Book chapter
Challenges of Equity and Contextual Admissions in Australian Higher Education
Holistic Admissions as a Global Phenomenon: Improving Higher Education Practices and Policies, pp.85-107
Routledge, 1
2026
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Abstract
Australian higher education is characterized by an underrepresentation of people from low socioeconomic and rural backgrounds, as well as Indigenous students and some migrant groups. Unequal access to higher education is closely related to admissions processes, including the dominance of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) by which most school leavers are admitted to university. This chapter explores how university admissions processes both shape and are shaped by inequalities in the school system. In particular, we highlight how the ATAR influences the division of secondary school students into different pathways from an early age. Students who choose not to pursue an ATAR track are unlikely to transition to university and must rely on alternative university admissions schemes to evaluate their academic preparation for higher education. In 2024, a major review of Australian higher education, the Australian Universities Accord Final Report, was released. In supporting the recommendations of that review, the Australian Government has articulated a policy objective of university system growth, to be achieved primarily through a rise in enrollment from low socioeconomic and other underrepresented student groups. In this chapter, we argue that the new national target of 55 percent participation in higher education can only be reached if the secondary school system is reformed to reduce and mitigate the effects of streaming (i.e., academic tracking). However, universities will also need policy and funding support to expand their contextual admissions work, including through collaboration with secondary schools to create clearer tertiary pathways for non-ATAR students.
Details
- Title
- Challenges of Equity and Contextual Admissions in Australian Higher Education
- Creators
- Andrew Harvey - Griffith UniversityLucy Campion - Griffith UniversityRebecca Wren - Griffith University
- Contributors
- Michael N. Bastedo (Editor) - University of Michigan
- Publication Details
- Holistic Admissions as a Global Phenomenon: Improving Higher Education Practices and Policies, pp.85-107
- Publisher
- Routledge; New York
- Edition
- 1
- Identifiers
- 991013323328402368
- Copyright
- © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Michael N. Bastedo; individual chapters, the contributors.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter