One of the top priorities of the Universities Accord process it to improve access to university in Australia, particularly for those from underrepresented groups.
This is particularly sofor Indigenous men, who are among the least likely groups go to university, let alone an elite one. Elite universities are highly ranked, located in metropolitan areas and tend to have fewer students from disadvantaged backgrounds (as opposed to regional and lower-ranked universities).
As of 2019, about 4.5% of Indigenous men had gone to university. Indigenous women are nearly twice as likely to apply for an undergraduate degree.
But while politicians talk about how they want to see more Indigenous people attend and graduate from university, we don’t often hear from Indigenous students about their experiences.
Associate Professor Garth Stahl from UQ's School of Education explores this issue further as part of a recent study. Working alongside other researchers (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) from a number of universities, they interviewed 19 Indigenous current and former students across Australia as part of their research.
Read the full and original article via The Conversation.
