ERIC Number: ED462488
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2001-Jun
Pages: 73
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-85889-846-2
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
AUSTUDY 1987 to 1997: The Effect of Commonwealth Income Support on Educational Participation.
Walker, Agnes; Johnson, Peter; Osei, Kwabena
This study examined whether the provision of AUSTUDY improved educational participation in Australian higher education and improved access for certain disadvantaged groups. It also examined corporate knowledge about AUSTUDY, the impact of the initiative on educational participation across income groups and geographic regions, and lessons learned. AUSTUDY offered financial support to students who wished to participate in postsecondary education, provided that their parents (or themselves) met certain income and asset criteria. Researchers used 11 years of AUSTUDY data as well as ABS data from the 1986-97, 1991, and 1996 censuses. The data allowed detailed study of how take-up rates for AUSTUDY changed over time by age, gender, state, region, and relative income. Results indicated that AUSTUDY lowered barriers to higher education for low-income students. Most of the growth in AUSTUDY applicants from 1987 to 1997 came from the bottom half of the eligible income range for AUSTUDY, in students whose parents had little education and few skills. The proportion of Australians between 15 and 29 years of age living in rural and remote areas who applied for AUSTUDY was significantly lower than for those living in the cities, though the rate for those living in rural areas was increasing rapidly. (Contains 22 references.) (SM)
Descriptors: Access to Education, College Students, Economically Disadvantaged, Enrollment Trends, Financial Support, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Low Income Groups, Student Financial Aid
NATSEM, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Tel: 61-2-6201-2780; Fax: 61-2-6201-2751; e-mail: natsem@natsem.canberra.edu.au; Web site: http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au.
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Canberra Univ. (Australia). National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling.
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A