New ACSES Equity Fellowship report examines the increasingly complex challenges facing part-time university students in Australia.
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Part-time uni students need more support, research reveals
Dear colleagues,
New research published today by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) shines a spotlight on the increasingly complex challenges facing part-time university students.
Is the problem us? Helping part-time students succeed in a full-time world examines the extent to which these students are juggling competing responsibilities, such as caring and work commitments.
Authored by Associate Professor Kelly Linden of Charles Sturt University, a 2025 ACSES Equity Fellow, the report draws on interviews with nearly 1,000 students at 35 universities across Australia.
It found part-time students on average have lower success and retention rates than full-time students and are more likely to belong to an equity group.
The report also highlights the need for institutions to review their special consideration policies, including listing work and caring commitments as acceptable reasons for an assignment extension.
Other recommendations include:
- Students studying 75% of the Equivalent Full-Time Student Load across a calendar year should have the same benefits as full-time students.
- Universities should improve access to scholarships for part-time students facing financial hardship.
- State governments should provide discounted public transport for all students studying on-campus.
- The Federal Government should provide access to Youth Allowance, Austudy, and Tertiary Access Payments for part-time students.
With part-time students now making up 35% of all domestic Australian university students, this research is an important reminder that this growing cohort is no longer a small minority on our campuses.
Is the problem us? Helping part-time students succeed in a full-time world was funded through ACSES’s nationally competitive Equity Fellowships Program.
You can now read the full report here.
Kind regards,
Professor Ian Li SFHEA
Research and Policy Program Director
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success
New report shows how IDP initiative could increase student success in LANTITE
ACSES is excited to announce the publication of a new final report for a trial conducted at Central Queensland University in 2025, Enhancing academic preparedness: A comprehensive trial of Individualised Digital Pedagogy for Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education readiness.
Along with this, two Promising Practices briefs have been released, highlighting key findings from the trial, curated especially for senior management and equity practitioners to apply to their own institutions.
The trial assessed the impact of an Individualised Digital Pedagogy (IDP) on pre-service teachers’ literacy and numeracy skills and how it affected their success in the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) compared to those who received traditional tutoring.
Findings from the trial particularly showed an improved success rate in the LANTITE literacy component for all students who participated in the IDP initiative compared to those in the comparison group. Numeracy results were also positive.
Overall, the trial found that the IDP improved success for participants, especially those from equity backgrounds such as low socio-economic status and regional/remote areas.
Read the final report and Promising Practices briefs, here.
Academic leaders join ACSES Advisory Board
ACSES is pleased to welcome academic leaders and higher education experts Professor Arshad Omari and Professor Adam Shoemaker as the newest members of its Advisory Board.
Their appointments bring significant sector leadership and equity expertise to the Advisory Board, supporting ACSES as it works with government and universities to advance student equity across Australian higher education.
Professor Omari holds over 30 years of experience in higher education and governance with nearly two decades of involvement in shaping equitable, student-centred higher education as Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Acting Vice-Chancellor at Edith Cowan University (ECU).
Professor Shoemaker, Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University, is a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar and also currently holds a position on the Universities Australia Board. His leadership spans academia, public engagement, and governance roles including with the Brisbane Writers Festival and the European Commission.
Read the full story here.
Livestream registration open | ACSES Policy Symposium 2026
The ACSES Policy Symposium 2026 will convene national leaders and stakeholders in tertiary education this September in Brisbane to discuss how to make higher learning more attainable for all Australians.
Hosted in collaboration with Griffith University from 8–9 September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the event will also be accessible via livestream nationwide.
This year’s theme, "The Evolving Student in Higher Education", will spur conversations on how the profile, needs, and experiences of students are changing—across study modes, life stages, identities, and economic context—and what this means for policy, practice, and funding in Australian higher education.
The program features influential speakers from across the sector, as well as the ACSES Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Impact on Higher Education Policy and Practice 2026.
Build your evaluation capability with the ACSES Evaluation Learning Program
Have you discovered the ACSES Evaluation Learning Program yet? This program offers a growing suite of online professional development streams designed to strengthen evaluation capability across the student equity sector.
Available now are three streams:
- Introduction to Student Equity Evaluation: Foundational concepts and approaches for evaluating equity initiatives.
- Program Logic Models for Equity Evaluation: Practical guidance on developing and using Program Logic Models to support planning and evaluation.
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in Student Equity: Strategies and tools to embed ongoing improvement processes into equity programs.
Designed for busy equity practitioners and managers, each stream includes flexible online modules, practical tools, and sector-based examples that can be applied directly in your work. Participants who complete a stream receive a shareable digital badge recognising their achievement.
Explore the Evaluation Learning Program and enrol in available streams here.
From the sector
JANZSSA calls for journal submissions
The Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (JANZSSA) is inviting submissions for a special issue dedicated to advancing understanding and application of student voice in tertiary education.
Submissions for Student Voice in Action: Research, Practice, and Impact in Tertiary Education are open until 19 February 2027, with student-authored and co-authored manuscripts particularly encouraged. Expressions of interest to join the editorial team are also welcomed until 31 August 2026.
Visit the JANZSSA website for more information.
CRADLE seeks PhD scholarship applicants
Students keen to undertake a PhD with the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) in Melbourne are encouraged to apply for the next round of Deakin University Postgraduate Research (DUPR) scholarships.
CRADLE is seeking candidates specifically interested in assessment and/or digital learning in higher education, with successful applicants to commence in February 2027. International students have until 23 August 2026 to apply, while domestic students have until 25 October.
Visit CRADLE’s blog site for more information.
ACSES in the news
- "Denzel was the first in his family to go to university but there’s a worrying drop-off in students like him", The Sydney Morning Herald
- "New OECD report explores AI in HE, emerging evidence", University World News
