeking to identify the best methods to advertise the availability of food pantry services. Advertising would be directed to both commencing students and later year students. | Advertising of food pantry not necessary as service is overrun, work has commenced to ensure students undertstand the target audience for the pantry without stigmatising it. | Student Life |
| Provide subsidized gym and sport memberships to students receiving a needs-based scholarship | Consider giving domestic undergraduate students at the ANU on needs-based scholarship the option of taking up a subsidised ANU gym or sport membership. | Currently 75 pass to ANU Sport available for commencing students, with another 75 available to FYE students. Conversations are underway to expand the offering to include membership at Club Lime. | Student Life, ANU Sport, and Club Lime |
| Establish a 'Start Up' grant | This one time grant would be offered to commencing students at the university who are on needs-based financial supports. | Available through the Community Connect Financial Supports form. | Student Life |
| Provide targeted support for off-campus low-SES students | Off-campus domestic undergraduate low-SES students could be eligible to receive subsidies and access to key support including subsidised parking fees and pre-paid bus cards, mobile internet devices, and utility grants. Consider reestablishing the ANU Virtual Information Commons to support students' ability to utilise key academic software as necessary. | Currently parking is available through the Community Connect Financial Supports form. Further discussions are underway with appropriate internal and external stakeholders. | Student Life, Griffin Hall, Parking Office, ITS |
A manifesto for equitable and responsive student support in Australian higher education
POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy Research
Report and recommendations, 2024
Baker, S., Kift, S., Walker, S., O'Shea, S. and Associates.
Executive Summary
For decades, multiple stakeholders – institutions, individuals, government, industry and think tanks – have endeavoured to respond to the social, economic and democratic imperative to widen participation of underrepresented students to engage and succeed in higher education (HE), whatever their background or circumstances. Yet the goal of an inclusive HE sector remains elusive, and no more so than for First Nations peoples and communities, for whom better educational outcomes must be advanced and focused on equitable opportunity and self-determination.
Read the full manifesto here:
A manifesto for equitable and responsive support in Australian higher education
Read the full manifesto here:
A manifesto for equitable and responsive support in Australian higher education
Principles of support
| Principle | |
|---|---|
| Attentiveness | Design for inclusivity, personalisation, flexibility and accessibility in an integrated, whole-of-institution ecosystem based on Universal Design and lifelong learning principles. The organising device, harnessed to ensure student engagement, belonging and contextualised learning support, should be student learning in inclusive curriculum. |
Address systemic barriers across all potential loci of institutional structural inequality - get the context right for staff (structure, culture, policy) to get the context (Tinto's 'educational conditions') right for students. | |
| Responsiveness | Resist the use of labels to describe heterogenous cohorts, many of whom are affected by cumulative disadvantage. Instead, provide agency for students to self-describe, self-disclose and achieve personalised aspirations for success over the student lifecycle. |
Validate and value students’ backgrounds, experiences, needs, cultural practices and strengths to support students’ shifting identities and continuous fluid transitions in, through, across, and out of learning. | |
| Responsibility | Commit to clear, consistent and coherent communications that are segmented, affirming and timely across multiple channels to meet students where they are. |
| Assure inclusive, high quality, data-informed and data-led supports, that are continuously monitored, iteratively evaluated and longitudinal tracked. | |
| Competence | Invest in staff who are trained, supported, valued, enabled and celebrated. |
| Normalise and learn from diversity and difference and commit to wellbeing and safety in an educational environment that is freed from stigma, harassment and discrimination. | |
| Trust | Assure relationship-rich education that affirms an individual’s sense of belonging and mattering and mental wellbeing. |
| Enable trusting partnerships between academic and professional staff engaging with diverse students as partners, to bridge the silos between administrative, support and academic work/life/schedules/agendas. | |
Documents
Publications
Find full length versions of any research and reports listed above in this section.
- Low-SES Student Experience Report and Recommendations (PDF, 1.01 MB)
- A manifesto for equitable and responsive student support in Australian higher education - 2024 (PDF, 203.4 KB)
Use contact details to request an alternative file format.
Publications
Find full length versions of any research and reports listed above in this section.
- Low-SES Student Experience Report and Recommendations (PDF, 1.01 MB)
- A manifesto for equitable and responsive student support in Australian higher education - 2024 (PDF, 203.4 KB)
Use contact details to request an alternative file format.
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Wellbeing