Regional Students In Australia

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The Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Acceptances 2017 report released by the Department of Education and Training shows that non-metropolitan university applications in Australia saw a decrease of 0.6%.
There’s a significant gap between metropolitan and regional areas, with just 23.5% of university applicants being from regional parts.

This essay will explore the fact that regional students are less likely to attend higher education in Australia, and explore three big contributors to this phenomenon: proximity to learning facilities, increased financial pressures and a general acceptance that higher education is not necessary.

It will discuss that in comparison to metropolitan students, regional students are at a disadvantage in access to university. This locational issue for regional students means an additional financial burden, as often they will need to explore …show more content…

In exploring the inequalities in Australian education Smith posits that unconsciously, regional attitudes towards higher education are lower in interest than in metropolitan areas. While many regional students understand that hard work and making an concerted effort in their learning can produce results, their self-esteem prevents them from getting good grades and in turn attending university. This could be linked to the undertone that in staying regional (as opposed to moving into a metropolitan area) they will still have access to good opportunities career wise, where a formal education is not viewed as being quite so important (Smith et al. 2017).

Funnell considered why regional student are less interested in university than their metropolitan counterparts, and suggested that “A concept of habitus has much to offer in understanding schooling that is of little use in the regional area where they live and is a liability should they leave.” (Funnell 2008,

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