Pathways to tertiary education: Studying University enabling programs while still at high school - TLC-110 report outlines rationale, structure, outcomes

Sep 5, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn

Pathways to tertiary education examines TLC-110, a university enabling, pre-access program for Year 12 students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds who may not qualify through direct entry using ATAR. The report presents the program’s rationale, design, and outcomes, describing after-school university-style lectures and tutorials over 30 weeks to develop critical thinking and self-directed learning. Survey findings indicate higher university aspirations, expectations, and beliefs compared with other pathway students. The discussion links enabling-program benefits to improved access and planning for students facing limited direct academic entry opportunities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Project description

Program design and target cohort

Rationale

WA transition challenges and ATAR eligibility

Impact on university pathways and retention

Guiding principles and outcomes

Pathways to tertiary education: Studying University enabling programs while still at high school Dr Lynette Vernon-National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Curtin University; Murdoch University; Professor Andrew Taggart; Dr Stuart J. Watson; Sarah Seddon – Murdoch University University participation rates have been found to be significantly lower in low socioeconomic status (SES) areas in Australia, particularly where there is unequal access to academic programs. TLC-110 is an enabling, pre-access program designed to provide a pathway to university for Year 12 students from low SES backgrounds, who may not qualify via direct entry with an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). TLC-110 students attend university style lectures and tutorials after school, for 30 weeks and develop critical thinking skills and selfdirected learning. This report outlines the rationale, structure, and outcomes of TLC-110 which has successfully transitioned students from low SES backgrounds into university from 2011. Survey results showed TLC-110 students reported higher university aspirations, expectations and beliefs than other pathway students. The benefits of university enabling programs to support aspirations when students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds experience limited opportunities to access a direct academic entry pathway are discussed. Project description Murdoch University's enabling, access program TLC-110 (Teaching & Learning Course for University) provided an alternative entry pathway to university for Year 12 students while still at school. This enabling program was not funded as part of Commonwealth-supported places but supported through a federal government grant to raise aspirations for students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. The aims ofthis enabling program were similar to other enabling or access programs across Australia and the UK; to increase familiarity with university, preparedness for university, and empowerment to access opportunities for university study (Bennett et al., 2015; Hodges et al., 2013) . The students who complete TLC- 110 are from the South West Corridor of Perth, Western Australia, an area which classifies as low SES and consists of the outer metropolitan area of Rockingham and Kwinana and the regional area of Peel. TLC-110 was designed for students who were unlikely, because of economic disadvantage, to achieve an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR; Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, 2017) which allows for a direct entry pathway to university. Low SES schools in the region provide less access to ATAR subjects necessary for direct entry to university (Gore, Holmes, Smith, Lyell, Ellis, & Gray, 2015; Perry, 2018; Perry & Southwell, 2013) . In 2012, there was a low representation of students in higher education from these regions compounded by factors such as; inequalities in access to academic programs, travel costs, living expenses, parents without university qualifications and a reluctance to move away from their family and social networks. Therefore, TLC-110 was developed and offered to students to provide an educational opportunity for students to access a pathway to university while still in high school. This program offered an innovative approach to access higher education by; 􀁸 assessing the readiness of non-ATAR students for university studies while they are in secondary education; 􀁸 reducing the risk of failure with a seamless pathway from secondary to tertiary studies that does not require a bridging intervention; 􀁸 providing students from low SES backgrounds with academic confidence to think critically and aspire to further education which may be lacking before commencing the program. Rationale WA has one of the lowest year 12 to university transition levels in the country. In 2016 only 53.2% of year 12 students were eligible for university entry compared with 63.3% in Victoria (DET, 2017) . Within low SES cohorts, es

FAQs

What is TLC-110 and who is it designed for?

TLC-110 is an enabling, pre-access program for Year 12 students from low SES backgrounds who may not meet direct entry requirements using ATAR. It offers a pathway to university while students are still in high school.

How does TLC-110 support students’ transition to university?

Students attend university-style lectures and tutorials after school for 30 weeks. The program develops critical thinking skills and self-directed learning, aiming to increase preparedness and familiarity with university study.

What outcomes does the report report for TLC-110 students?

Survey results show TLC-110 students report higher university aspirations, expectations, and beliefs than other pathway students. The program has also supported students from low SES backgrounds to stay on university pathways from 2011, helping maintain peer networks.

Sep 5, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn