Key findings from the 2025 Higher Education Student Statistics

Trends in higher education student enrolments ^[1]

Figure 1: Number of domestic and overseas (onshore and offshore) students enrolled in Higher Education, 2016–2025

_Notes:

<sub>1. Onshore overseas students include those in Australia on a student visa (subclass 500) as well as other temporary entry permits which allow study. 
2. Given irregularity of 2020 and 2021, caution should be used when interpreting short term trends. 
3. Commonwealth supported commencements were previously reported for major courses only up to and including 2022. Reporting has now been harmonised across all years to report all commonwealth supported commencements.</sub>

Demand for higher education is influenced by a complex set of factors, such as policy settings, macro-economic conditions including the labour market, migration settings, domestic population growth or decline, and rates of secondary school completion. The trend in higher education student numbers over the past 10 years reflects many of these factors. During the years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a large amount of instability in student numbers. The sector saw domestic students flocking to higher education when other avenues such as travel or employment were limited, while at the same time the closed borders restricted the number of commencing overseas students. Once borders reopened and the labour market bounced back, the trends almost reversed. While growth in onshore overseas student commencements slowed in 2025 (with only a 1 per cent increase from 2024 to 2025), the higher levels of commencements in recent years, combined with strong retention rates, continued to drive growth in the overall number of onshore overseas students within the sector. In contrast, growth in the domestic student numbers remained more modest (1.7 per cent increase). Although domestic commencements increased, much of the growth was offset by existing students completing their study or leaving higher education, resulting in the comparatively limited net growth in the total domestic enrolments. 

Five years after the initial disruption caused by the pandemic, the sector appears to be settling into more predictable patterns. In 2025, the number of students enrolled in higher education continued to rise with 1,754,164 students enrolled, a 4.7 per cent increase from 2024 (1,676,077 students). This was supported by modest domestic student growth from 1,086,789 students to 1,105,531 students (1.7 per cent increase) as well as growth in overseas student numbers (589,288 to 648,633, a 10.1 per cent increase). Onshore overseas students comprise a larger share of all onshore students (i.e. domestic and onshore overseas), increasing to 33 per cent in 2025 from 31 per cent in 2024. This also reflects the cumulative effect of high commencement levels in recent years, which flow through the system over the time it takes the students to complete their study.

Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) are the primary form of government-supported higher education, providing subsidised tuition for eligible domestic students. Commencements in CSPs over the last 10 years have been relatively steady, generally ranging between 300,000 and 330,000 students each year. Following the end of the demand-driven system, commencements declined by just under 3 per cent between 2017 and 2019. This was followed by strong growth in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, before commencements softened in the post-pandemic years. Since 2024, commencing CSP enrolments have resumed an upward trend. In 2025, CSP commencements increased by 3.3 per cent from 319,918 students in 2024 to 330,339 students in 2025, exceeding the level recorded in 2020. Despite this growth, commencing CSP students in 2025 remained slightly below the pandemic related peak reached in 2021.

Domestic commencements in 2025 trending back towards pre-pandemic levels

Figure 2: Commencing domestic students by course type, 2016–2025

_{Note: Given irregularity of 2020 and 2021, caution should be used when interpreting short term trends}

Domestic commencements continued to increase in 2025, with growth occurring across all course types. Postgraduate and undergraduate domestic commencements increased 2.9 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively, while enabling courses increased 9.8 per cent. Consistent growth in undergraduate courses is of particular importance over the coming years, because it is the primary path to increasing overall higher education attainment in Australia. This is discussed in further detail in Trends in domestic undergraduate commencements.

In November 2022, the Australian Government announced Round 1 of the Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education Pilot to assist higher education providers to design and deliver microcredentials – small courses in a specific area of study, with a focus on upskilling and reskilling in short timeframes – in fields of national priority. The Pilot ran until 30 June 2026, and across two rounds provided funding to 18 providers to support the design of 28 microcredentials and the delivery of over 60 microcredential courses across 29 providers. In the years since the Pilot began, domestic commencements in microcredentials and other non-award courses increased steadily to a decade high of 8,498 commencements in 2025. 

Notably, 2025 also saw the introduction of “Fee-Free Uni Ready” courses, which offer university preparation courses fully funded by the Australian Government. Following the introduction of this program, enabling courses (both commonwealth supported and fee-paying) had a 9.8 per cent increase from 2024 to 2025 – the largest proportional increase of all course types.

Spotlight: Fee-Free Uni Ready helping disadvantaged students access higher education

Figure 3: Proportion of students from equity groups in Fee Free Uni Ready (enabling) and Commonwealth Supported Undergraduate courses, 2025

Fee-Free Uni Ready (FFUR) courses, introduced in 2025, provide eligible domestic students with preparatory studies to gain the skills they need to enter an undergraduate degree, without incurring tuition costs. The program aims to expand access to high-quality enabling pathways into higher education, focussing on students from underrepresented backgrounds. In 2025, there were a total of 25,304 students enrolled in FFUR courses.

Compared with representation in undergraduate courses, students from equity groups were more highly represented in FFUR courses. First Nations student representation was almost four times higher in FFUR courses (8.5 per cent in FFUR compared with 2.3 per cent undergraduate), while the proportion of students from low SES and regional and remote areas were around twice as high (2.1 and 1.9 times higher, respectively).

Many FFUR students from low SES areas were also from regional and remote areas. Across these two equity groups combined, students from geographically and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged areas accounted for just over half of FFUR enrolments (52.9 per cent). Students from regional and remote areas made up just over one third (36.4 per cent) of FFUR students, closely followed by students from low SES backgrounds (34.2 per cent). First Nations students made up 8.5 per cent of FFUR students. 

It is expected that the impact of FFUR courses on undergraduate commencements and outcomes will be seen more clearly in later years.

Positive steps toward increasing higher education attainment in Australia

Figure 4: Domestic undergraduate commencements from the past 12 years

^{Note: Given irregularity of 2020 and 2021 (highlighted), caution should be used when interpreting short term trends}

Domestic undergraduate commencements are a key driver of future higher education attainment, as most higher education qualifications are awarded to students who first enter the system through undergraduate study. While attainment also relies on completion of degrees, the return to growth in undergraduate commencements is a positive step towards meeting attainment targets.

Increasing the number of students going into higher education from year 12 is one of the levers available to increase attainment in the population. The number of students entering higher education on the basis of secondary schooling has increased steadily since 2021, from 124,989 to 138,052 (see Table 1). School leavers are also making up a progressively larger share of domestic undergraduate commencements, increasing steadily over the last 4 years from 43.0 per cent in 2021 to 49.9 per cent in 2025. The proportion of domestic commencing undergraduates who are school leavers is the highest it has been in a decade, with the increase driven in part by the decline of commencing mature-age students in recent years.

Table 1: Basis of admission for domestic undergraduate commencements, 2018-2025

^{Notes: 
1. Recent school leavers are higher education commencing students who have been admitted to the university on the basis of recent secondary education. Higher Education providers report all domestic commencements within 3 years of completing secondary school as recent school leavers. 
2. A change in collection of Basis of Admission was implemented from 2021 onwards. The change resulted in more recent secondary categories and fewer work/life experience categories.
3. Basis of Admission includes a further three categories not reported in this table, hence the sum of percentages reported will not equal 100. The three unreported categories are: Admitted based on another Higher Education course, admitted based on an enabling course and admitted based on a VET course.} 

There has been a gradual decline in the number of students entering higher education on the basis of work and life experience. While some of this is attributable to changes in the way basis of admission information was collected from 2021, numbers have continued to decrease since then. There are multiple factors that likely contribute to fewer people going to higher education via work and life experience:

• As more young people enter higher education directly from school, the pool of potential mature-age students without an existing undergraduate qualification will decrease.
• Recent cost-of-living pressures are likely to substantially influence any decisions to study later in life due to financial, time and family constraints.
• Australia has experienced strong labour market conditions in recent years, making paid work relatively more attractive and upskilling less necessary.

University applications data support this decreasing trend. While data on domestic undergraduate applications from domestic non-year 12 applicants do not align perfectly with those who are applying on a work and life experience basis, long term trends indicate that fewer applications are coming from people who are not year 12 students. Between 2016 and 2025, 23,526 fewer non-year 12 applications were made to Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs) and higher education providers, a decrease of 11.3 per cent. 

With the school leaver population only able to supply a certain number of people to increase higher education attainment levels in Australia, growth in attainment will also need to come from people without a higher education qualification entering study through work and life experience pathways.

Further insights into the school to higher education pipeline

Figure 5: Proportion of year 12 students entering undergraduate courses within 1 and 3 years of completing year 12, by year completing year 12

^{Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Schools, Table 42b Number of full-time and part-time students, 2006-2025}

<sup>Notes 
1. Predicted student commencements for 2023 and 2024 are based on the median percentage increase of year 12 cohort commencements in previous years with full data. E.g. the percentage of students who were in year 12 in 2023 who will enrol in their third year after school is estimated using the median percentage of students in previous years entering higher education 3 years after year 12.
2. Records with unknown year for leaving school have been imputed using student age and commencing year. This is an updated and more robust imputation method, which may lead to slight differences to previously published estimates.</sup>

Secondary school completion is an important pathway into higher education, providing a key source of future university students, and is a critical leverage point for increasing higher education attainment among young Australians. 

Estimates of the proportion of year 12 students who are going on to commence higher education have increased slowly over time. Figure 5 shows the proportion of year 12 students completing in a given year that go on to commence an undergraduate degree within 1 or 3 years. The 3-year measure takes into account students who take gap years to travel, work or undertake other study options directly after school, while the 1-year measure reflects students who go straight to university. 

For the Year 12 cohort who completed study in 2024, 43.5 per cent went on to commence an undergraduate degree in 2025. This is an increase from 38.3 per cent for the year 12 cohort who completed secondary school in 2019. 

The proportion of year 12 students who commenced an undergraduate degree within 3 years of completing secondary school was 52.5 per cent for students completing year 12 in 2022 (the most recent cohort with complete data). This is an increase from 46.9 per cent for the 2019 cohort.

Data for commencements within 3 years remain incomplete for the 2023 and 2024 year 12 cohorts. However, including projected commencements based on historical patterns of gap years, the 2024 year 12 cohort is estimated to reach 52.7 per cent of students commencing undergraduate study by 2027.

A small trend shift is observed for commencing higher education immediately after year 12 among the 2020 cohort. Students from this cohort intending on going to higher education were slightly more likely to go straight there, possibly because common gap year activities such as working or travelling were less feasible due to the impacts of the pandemic.

Figure 6: Indicative trends (per cent) for university participation among 18 and 19 year olds, 2016–2025

<sup>Notes 
1. Denominators for participation rates use Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 30 June ERP as at March 2026. Onshore overseas students who are temporary entrants are removed from the ERP to approximate the domestic population.
2. In 2007, the Queensland government introduced an additional year of schooling before Year 1 with only a half-cohort of students enrolling that year. As a result of the Queensland half-year cohort effect, the number of Year 12 students in Queensland in 2019 was around 30 per cent less than the previous year leading to lower applications for higher education among Queensland school leavers in 2020. This change may have impacted participation rates by age due to a shift in the age profile of Queensland students.</sup>

Participation in higher education by age is an important metric for understanding future educational attainment within the population and provides a complementary perspective to the cohort based estimates presented above. Analysis of higher education participation by age shows that participation rates among school leaver aged Australians has not shifted far from where it was 10 years ago, but has increased steadily for two years from 2023.

In 2025, approximately 39 per cent of 18-year-olds in the Australian population and 41 per cent of 19-year-olds ^[2] were enrolled in undergraduate courses, a slight increase from 2024. These proportions increased to a peak in 2021 during the pandemic (42 per cent for 18-year-olds, 44 per cent for 19-year-olds), before returning to pre-pandemic rates in 2023 and 2024.

The increasing proportion of year 12 students entering higher education within 3 years of completing secondary school, coupled with the somewhat stagnant participation rates of 18- and 19-year-olds over the same period (2021 to 2024) highlights the complex relationship between these two measures. Important influencing factors include but are not limited to:

• softening or stabilising year 12 completion rates can cause higher education participation rates to stagnate or decline,
• changes in first-year attrition rates of commencing 18-year-olds can negatively impact participation rates, and
• secondary school leavers who take gap years may not be included in the participation rates yet, given this will result in commencing higher education at an older age.

Further analysis of these complex interactions and the factors at play are necessary to understand the relationship more thoroughly.

Figure 7: Projected population (domestic and non-domestic residents) of 18-year-olds, 2025–2035

^{Source: Centre for Population 2026, Population Statement: National Population Projections, 2024-25 to 2035-36. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Births, Australia}

^{Note: The number of births refers to the number of births 18 years prior to the reference year. e.g. for 2025, birth number will reflect births from 2007.}

The size of the underlying population and how it changes over time are highly influential factors in projecting the number of potential future higher education students. In 2004, the government implemented a baby bonus policy intended to address the declining birth rate. Following this policy, the number of births increased from 254,246 in 2004 to 302,272 in 2008, an average of 12,007 more children per year. Individuals born during this period, started reaching higher education age (18 years old) in 2022.

The projected number of 18-year-olds from this cohort closely follows the pattern of births while the policy was active. While this should lead to increased school leavers in coming years available to enter higher education, when factoring in the most recent rate of retention between year 10 and year 12 nationally (82.8 per cent, ABS Schools 2025) and the estimated rate at which year 12 students are commencing a university course after school (52.7 per cent), an extra 12,000 births per year may only equate to around 5,000 more higher education commencements each year.

Commencements in areas of national priority continue to increase

Table 2: Number of domestic commencing students for select fields of education, 10 year and 2024–2025

<sup>Notes 
1. The University of Notre Dame Australia has suspended new enrolments for its Bachelor of Nursing program from 2025. Nursing enrolment data has been reported both with and without UNDA due to the impact that this suspension has had on overall enrolments in nursing courses.
2. Improved data quality led to some existing education courses, which were not reported as ITE previously but do enable course graduates to register as a teacher, being flagged and reported more accurately as Initial Teacher Education courses for 2025.
3. From 2009, there were no bachelor or above course commencements in Food, Hospitality and Personal services – this field is dominated by VET qualifications. The Higher Education data includes a small number of enabling or sub-bachelor courses only. In recent years the number of sub-bachelor courses in this field of education has increased.</sup> 

Following an overall upturn in commencements in 2024, 2025 has continued to see substantial growth in many areas, including those of national priority. 

The broad fields of Engineering and related technologies, Architecture and Building Studies and Education ^[3] saw the most notable increases in commencements between 2024 and 2025 (6.9, 6.2 and 7.2 per cent respectively). Following a slowdown in growth in 2024, the Information Technology field has seen a 13.2 per cent decline in domestic commencements in 2025. This was one of the few broad fields that saw a decrease in commencements, along with Creative Arts (6.7 per cent decrease).

While nursing commencements decreased slightly in 2025, this was largely driven by the suspension of new enrolments in nursing courses at the University of Notre Dame (UNDA), one of the largest providers of nursing courses in Australia (5th largest with 4.1 per cent of all nursing commencements in 2024). These changes at UNDA had a noticeable impact on the national commencement numbers – when excluding UNDA from the time series for comparison purposes, domestic nursing commencements increased by 1.1 per cent in 2025.

Spotlight: Demand for Information Technology possibly in decline

The sudden decline in IT commencements after many years of increased demand has sparked speculation as to whether the emergence of AI and its potential impact on the IT workforce is making IT degrees less attractive to potential students. The sudden decline appears to be across both undergraduate and postgraduate commencements, which decreased by 14.4 per cent and 9.7 per cent respectively. While undergraduate males make up the bulk of the loss of commencements in number given IT is a male dominated field of study, the percentage drop off in commencements in undergraduate IT courses was similar for both males and females (14.8 percent and 13.4 per cent decrease). The decline in IT course commencements coincided with weaker demand from potential domestic students, with undergraduate CSP IT applications at Table A universities falling by 10.8 per cent from 2024 to 2025.

Initial teacher education enrolments

Figure 8: Domestic commencing students enrolled in an Initial Teacher education (ITE) course

^{Note: Given the irregularity of 2020 and 2021 (highlighted), caution should be used when interpreting short-term trends}

ITE courses prepare students for a career in teaching and are a key pathway for building Australia's future teaching workforce. ITE courses include Bachelor and Master’s by coursework qualifications that meet the academic requirements for teacher registration across early childhood, primary and secondary education settings. Following changes made by the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia to accredit graduate diplomas, from 2025 the HESSC data includes a small number of graduate diplomas delivered from WA providers. WA-approved Graduate Diplomas may not meet the requirements for provisional or full teacher registration in other jurisdictions. 

Across all course levels, domestic ITE commencements increased by 12.3 per cent between 2024 and 2025, from 25,683 to 28,850. This increase was driven by both underlying growth and improvements in data quality for the reporting of ITE data. Domestic ITE enrolments increased from 82,400 in 2024 to 88,018 in 2025, a 6.8 per cent increase.

In 2025, domestic students graduating from ITE courses increased 7.1 per cent from 2024. This is the highest number of graduating domestic ITE students since 2017, with 17,039 new teachers eligible to enter the workforce in 2026.

Targeted quality improvement for ITE data

For the 2025 data, the department undertook a targeted quality assurance exercise to identify teaching courses which were not correctly reported as ITE. As a result, several courses previously not flagged as being ITE were flagged as ITE, increasing reported ITE student numbers in 2025 and inflating annual growth rates.  This predominantly impacted early childhood education courses, which have a higher proportion of overseas students compared to other ITE courses. Consequently, the effect on reported growth was greater for overseas students than for domestic students.

The department has estimated the change in enrolments attributable to data quality improvement and to real-world increases using data submitted before and after the quality exercise was undertaken. The department estimates that, of the 12.3 per cent growth in domestic commencing ITE students from 2024 to 2025, 9.9 per cent was attributable to real-world increases, while 2.5 per cent (or an additional 637 students) was due to improved quality of ITE reporting. For all domestic ITE students, of the 6.8 per cent increase from 2024 to 2025, 4.4 per cent was due to real-world increases in student numbers, while 2.3 per cent (or an additional 5,618 students) was due to improved quality of ITE reporting. 

Commencements in ITE have been somewhat volatile for the past decade, with the pandemic creating placement backlogs, changes to program requirements for entering the teacher workforce and cost of living pressures creating challenges for undertaking practical placements. Two years of consecutive growth in domestic ITE commencements indicate that policy interventions such as the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, and various state and territory programs, are having a positive impact.

Policy Background: Commonwealth Prac Payment Program

The Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) program was introduced from 1 July 2025 to provide financial support to eligible teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students while they are undertaking mandatory placements. From 1 July 2027, the program will be expanded to students studying 10 frontline allied health disciplines in areas of national skills shortage.

Due to its introduction in the latter half of the 2025 calendar year, the impact of the program on commencements and outcomes will likely be seen from 2026 onwards.

Number of commencing students from under-represented groups continues to rise

Figure 9: Domestic onshore commencing students by equity group, 2016–2025

<sup>Notes 
1. There is a series break from 2020 to 2021 when the scope of reportable disabilities expanded to include intellectual, mental, acquired brain injury and neurological disabilities. This change resulted in a large increase in the number of students with disability reported in the data and does not reflect a real-world change. Increases due to this data collection change should now be stabilising.
2. There is a series break in 2021 for both Low SES and Regional and Remote due to the updated Australian Statistical Geographic Standard (ASGS) and Socio-economic index of areas (SEIFA) released by the ABS in 2021. The graph shows the levels for both the 2016 and 2021 ASGS and SEIFA for 2021 to illustrate the difference caused by the statistical update. The next update to SEIFA is expected to be released in 2028 and is expected to be included in the reporting of the 2027 data.</sup> 

Figure 10: Proportion of all domestic onshore commencing students, 2016–2025

<sup>Notes 
1. There is a series break from 2020 to 2021 when the scope of reportable disabilities expanded to include intellectual, mental, acquired brain injury and neurological disabilities. This change resulted in a large increase in the number of students with disability reported in the data and does not reflect a real-world change. Increases due to this data collection change should now be stabilising.
2. There is a series break in 2021 for both Low SES and Regional and Remote due to the updated Australian Statistical Geographic Standard (ASGS) and Socio-economic index of areas (SEIFA) released by the ABS in 2021. The graph shows the levels for both the 2016 and 2021 ASGS and SEIFA for 2021 to illustrate the difference caused by the statistical update. The next update to SEIFA is expected to be released in 2028 and is expected to be included in the reporting of the 2027 data.</sup> 

Commencements of students belonging to equity groups have been steadily increasing since 2023, particularly among students from regional and remote and low SES areas, which are approaching pre-pandemic levels. Compared with their representation in the broader Australian population, however, many equity groups remain under-represented in higher education.

Overall, trends in commencements and representation for equity groups vary, reflecting the different experiences of students who belong to these groups. Increasing the representation of equity groups in higher education is an important area of policy, with many government initiatives aiming to improve access to, and support during, higher education.

Policy Background: Needs Based Funding

Needs-based Funding (NBF) commenced on 1 January 2026 as a core component of Commonwealth funding for teaching and learning. It provides additional funding, over and above core Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) funding, to better support students from low SES backgrounds and First Nations students enrolled in eligible courses to complete their studies. While 2026 is operating as a transition year, NBF is intended to be enshrined in legislation from 2027 as a permanent feature of Commonwealth funding arrangements.

As the latest student data relate to 2025, they do not capture the impacts of NBF on students from low SES backgrounds and First Nations students.

First Nations students

First Nations student commencements have increased by 5.5 per cent from 10,840 in 2024 to 11,431 in 2025, while the proportion of First Nations commencements increased slightly from 2.6 per cent to 2.7 per cent. This indicates that the increase in commencing First Nations students was slightly higher than the overall increase in domestic student commencements generally.

There was also a small rise in enrolled First Nations students, increasing from 2.3 per cent in 2024 to 2.4 per cent in 2025. Although this small change is promising, First Nations students remain under-represented in higher education institutions when compared to the proportion of First Nations people in the Australian population (3.8 per cent as of the 2021 ABS Estimated Resident Population).

Spotlight: Experimental population participation rates among First Nations people

Figure 11: Indicative trends for population participation rate among First Nations people age 15-64, 2016–2025

^{Note: Denominators for participation rates use Australian Bureau of Statistics Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Estimates and Projections. Estimates are used up to 2021 and medium series projections from 2022 to 2025.}

Participation rates provide insight into the proportion of a population group engaged in higher education and can help identify potential unmet demand and populations that are under-represented or underserved in higher education. 

Calculating participation rates is complex, requiring population data for the cohort of interest and the use of assumptions, including population projections. In 2025, the department expanded its analysis of First Nations students to include experimental participation rates of the First Nations population in higher education. These differ from the participation rates presented in Section 16 data tables. The experimental population participation rates estimate the proportion of the First Nations population participating in higher education, while the rates in Section 16 show the proportion of higher education students who identify as First Nations. These estimates should be interpreted with caution and the underlying assumptions can be provided on request.

Participation in higher education among First Nations people in Australia is currently close to its decade high. In 2025, an estimated 3.9 per cent of First Nations Australians aged 15-64 years were enrolled in higher education, up from 3.3 per cent in 2016. While participation has increased overall, there was a temporary decline in 2022 and 2023. This coincided with a broader fall in higher education student numbers and marked the first time on record that the number of First Nations students in higher education declined.

Despite this short-term setback, the long-term trend remains positive. The increase in the participation rate indicates that First Nations enrolments have grown slightly faster than the First Nations working-age population over the period, resulting in a higher proportion of First Nations people participating in higher education. This is a positive outcome; however, the relatively low participation rate suggests that significant barriers to higher education participation remain for First Nations people.

First Nations peoples bring significant strengths, knowledges, aspirations and connections to community that support participation and success in higher education. Outcomes are also shaped by a complex range of structural and institutional factors, including financial pressures, geography, access to school and pathway opportunities, institutional culture and racism, family and community responsibilities, as well as the way universities design admissions, teaching and student support. These factors shape opportunities to participate and succeed in higher education and should not be understood as a reflection of individual capability, aspiration or potential. Policy responses have sought to reduce some of these barriers through measures including University Study Hubs on Country, culturally responsive student supports, alternative pathways into higher education and demand-driven Commonwealth supported places for First Nations students. Since 2024, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australia are guaranteed a Commonwealth supported place at a university of their choice, when accepted into their chosen (non-medical) bachelor course of study. 

It is also important to be mindful that while First Nations participation has been on the rise, retention and completion remain below their non-Indigenous peers. See Section 16 – Equity Performance for further data on outcomes for First Nations students.

Students from low socio-economic (SES) areas

The number of domestic commencing students from low SES areas ^[6] increased by 3.9 per cent from 69,810 students in 2024 to 72,509 in 2025, while the proportion of domestic commencing students who were from low SES areas was slightly higher than the previous year (17.0 per cent for 2024, 17.2 per cent for 2025). This indicates that the increase in commencing domestic students from low SES areas was slightly higher than the overall increase in domestic student commencements generally. 

Students from low SES areas made up a similar proportion of all enrolled domestic students in 2025 (16.0 per cent in 2024 compared with 16.1 per cent in 2025). Low SES students are still under-represented in higher education given the proportion of study-aged (15-64) people in the broader Australian population who live in low SES areas (25 per cent).

Spotlight: Students from low SES areas more likely to choose teaching and nursing

Figure 12: Proportion of domestic commencements in teaching and nursing courses for Low and High SES (First Address SA1), 2016–2025

Decisions about higher education study are shaped by a range of factors, including employment opportunities, living costs, academic achievement, personal aspirations, and the affordability and availability of different study options. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are often more vulnerable to barriers that affect access to higher education, as they may have fewer financial and educational resources to draw upon when circumstances change. As a result, both broader economic conditions and changes to factors such as course costs, entry requirements, and other aspects of the higher education system can have a greater impact on their study choices and participation. 

Despite the economic pressures experienced over the past decade, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds have consistently accounted for around 16 to 17 per cent of domestic higher education enrolments. Teaching and nursing have been the top fields of choice over that time, with between 20-25 per cent of commencing low SES students choosing to study in these fields. In 2025, this equated to around 18,000 potential future teachers and nurses. In comparison, the top fields of study for high SES students in 2025 were Business and Management and Law, with only around 1 in 10 choosing to study teaching or nursing.

There are many reasons why students from low socioeconomic backgrounds might choose to study teaching and nursing at a higher rate. These courses have clear career pathways, are in areas of high workforce need and take less time to move into the workforce than other similar health fields like medicine. 

Students from a regional and remote area

The number of domestic commencing students from regional ^[7] and remote areas increased by 2.9 per cent from 82,992 students in 2024 to 85,388 students in 2025. However, the proportion of commencing students who were from regional and remote areas remained similar to the previous year (20.3 per cent in 2024, 20.2 per cent in 2025). This indicates that the increase in the number of commencing regional and remote students is in line with the overall increase in domestic student commencements generally.

Students from regional and remote areas made up the same proportion of enrolled domestic students in 2025 as in 2024 (19.2 per cent). Students from regional and remote areas are still under-represented when compared to the proportion of the Australian population that lived in regional and remote areas in 2025 (27.1 per cent, ABS Regional Population).

Since 2018, Regional University Study Hubs (RUSH) have provided an innovative approach to improve access to tertiary education for regional and remote students. The program has likely contributed to the increased commencements of regional and remote students, with the impact of the significant expansion of the program in recent years expected to be seen in future years of data.

Note about measuring remoteness

The 2025 student data include an improved measure of regional and remote status of a student, based on the statistical area 1 (SA1) of the student's (current or first) address. The Regional and Remote (SA1) measure has higher accuracy than the postcode measure and removes the proportionality issue of the previous method. In line with policy reforms, the department will move to retire the postcode measure from program administration and reporting over the next few years. Both SA1 and Postcode measures are reported in 2025 data.

Students with disability

Table 3: Domestic commencing onshore students with disability, by disability type 2021–2025

<sup>Notes 
1. Students can disclose more than one disability, the total number of students with disability does not equal the sum of the disability types.
2. The scope of reportable disabilities was expanded in 2021 to include intellectual, mental, acquired brain injury and neurological disabilities. This change resulted in a step increase in the number of students with disability reported in the data resulting in a series break. For this reason, data prior to 2021 has not been presented.</sup>

Students with disability is the highest growth equity group among domestic onshore students, with an increase of 9.3 per cent from 2024 to 2025. The number of domestic commencing students with one or more self-reported disabilities has increased from 39,829 in 2021 to 51,875 in 2025, a 30.2 per cent increase over 5 years. This growth may reflect improved access to higher education through wider availability of online and hybrid courses, fewer barriers or perceived barriers to students disclosing disability, as well as increased disability reporting across the broader population, as identified in the 2021 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.

Policy Background: Higher Education Disability Support Fund

From 1 January 2025, the Higher Education Disability Support fund was increased by approximately $40 million per year (indexed), quadrupling current funding levels. This additional funding will help universities deliver more programs and services that assist students with disability to access, participate and succeed in their university study.

While the overall growth in students with reported disability continues, it is inconsistent between the different disability types recorded. Proportionally, neurological conditions (which currently includes autism and ADHD) continue to be the fastest growing disability group amongst higher education students, increasing by 29.5 per cent from 2024 to 2025, and more than tripling since the expansion of data collection in 2021. 

Other notable increases between 2024 and 2025 include those with specific learning disability (16.1 per cent), intellectual disability (13.5 per cent increase), medical condition (12.3 per cent increase), and physical disability (11.3 per cent increase). Very small decreases were observed for just two of the categories: not specified (3.4 per cent decrease) and acquired brain injury (0.6 per cent decrease).

The department acknowledges points raised by disability advocates regarding the current reporting of disability categories (in particular, intellectual disability/ specific learning disability/ neurological disability). The department will work closely with ATEC and stakeholders to ensure inclusive, high quality and high integrity disability data into the future.

It’s important to note that a numerical increase is not necessarily a marker of improved representative access of people with disability, as the data do not include consideration of level of support needs. For example, students with higher support needs may still be under-represented.

Attrition rate lowest seen in the last 10 years

Figure 13: Sector attrition rate for domestic commencing bachelor students at Table A and B providers, 2015-2024

^{Note: Given irregularity of 2020 and 2021, caution should be used when interpreting short term trends}

Attrition is influenced by many factors, such as the composition and academic preparedness of commencing students and the broader economic and social climate. Managing attrition levels by supporting students to stay with their study is crucial for increasing higher education attainment in the broader Australian population.

The sector attrition rate ^[8] captures the proportion of domestic bachelor students who discontinue study after the first year, and do not return to study, at any HESA approved provider, in the following year ^[9]. The rate does not account for students who take a year or more period of leave from study but return following that leave. As a result, it generally overstates true attrition from higher education, which can only be accurately measured through the longer-term cohort analysis presented in Section 17 – Completion rates. The most recent data available reflect students who commenced in 2024 and did not return in 2025.

The sector attrition rate for domestic commencing bachelor students dropped substantially in the most recent data, from 12.2 per cent for the 2023 commencing cohort to 10.7 per cent for the 2024 commencing cohort. This follows a similarly large decrease in attrition rate the year prior (14.7 per cent for the 2022 commencing cohort to 12.2 per cent for the 2023 commencing cohort). This positive outcome signals that more domestic bachelor students are choosing and/or are able to remain within the higher education sector after their first year than in previous years. 

There are several possible and interrelated reasons why domestic bachelor student attrition improved between 2022 and 2024:

• Targeted initiatives for improving attrition: In 2024 the Australian Government introduced the Support for Students Policy into the Higher Education Provider Guidelines 2023. This policy required providers to have their own Support for Students Policy that details the support made available to students to assist them with successfully completing their units of study. Engagement with providers highlighted measures such as increased efforts to identify disengaged students prior to census dates, as well as providing extra support for commencing students identified as at risk of attrition. Students who discontinue study prior to the census date do not incur a financial commitment and are not counted in the commencing student numbers.
• Availability of alternative pathways: with generally positive employment conditions, potential 2025 students may have instead opted to enter the workforce instead of commencing higher education at all and later discontinuing their study. Likewise, the introduction of the Fee-Free TAFE and VET places from January 2023 may have provided an alternative tertiary education pathway for potential students who were less academically inclined, or who otherwise may have had to study part-time – both factors strongly correlated with attrition.
• Changes in commencing student profile: likely heavily influenced by alternative pathways to work and tertiary education, there was a shift in 2023 where domestic commencing bachelor students were more likely to remain in university past their first year. This increase has continued in 2025. This included a higher proportion of commencing recent school leavers, who are more likely to study full-time, as well as an increasing tendency among non-school leaver students to study full-time.

Attrition rates at non-university higher education institutions continue to be volatile due to the small size of these institutions.

Only those students who left the higher education system entirely (that is, they were no longer at any institution) are counted as not continuing.

Success rates for domestic students are the highest in a decade

Figure 14: Success rates for commencing Bachelor students at Table A and Table B providers, 2016–2025

^{Note: Given irregularity of 2020 and 2021, caution should be used when interpreting short term trends}

The success rate measures the proportion of units of study passed (EFTSL) from all units of study attempted. Success in the first year of study is often used as a leading indicator for ongoing success and eventual completion of study.

After increasing slightly between 2016 and 2022, domestic student success rates have increased year on year since 2023 and reached a 10-year high in 2025 at 88.9 per cent, showing that a growing proportion of students are successfully completing their units and progressing through their courses. Similarly, overseas student success rates reached 88.6 per cent in 2025, also reaching a 10-year high and just surpassing the previous peak during the pandemic.

The recent focus on equity and student support across a range of measures may be contributing to the increases in success for domestic students. Engagement with higher education providers by the Department supports this, with many citing both academic and non-academic supports helping to improve student outcomes.

Table 4: Success rates (%) for domestic commencing bachelor students by grouped ATAR, 2016–2025

^{Note: Students with an ATAR of less than 30 are included in the ‘ATAR not provided’ category.}

Analysis of success rates over time by ATAR indicates that this focus on equity and student support may be having an impact. Students in the lowest ATAR bands made the biggest gains in success, with the magnitude of the increase in success increasing as ATAR decreased (i.e. the lower the ATAR score, the greater the increase in success rates over time). The success rate for students with an ATAR of 30-49 increased by 6.3 percentage points from 69.0 per cent in 2016 to 75.3 per cent in 2025. For students with ATARs of 50-79, the success rate increased by 5 percentage points. Higher ATAR groups showed smaller improvements, partly due to success rates already being high and not having much further room for improvement.

Efforts by Government and higher education providers to minimise non-genuine overseas students are likely to have contributed to the increased success rate of the overseas cohort.

Four-year completion and engagement rates increase in 2025

Figure 15: Completion and engagement rates for domestic commencing bachelor students at Table A and Table B providers, 2008 to 2022 cohorts

_{Note: Years displayed reflect the year the student commenced study. Therefore, 4-year rates are only available up to 2022 and 6-year rates are only available up to 2020.}

Completion rates show the percentage of students who have completed their study 4 or 6 years after they commenced their course, while engagement rates show the percentage of students who have completed or are still enrolled 4 or 6 years after they commenced their course. 

Completion rates can be influenced by a number of factors, including part-time study load, longer degrees (medicine/law), availability of practical placements or double degrees. Bachelor courses are generally completed within four years with full-time study, or longer if studied part time. Students who undertake their course part time are counted as still engaged in their study at the 4-year mark and are included in the engagement rate.

While both 4-year and 6-year bachelor completion rates have generally declined over the longer term, recent data suggest this trend may be stabilising. Six-year completion rates have remained relatively steady in recent years, while 4-year completion rates have increased over the past two years, rising by 3.1 percentage points for the latest commencing cohort. Engagement rates, which include students who have completed their course, have followed a similar pattern. This improvement has been driven entirely by higher completion rates, as the proportion of students still enrolled has remained broadly unchanged (35.1 per cent for the 2021 commencing cohort and 35.6 per cent for the 2022 commencing cohort). The recent increase in the completion rate is likely related to improvements in attrition and student success rates over recent years.