2024: A year of progress and equity at ACSES

Dear colleagues

As 2024 draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what has been an important year for the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) in which we established a fully-fledged What Works Centre. Together, we have made significant strides toward our mission of equipping Australian universities in closing equity gaps in higher education, and I am deeply grateful for your support and collaboration.
 
This year has been a landmark one for ACSES. From the launch of our new name in February, reflecting our shift to a new model, to the release of critical reports in response to the Universities Accord report, and the success of our inaugural Access, Achievement, Accord symposium in May, we have seen the value of collective action in driving equitable outcomes for all students. Partnerships with universities and stakeholders nationwide have further reinforced our shared commitment to this important work.
 
I am particularly pleased of the way the sector has begun responding to changes in the higher education landscape. Universities have recognised the need to have a stronger evidence base underpinning their work to expand opportunity to all. Together, we are shaping evidence-based policies and collaborating on transformative initiatives to better meet the needs of our students and address the challenges they face in accessing and succeeding in higher education.

The coming year will undoubtedly bring new challenges, but it will also offer fresh opportunities to innovate, collaborate, and deepen our impact. Universities are under financial and other pressures which will affect their outlook and capacity to bring about big changes in student equity. But as some have discovered, enhanced opportunities for the traditionally underserved is going to be a key way of regaining their relevance and societal support.
 
On behalf of everyone at ACSES, I wish you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing our developments in 2025.

Sincerely
Professor Shamit Saggar
Executive Director
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

Reflections on 2024 from our Program Directors

It's been a busy and productive year for all three of the ACSES Programs - Research and Policy, Data, and Trials and Evaluation - and our Program Directors have reflected on some of this year's highlights and are looking towards 2025. You can find their end-of-year updates on our website.

Congratulations to our 2025-26 Large Grants recipients

We are pleased to announce that three projects have been selected for funding as part of ACSES’s 2025-26 Large Grants Research Program:

• "Fair, Inclusive Learning Dashboards: Student, educator, industry, and legal perspectives" | Lead Investigator: Associate Professor Erica Southgate | Lead institution: University of Newcastle
• "Living Labs: Indigenous student success and pedagogies for the sciences" | Lead investigator: Professor Kathleen Butler | Lead institution: University of Newcastle
• "Supporting Academics with Inclusive and Equitable Curricula, Teaching, and Learning" | Lead investigators: Dr Chris Browne and Associate Professor Sally Baker | Lead institution: Australian National University

ACSES and the Grants and Fellowships Committee would like to extend congratulations to all Large Grants recipients.

Read more about the successful projects and their research priorities here. 

ACSES Visiting Scholar presents her work

Laurence Lasselle from the University of St Andrews in the UK recently shared her insightful research with the ACSES team during her time as a Visiting Scholar.

Her presentation topic “Exploring Ways Forward to Depict ‘Disadvantage’ in the Fair Access Policy in Scotland: Lessons from the Australian Policy Experience” analysed how “disadvantage” in higher education could be better defined and addressed to promote greater opportunity and inclusion in a Scottish context.

By comparing the Scottish and Australian policy frameworks, Laurence’s work suggests valuable lessons for Scotland, particularly in terms of defining disadvantage in a more comprehensive way and cross-examining data at school-level. We thank Laurence for sharing insights into her research work with us and look forward to seeing the final results.

Find more information, including summaries of her presentation and updates on her ongoing research, here.

ACSES Data Insights Series

We are pleased to announce an update to our ACSES Data Insights Series with 2023 student data —"Students with Disability in Australian Higher Education (November 2024 update)". This report reveals that in 2023, 12.7% of undergraduate students reported having a disability, an increase from 11.6% in 2022. 

Nearly half of students (49.5%) reporting a disability list a "mental health condition", followed by "medical condition" (25.7%). "Neurological condition" became the third most commonly reported disability, overtaking "Other disability" and "Specific Learning Disability".

You can find the full report here.

New Student Equity Data Guide on HEPPP allocations

Equity group definitions and the data used to calculate Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) allocations are publicly available, but finding and applying them isn’t always straightforward. To help, we’ve created a short Student Equity Data Guide designed to demystify the calculation.

This guide is part of our Student Equity Data Guide series, which aims to describe key data areas for student equity in higher education and is available in the Data Resources Hub on our website here.

We're always happy to hear from you if you have any feedback, questions, or specific topics you would like us to cover in future guides.

Help shape the Equity Frontiers Forum

ACSES is planning an Evidence for Action: Equity Frontiers Forum in early 2025 (exact date to be confirmed). The Forum is intended to support the higher education sector by helping practitioners share and further build an evidence base around equity practices.

We would like to test options with you, to ensure the Forum is useful for the sector. We are asking practitioners to answer four questions, and the responses will help us determine what a useful Forum will look like. Click on the button below or complete the survey here.

Webinar recording now available

In November, we hosted a webinar with Dr Rong Zhu where he presented on his ACSES Small Grants-funded research, "Socioeconomic Disadvantages, Choice of Disciplines, and Post-University Labour Market Performance" Rong’s research provided new insights into the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic inequality in Australia, highlighting the lasting impact of early-life disadvantages on career prospects.

A recording of the webinar is now available. 

Upcoming events in 2025

Next in our webinar series...

Join Dr Tomasz Zajac for an insightful webinar to discuss the findings of his research project "Investigating relationships between first-in-family status, equity groups, and university access".

Tomasz is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) at the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Deputy Lead of the Opportunities research program at the Life Course Centre. His research explores how first-in-family status intersects with equity groups like low-socioeconomic status background (SES) and Women In Non-Traditional Areas (WINTA), and its impact on higher education access.

Date: Thursday 13 February, 2025  |  Time: 11 am (AWST)

Find out more and register here.

ACSES staff news

Thank you for your contributions, Fardowsa! 

This month, we say farewell to our Communications Officer, Fardowsa Samatar. Fardowsa joined ACSES in early 2024 as part of Curtin University's Earn While You Learn Program.

Reflecting on her time at ACSES, Fardowsa shares, "My time at ACSES has provided me with a wide range of skills that have far exceeded my initial expectations. I’ve gained valuable experience in web design, content management, event planning, and digital marketing."

"As a Communications Officer, my confidence has grown, and I now have a clearer sense of direction for my future career. It’s been inspiring to witness the work behind the scenes of policymakers and directors who collaborate with the education sector to implement best practices that promote equity in higher education."

"Throughout my time at ACSES, I’ve gained valuable knowledge that has significantly enhanced my professional skill set. Working on projects focused on advancing equity in higher education has deepened my appreciation for my time as a student, and I highly recommend this experience to other students."

Thank you Fardowsa for the dedication, positive attitude, and creativity you have brought to your role at ACSES this year. We wish you all the best for a very bright future!

All the best, Avi!

The Research and Policy Program bids farewell to our research assistant, Avi Milentis in December 2024. Avi joined the program in January 2024 after completing his honours degree in Finance at Curtin University.

During his time at ACSES, Avi has led a research project on the occupational status of graduates from equity groups, and contributed to several other projects and engagement activities. He is a valued and cherished member of the team and we will miss his laughter around the office.

Avi is now headed for a career in the Australian public sector where he will put his background in finance and the research skills he has picked up at ACSES to good use. We wish Avi all the very best for his future endeavours!

ACSES in the news

• "The Intersection of Geography, Topography and Mindset", Australian and International Journal of Rural Education
• "$230,000 fellowship to support part-time university students", Charles Sturt University media release
• "Appointments & Achievements (4 December)", Future Campus

ACSES: Universities For All

We are dedicated to advancing equity in higher education. In the short video below, our directors share insights into how our work with universities across Australia will build a fairer future for students of all backgrounds. You can also access the video on our YouTube channel.