Current Higher Education Data Analysis
The overall objective for equity in higher education is to ensure that Australians from all groups in society have the opportunity to participate successfully in higher education. This will be achieved by changing the balance of the student population to reflect more closely the composition of the society as a whole.1
Disability is a normal part of the human experience, with some form of disability affecting 21.4 per cent of the population, or approximately 5.5 million people in Australia 2. Yet students with disability continue to be disadvantaged in terms of their access to, and participation in, higher education in Australia. Only 17.0% of students with disability aged 20 and over have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with 35.0% of those without disability 3. As at Higher Education data dated from 2022, only 10.6 percent of domestic undergraduates with a disability are enrolled in Table A higher education institutions 4.
The analysis below includes:
A particular note about 2020 data
During the transition to the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for Students with Disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. Correcting this oversight has not been possible, so the entire series has been reported as received. The figures for some individual universities and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access and participation share indicators and 2020 retention and success rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken in including 2020 enrolment data for Students with Disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
The Students with disability in Australian higher education: An overview report (September 2024) by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) provides a detailed analysis of domestic undergraduate students with disabilities in Australian higher education. It examines trends over the past decade, focusing on access, participation, success, retention, and completion rates. The report also discusses how changes in data collection methods during 2020-21 impacted the accuracy of reported figures.
Key findings highlight significant disparities in educational outcomes for students with disabilities compared to their peers. The report emphasizes the need for accurate data collection to inform policies and practices aimed at improving educational equity. It suggests targeted interventions to support students with disabilities and aims to guide higher education institutions and policymakers in developing strategies to enhance their inclusion and success.
Participation
At university, students with disability represented 10.6 per cent of all domestic undergraduates in 2022, up from 9.4 per cent in the previous year. There has been strong growth in enrolment share of students with disability over the last ten years in comparison with general growth in the sector nationally (Table 1) 5. Actual enrolments rose from 46,493 in 2012 to 116,422 in 2022 4. There is considerable variation observed across the states and territories, with participation ranging from more than 12.0 per cent in South Australia, Northern Territory and the ACT to just under 9.0 per cent in Tasmania (Table 2) 5. The overall national figure is 10.9 per cent.
Table 1: Growth in domestic undergraduate enrolments in higher education, 2012-2022 4
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Total domestic enrolments | 921,186 | 972,292 | 1,013,831 | 1,035,474 | 1,055,274 | 1,071,448 | 1,071,980 | 1,076,790 | 1,124,453 | 1,153,550 | 1,094,233 |
| People with Disability enrolments | 46,493 | 50,079 | 55,605 | 60,019 | 63,717 | 68,541 | 73,235 | 77,633 | 83,686 | 108,445 | 116,422 |
| People with disability as a % of total enrolments | 5.05% | 5.15% | 5.48% | 5.80% | 6.04% | 6.40% | 6.83% | 7.21% | 7.44% | 9.40% | 10.6% |
Table 2: Participation rates (%) for all domestic students with disability by state and territory, 2014 - 2021 5
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (Table A) | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 9.66 | 10.9 |
|
New South Wales |
5.3 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.97 | 9.38 | 10.5 |
| Victoria | 5.2 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.14 | 9.87 | 11.0 |
| Queensland | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 8.12 | 9.30 |
10.5 |
| Western Australia | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.46 | 8.86 | 11.0 |
| South Australia | 7.5 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 10.58 | 11.80 | 12.2 |
| Tasmania | 8.7 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 6.74 | 7.32 | 9.0 |
| Northern Territory | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 4.71 | 10.47 | 12.4 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 9.57 | 11.82 | 12.2 |
Success
Student success rates and ratios measure academic performance by determining the number of units passed out of all units attempted. Table 3 presents a comparison rate between students with disability and all students. For students with disability, the success rate is divided by the success rate of students without disability to create a success ratio. If the success ratio equals 1.00 or greater it means that students with disability are performing as well as or better than their peers (without a reported disability).5
In 2022 success rates for students with disability were 82.2 per cent compared with students without disability at 87.6 per cent – a difference of 5.4 per cent (Table 3). The national success ratio for students with disability is 0.93 and a number of states and territories are failing to meet this benchmark (Table 4). It is important for universities to review their own data analytics to find out what impediments to success students with disability may be experiencing which impact their academic performance. This could include considerations about inclusive teaching strategies, accessibility or student support.
Table 3: Disability success rates for domestic students in higher education, 2012-2022
|
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Students with disability |
83.4 |
82.9 |
82.7 |
82.2 |
81.1 |
81.5 |
81.1 |
81.8 |
81.5 |
82.3 |
82.2 |
|
All students |
88.2 |
87.8 |
87.6 |
87.3 |
86.7 |
87.0 |
87.0 |
87.1 |
87.2 |
87.4 |
87.6 |
Table 4: Disability success ratios for domestic students in higher education by state, 2012-2022
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| National (Table A) | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.94 |
0.93 |
0.94 | 0.93 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.93 |
|
New South Wales |
0.94 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.91 | 0.92 |
| Victoria | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 0.95 |
| Queensland | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 0.90 | 0.91 | 0.92 |
| Western Australia | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.91 | 0.93 | 0.91 | 0.91 | 0.91 | 0.92 |
| South Australia | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.95 |
| Tasmania | 0.90 | 0.88 | 0.90 | 0.92 | 0.92 | 0.94 | 0.92 | 0.91 | 0.89 | 0.87 | 0.88 |
| Northern Territory | 0.80 | 0.86 | 0.82 | 0.84 | 0.87 | 0.83 | 0.82 | 0.84 | 0.90 | 0.81 | 0.82 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.95 |
Disability success ratios are below parity (1.00) across the country mean that students with disability are less successful than students without disability. There is some variability by state however the success of students with disability is generally between 5 and 10 per cent lower than students without any reported disability.4
Retention
Student retention rates and ratios measure the proportion of students who continue their studies from the previous year. A retention rate or ratio is created for students with disability to compare their performance with other students. The 2021 retention rate for students with disability was 78.1 per cent compared with 80.7 for students without disability (Table 5). The national disability retention ratio has held steady at around 0.96 in 2021 with only Western Australia and the Northern Territory below this figure (Table 6). A retention ratio of 0.96 suggests that students with disability have only slightly lower retention rates than students without disability 5. It is important for universities to monitor retention rates and ratios within their own institutions to ensure that attrition of students with disability is understood and that any barriers to ongoing enrolment are addressed
Table 5: Disability retention rates for domestic students in higher education by year, 2012 - 2021
|
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Students with disability |
79.7 |
79.2 |
79.3 |
79.1 |
79.2 |
78.8 |
79.6 |
79.5 |
79.8 |
78.1 |
|
All students |
82.8 |
82.1 |
82.3 |
82.1 |
82.2 |
81.9 |
82.4 |
82.8 |
83.3 |
80.7 |
Table 6: Disability retention ratios for domestic students in higher education by state, 2012-2021
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (Table A) | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.95 |
|
New South Wales |
0.97 |
0.96 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.93 |
| Victoria | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.98 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.97 |
| Queensland | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 0.96 |
| Western Australia | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 0.93 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.95 |
| South Australia | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.99 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.01 |
| Tasmania | 1.02 | 1.07 | 1.07 | 1.16 | 1.10 | 1.08 | 1.03 | 1.01 | 1.04 |
| Northern Territory | 0.97 | 0.93 | 0.87 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.90 | 0.95 | 0.92 | 0.97 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.97 | 0.98 |
0.98 |
0.96 | 0.97 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.97 |
The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) offers an interactive data tool 
that provides valuable insights into undergraduate equity groups in Australian higher education. This tool allows users to compare data at national, state/territory, and institutional levels across seven key indicators. Drawing from the Australian Government Department of Education's Higher Education Student Data Collection, the tool offers a comprehensive view of student equity in Australia's higher education landscape.
Student Experience Survey
The Student Experience Survey (SES)5 administered through the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) agency was created to provide a national framework for collecting feedback on the higher education student experience. The SES focuses on aspects of the student experience that are measurable, linked with learning and development outcomes, and potentially able to be influenced by institutions. Focus areas in the SES comprise related items representing feedback from students about their higher education experience, regarding outcomes, behaviours and satisfaction:
- Skills development
- Learner engagement
- Teaching quality
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Overall quality of educational experience
Table 7: The undergraduate student experience for students with disability and their peers, 2020-2022 (% positive rating)
| Skills development |
Learner engagement |
Teaching quality |
Student support |
Learning resources |
Quality of entire experience |
|||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Disability | 75.2 | 75.7 | 77.3 | 39.5 | 45.0 | 50.9 | 75.7 |
76.6 |
78.1 | 73.2 | 70.8 | 71.3 | 72.9 | 77.2 | 80.5 |
65.7 |
69.9 | 73.8 |
| No disability | 78.3 |
79.6 |
80.8 | 44.8 | 49.0 | 55.6 | 78.1 | 79.7 | 80.4 | 73.7 | 72.7 | 73.1 | 76.2 | 80.2 | 83.9 |
68.9 |
73.3 | 76.1 |
Students who reported having a disability were less likely to provide positive ratings than students who did not report any disability, with ratings between 1.0 and 5.0 percentage points lower across scales. Satisfaction with the student support scale has the smallest gap while the largest gap is for the learner engagement scale. The quality of their entire educational experience was 2.3 percentage points lower for students who reported having a disability.
In addition to the items asking students to rate various aspects of their educational experience, students were also asked to indicate whether they had seriously considered leaving their institution during the year. Health and stress was reported as the number one reason cited by 51.1 per cent of undergraduate students. There is no specific measure of disability.
Graduate Outcomes
The 2023 Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) 7 was released in May 2024. It examines short-term (i.e., four to six months after course completion) labour market outcomes (rates of full-time employment, overall employment, labour force participation and median full-time salaries), further study outcomes and graduate satisfaction with their completed course. The report also discusses some areas of focus such as the gender pay gap, skills utilisation across graduate occupations, reasons for skills-based or time-based underemployment and how well qualifications prepared graduates for their current jobs.
Table 8: Undergraduate employment outcomes for students with disability and their peers, 2021-2023 (%)
| 2021 | 2022 |
2023 |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed Full-time |
Overall employment |
Labour force participation |
Employed Full-time |
Overall employment |
Labour force participation |
Employment Full-time | Overall employment | Labour force particpation | |
| Disability | 58.7 | 77.4 | 88.8 | 68.4 | 82.2 | 88.9 | 71.0 | 84.3 |
88.7 |
| No disability | 70.0 | 85.6 | 92.4 | 79.5 | 88.9 | 92.8 | 79.5 | 79.9 | 93.0 |
In 2023, undergraduates with a reported disability had a full-time employment rate of 71.0 per cent, which was 8.9 percentage points lower than the 79.9 per cent for undergraduates who reported no disability. This gap has been fairly consistent over the past 3 years with no sign of closing.
QILT does not provide any analysis as to the changes between years and why graduates with disability continue to have lower rates of success. Issues such as funding to support students with disability and their transition to employment, ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on workforce participation, and current labour market machinations continue to impact the graduate outcomes of people with disability.
Overall employment is defined by QILT as 'employed graduates (including in full-time, part-time or casual employment), as a proportion of those available for employment'. This is the preferred measurement to take into account graduates who are seeking work regardless of the number of hours.
Labour force participation over time continues to be lower for people with disability. The gap for students with disability vs those without disability has been 3.6 percentage points in 2021, 3.9 in 2022, and 4.3 in 2023. Institutions need to consider how to close this gap and consider how to better support people with disability for graduate employment especially in such a changeable labour market.
In 2023 the median salary for employed full-time undergraduates with disability was $70,000 vs those without disability $71,000 which is a smaller gap than figures in 2022. It is important for future employers to consider a variety of strategies in recruiting and retaining graduates with disability including equal remuneration.
The decrease in employment rates seen between 2022 and 2023 for all students may be attributed to lingering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic as industries adapt to new ways of working and where skill shortages are acute across many sectors.
As an identified disadvantaged equity group, there has been an ongoing focus on increasing the access, participation and success of students with disability in post-secondary education. Internationally, it also continues to be an area of research and focus. As well as the ADCET website, the Australian Government Department of Education funds the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (formerly the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education), whose purpose is to inform public policy design and implementation, and institutional practice, in order to improve higher education participation and success for marginalised and disadvantaged people.
References
1 Dawkins 1990 as cited in Naylor, Baik & James 2013. Archived at https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A9695
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022. Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings 2022. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release
3 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au) People with disability in Australia, Educational attainment. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/disability/people-with-disability-in-australia/contents/education-and-skills/educational-attainment
4 Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Selected Higher Education Statistics – 2022 Student Data, Section 11 – Equity Groups. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2022-section-11-equity-groups
5 Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Selected Higher Education Statistics – 2022 Student Data, Section 16 – Equity Performance Data. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/2022-section-16-equity-performance-data
6 QILT 2022. Student Experience Survey: National Report. The Social Research Centre, Victoria. Sourced from https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/student-experience-survey-(ses)
7 QILT 2023. Graduate Outcomes Survey: National Report. The Social Research Centre, Victoria. Sourced from https://www.qilt.edu.au/qilt-surveys/graduate-employment
Updated July 2024