University of New England Student Enrolment P'gram

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Speakers - Torbay Mr Richard
Business - Private Members Statements, PRIV
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND STUDENT ENROLMENT PROGRAMS
Page: 88
Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands—Speaker) [6.32 p.m.]: The Federal Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, has signalled a way ahead for higher education to include more students from poorer backgrounds. For some so-called sandstone universities, which have targeted students who achieve top Higher School Certificate scores and who are from the highest socioeconomic group, this poses problems. On average, Group of Eight universities enrol 10 per cent or less of their students from the low socioeconomic group and well over 50 per cent from well-off families. At the University of New England—an institution you know well, Madam Deputy-Speaker, and where I will have the great honour of being installed as Chancellor this week—enrolments are much more even. The University of New England has an intake of 24.2 per cent in the lower socioeconomic group, 54.4 per cent in the middle percentile, and 18.9 percent in the high economic bracket.

Recent research from economists at the University of Western Australia, published in the Australian Economic Review, has found that where undergraduates study and what degree they graduate with has little influence on their earning potential after graduation. The research data has been received with some surprise in the higher education sector, as it was expected to reflect more sharply the differing quality of student intakes. Debate continues over whether graduates from the Group of Eight earn more in the long term, but overall the research findings indicate that the Federal agenda for higher education to be more inclusive is on the right track. The University of New England has long recognised that final Higher School Certificate scores are not the only predictors of potential success at university. Indeed, the traditional Higher School Certificate based entry pathway to university serves to disadvantage large numbers of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and especially those from rural and isolated regions.

The UNExtra Early Entry Scheme has operated since 1972 and uses the recommendations of schools as the basis for admission. The scheme removes the emphasis on students' choice of school subjects and places the focus on their personal characteristics and potential. The university became even more inclusive for 2007-08 entry by extending the scheme to students who made subject choices in years 11 and 12 that involved vocational study through TAFE. The academic success of the students who enrol under the scheme compares favourably with the cohort admitted on their Higher School Certificate results. This comparison is based on first-year pass rates, progression and course completion rates, and has been confirmed by independent research

The University of New England also offers development programs to bolster the skills and cultural capital of disadvantaged students. For many years its award-winning tUNEup University Preparation Course has instilled confidence in large numbers of newly enrolled students. Commencing students are also supported through intensive on-campus and online academic skills programs, skills diagnostics, specially tailored resources, and mentoring and advisory programs, which begin in orientation and continue throughout candidature. These programs have attracted two Australian Learning and Teaching Council citations for their contribution to student learning.

The university recently added another entry point through its Pathways Enabling Course, which enables people without high school qualifications to enter university. It enables them to acquire the skills and confidence they need to undertake undergraduate studies while also gaining credit towards a degree. The course is free, involves one year of part-time study, and is taught via distance education with an optional residential school. The course, which is tailored for young people who have been unable to finish high school and mature-age students, has attracted more than 300 applications this year.

Just this week Pam Christie, the Director of the TAFE Sydney Institute, told the Higher Education Congress in Sydney that the barrier between university and vocational education providers was largely snobbish. She said universities treat TAFEs as "poor cousins", creating an impediment to the closer partnerships and articulation outlined as the way of the future by Deputy Prime Minister Gillard. The University of New England has worked closely with the New England Institute of TAFE for some time. An outstanding example of this is the access centres on TAFE campuses that are available to both TAFE and University of New England students in the New England and north-western areas of New South Wales.

Another factor is that the University of New England's student accommodation is significantly less expensive than metropolitan student residences and Armidale rent is a fraction of city rental prices, making on-campus university study more affordable for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The university has been awarded five stars in a number of education categories, including graduate satisfaction, and it remains a high-quality tertiary institution.