Widening access to university for students from low-SES backgrounds

UNSW launches our first early conditional offer admission pathway for students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. 

Led by Access and Equity (Students) in Equity Diversity and Inclusion, the pathway will allow students to gain an early conditional entry to UNSW, empowering them with the knowledge that they have a secure place at UNSW, prior to finishing their Higher School Certificate (HSC). 

“The suburb you live in, where you attend school and your socio-economic status shouldn’t act as a barrier to attending university. The success of this pathway is critical for realising UNSW’s strategic target for greater representation of students from low-SES backgrounds by meliorating some of the structural barriers that are at play. Our access rate is a highly visible and concrete measure of how diverse and inclusive the University is,” said Director of Access and Equity, Mary Teague.

Year 12 students who attend one of UNSW’s 400 Gateway partner schools will be eligible to apply for an early conditional offer for 2021. To best prepare students for successful admission and transition, UNSW’s Access and Equity (Students) will deliver Gateway Winter: an online outreach program tailored for current HSC students in a context of major upheaval and uncertainty. The program focusses on building academic preparedness, sharing strategies for students to maximise their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and creating a community of students who are connected to our UNSW Ambassadors and faculties.

The online program will be delivered during the winter school holidays, where students can access one-on-one mentoring from University students, academic tutoring, information about degrees and university, and guidance in submitting a successful Gateway early conditional offer application.

This pathway – combined with outreach, equity scholarships and transition support across the student life-cycle – will work to increase our enrolments and graduate success for this cohort at UNSW. UNSW’s 2025 strategy target is for 13% of all undergraduate students to be from low-SES backgrounds. It currently sits at 9.8%. The national access rate at universities is close to 17% and for parity with the population an aspirational target would be 20%.

 Applications for the UNSW Gateway Winter program are open now. Learn more today.