Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

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Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

"Universities For All"

ACSES (formerly NCSEHE) began operation in 2008, hosted by the University of South Australia.

"Universities For All"

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, ACSES informs public policy design and institutional practice to improve higher education access and success for students from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. In May 2013, Curtin University won the bid to host the Centre and received funding to achieve its aim of informing public policy design and impl

ementation and institutional practice, to improve higher education participation and success for marginalised and disadvantaged students.

19/08/2026

🗺️ ACSES launches new university enrolment Mapping Tool 🗺️

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) has launched a new online Mapping Tool that provides a free, user-friendly way to explore complex national university enrolment data.

The Mapping Tool enables users to examine the geographic distribution of domestic undergraduate enrolments over time and at national, state and territory, and institutional levels.

Drawing on the most recent publicly available data, users can search by enrolment type and equity group while exploring participation patterns across more than 300 regions and 2,000 local areas throughout Australia.

These features will help to identify local patterns that may not be visible in national-level summaries.

ACSES developed the Mapping Tool in collaboration with the Curtin Institute for Data Science to improve accessibility to geographic equity data and support evidence-informed decision-making across the higher education sector.

It is ideal for universities, policymakers, and researchers and a useful resource for informing partnerships with schools, University Study Hubs, and communities.

You can explore the Mapping Tool now on the ACSES website: https://www.acses.edu.au/data/mapping-tool/.

05/08/2026

📣 Report calls for more support for part-time students 📣

The increasingly complex challenges facing part-time university students are highlighted in a new research report published today by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES).

"Is the problem us? Helping part-time students succeed in a full-time world" examines the extent to which these students are juggling competing responsibilities, such as caring and work commitments.

Authored by Associate Professor Kelly Linden of Charles Sturt University, a 2025 ACSES Equity Fellow, the report draws on interviews with nearly 1,000 students at 35 universities across Australia.

It found part-time students on average have lower success and retention rates than full-time students and are more likely to belong to an equity group.

The report also highlights the need for institutions to review their special consideration policies, including listing work and caring commitments as acceptable reasons for an assignment extension.

You can now read the full report and recommendations on the ACSES website: https://www.acses.edu.au/publication/helping-part-time-students-succeed/

04/08/2026

ACSES has now published the final report for a trial conducted at Central Queensland University in 2025, "Enhancing academic preparedness: A comprehensive trial of Individualised Digital Pedagogy for Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education readiness". Along with this, two Promising Practices briefs have been released, highlighting key findings from the trial for senior management and equity practitioners to apply to their own institutions.

The trial assessed the impact of an Individualised Digital Pedagogy (IDP) on pre-service teachers' literacy and numeracy skills and how it affected their success in the LANTITE assessment compared to those who received traditional tutoring. Findings particularly showed an improved success rate in the literacy component for all students who participated in the IDP initiative, including those from equity backgrounds such as low socio-economic status and regional/remote areas.

🔗 Read the final trial report and Promising Practices briefs, here: https://www.acses.edu.au/trial/enhancing-academic-preparedness-a-randomised-controlled-trial-of-individualised-digital-pedagogy-for-literacy-and-numeracy-test-for-initial-teacher-education-readiness/

29/07/2026

👏 ACSES is excited to welcome academic leaders, Professor Arshad Omari and Professor Adam Shoemaker, as the newest members of its Advisory Board. Their appointments bring significant sector leadership and equity expertise to the Advisory Board, supporting ACSES as it works with government and universities to advance student equity across Australian higher education.

Professor Omari holds over 30 years of experience in higher education and governance with nearly two decades of involvement in shaping equitable, student-centred higher education as Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and Acting Vice-Chancellor at Edith Cowan University.

Professor Shoemaker, Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University, is a Canadian Commonwealth Scholar, and also currently holds a position on the Universities Australia Board. His various roles in the higher education sector, both nationally and internationally, are testament to his unwavering commitment to broadening accessibility in higher education and bettering the sector for all.

Read more 👉 https://www.acses.edu.au/academic-leaders-join-acses-advisory-board/

20/07/2026

Livestream registrations are now open for "ACSES Policy Symposium 2026: The Evolving Student in Higher Education"—a crucial gathering to advance equity in higher education.

The ACSES Policy Symposium 2026 will bring together higher education executives, policymakers, international experts, and diverse student voices with a focus on practical, evidence-based approaches to improving equity and student outcomes.

This year’s Symposium theme is “The Evolving Student in Higher Education”, and will spur conversations on how the profile, needs, and experiences of students are changing—across study modes, life stages, identities, and economic context—and what this means for policy, practice, and funding in Australian higher education.

📅 8–9 September
📍 Online via Zoom
🧷 Register to the livestream event, here: https://events.humanitix.com/livestream-acses-policy-symposium-2026

09/07/2026

📣Report shows how universities can put student equity research into practice📣

A new report from the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) brings together recommendations from some of the most impactful student equity studies of the past 12 months.

From Evidence to Impact 2026 presents policy and practice summaries from 14 ACSES-funded research projects in one concise resource.

The first edition showcases the work of researchers across Australia on subjects ranging from increasing the number of Aboriginal school teachers to addressing student placement inequities.

It looks at key equity groups including students from low socio-economic backgrounds, First Nations communities, regional and remote areas, and students with disability.

Several projects also address students who are the first in their family to attend university, as well as students experiencing compounding disadvantage.

This timely collection provides the evidence base tertiary practitioners, policymakers, and institutional leaders will need as they work towards achieving new participation and equity targets set by the Australian Universities Accord.

You can now read the full report on the ACSES website: https://www.acses.edu.au/publication/from-evidence-to-impact-2026/

06/07/2026

This NAIDOC week marks a milestone of five decades of celebrating and recognising the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The 2026 theme "Fifty Years of Deadly" signifies the tremendous effort and devotion of those who built this movement and continue to fight for justice.

"Fifty Years of Deadly" is an opportunity for us all to look back and reflect on the journey taken for us to get to this point, but most of all it is a chance to recognise the strength and courage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As we celebrate these achievements, we must continue to remember our shared responsibility to create a better future. At the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success, we are committed to support our First Nations colleagues and centre Indigenous voices to advance equity in education and beyond.

01/07/2026

Last week, ACSES hosted an Equity Fellowship Webinar featuring 2025 ACSES Equity Fellow Associate Professor Kelly Linden.

Kelly presented her findings from her Fellowship "Is the problem us? Helping part-time students to succeed in a full-time world" which highlighted the extent to which part-time students, who make up 35% of all domestic Australian university students, are juggling competing responsibilities, such as caring and work commitments.

The webinar provoked many insightful and productive discussions amongst audience members, and the Question and Answers portion welcomed further conversation on the part-time student experience such as Regional University Study Hubs, Equivalent Full-Time Student Load, and encouraging constructive behaviour post-failure.

🎥 You can now view a recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/rQQ-sx8hXhw

🔗 For more information on Kelly and her Equity Fellowship, visit here: https://www.acses.edu.au/event/acses-equity-fellowship-webinar/

25/06/2026

🔦 Report highlights emerging opportunities in student equity data governance 🔦

A new research report published today by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) highlights emerging opportunities for universities, as demands for sensitive student equity data intensify across the sector.

The study by ACSES Equity Fellow Dr Bret Stephenson examined how Australian universities are managing challenges around the governance of equity data, which tracks how students from underrepresented backgrounds enrol, study, and succeed in higher education.

This question was explored in the context of the rapid digital transformation of the sector, alongside major reforms to privacy laws driven by the Australian Universities Accord’s call for expanded equity data collection.

Dr Stephenson conducted the research while at La Trobe University, drawing on interviews with equity practitioners and senior leaders at institutions across Australia.

Funded via ACSES’s Equity Fellowship program, the report also provides practical recommendations for governments, universities, and practitioners to improve the collection and reporting of student equity data.

You can now read Dr Stephenson’s Equity Fellowship report in full on the ACSES website: https://www.acses.edu.au/publication/centring-equity-in-data-and-digital-governance/

23/06/2026

⭐ ACSES Equity Hub: 2026 Community of Practice #3

ACSES will be hosting its third CoP event for 2026, bringing student equity colleagues together to provide an opportunity for practitioners to share their lessons learned and best practices in student equity and program evaluation.

This event, to be held online, will include presentations from Griffith University and Waipapa Taumata Rau/University of Auckland, with Griffith discussing their recent work to understand the cumulative impact of multiple initiatives/programs, and Auckland their growing University Entrance (UE) Success secondary schools partnership focusing on Māori and Pacific University Entrance attainment and how they are measuring the impact.

For further information on each presentation, visit here: https://www.acses.edu.au/event/acses-equity-hub-2026-community-of-practice-3/

📅 Tuesday, 28 July 2026
⏰ 11:00am–12:30pm AWST | 1:00pm–2:30pm AEST
📍 Online via Zoom
🧷 Visit here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KABJxDHRToy1d7X_uKpibA

Address

Curtin University: Kent Street
Bentley, WA
6102

Website

http://acses.edu.au/

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