Premium
Participation in Higher Education in Australia: Equity and Access *
Author(s) -
CARDAK BULY A.,
RYAN CHRIS
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
economic record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1475-4932
pISSN - 0013-0249
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2009.00570.x
Subject(s) - equity (law) , socioeconomic status , access to higher education , higher education , possession (linguistics) , demographic economics , political science , psychology , economic growth , sociology , economics , demography , population , linguistics , philosophy , law
We study the relationship between university participation and socioeconomic status (SES) in Australia, focusing on eligibility to attend university. Participation among those with similar eligibility to attend university does not vary by SES. Conditional on their Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) scores, low SES students are as likely to attend university as high SES students. We find that possession and the quality of ENTER scores (eligibility) rises with SES. Our results suggest better understanding and policy targeting of the link between SES and school achievement, which is an important part of improving equity and access in Australian higher education.