This week’s In the Read explores the issue of equity in higher education, and in particular highlights research around the challenges facing young people from disadvantaged backgrounds when accessing higher education. In a high OECD nation such as Australia, higher education access should be equitable to all. Yet, for young people from backgrounds that are low socioeconomic status, non-English-speaking, regional or remote, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, or students with disability, the literature shows that the decision to access university education is considered in light of perceived risks including poverty, accommodation insecurity and a lack of postgraduate employment certainty. Read more.
