The Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) was discontinued on 1 January 2026.
Most HEPPP-eligible activities are now supported by the Needs-Based Funding (NBF) and Outreach Funding programs. Further information on these programs is included in the NBF Guidance and Outreach Funding Guidance documents.
The Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) operated from 2010-2025. It provided funding to universities listed in Table A of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to implement strategies that improved access to undergraduate courses for students:
- from low socioeconomic status (low SES) backgrounds
- from regional and remote Australia
- who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Additional information on the objectives of HEPPP and the conditions applied to grants can be found in the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022 (sections 8 to 13).
Further information regarding the application of the Guidelines to more specific activities and circumstances can be found in the 2024 HEPPP Reporting FAQs and 2025 HEPPP Reporting FAQs, which outline key questions received from providers during the 2024 and 2025 reporting periods as we progressed towards the closure of the program and transition towards the NBF.
Distribution of HEPPP funds:
Grants were made to eligible higher education providers each calendar year based on the provider’s respective share of domestic undergraduate students from a low SES background, students from regional and remote areas and Indigenous students.
Allocations of HEPPP funding for each university are outlined in the following spreadsheet:
2010-2025 HEPPP Participation Allocations
For further information on the calculation of grant amounts, see the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022 (section 12).
Student Equity in Higher Education Evaluation Framework (SEHEEF)
In response to a 2017 evaluation and stakeholder feedback about the implementation of the HEPPP, the Department engaged the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland to co-design the Student Equity in Higher Education Evaluation Framework (SEHEEF).
The SEHEEF was co-designed with universities to effectively structure and guide three levels of evaluation:
- a national program evaluation of the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP),
- quality improvement evaluations of individual HEPPP-funded university programs and activities; and evaluations of the effectiveness, and
- impact of individual HEPPP-funded university program and activities.
View the Final Report and Guidance Manual.
The SEHEEF supports universities to evaluate Commonwealth funded equity programs and activities to build an evidence base of what works, and to ensure that lessons are learnt once and shared often.
HEPPP Before 2021
Information on HEPPP before the 2021 reform of equity funding can be found at HEPPP Before 2021.
National Priorities Pool
National Priorities Pool Program is a program under the Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund (IRLSAF). Prior to 2021, the National Priorities Pool was a component of the HEPPP and provided funding for projects that support the more effective implementation of HEPPP nationally and at the institutional level. Projects funded through the former National Priorities Pool can be found on the following pages:
2020:
2019:
2018:
2017:
2016:
2015:
2014:
For further information, please email Equity@education.gov.au.