Post-school education aspirations - Comparisons between students from metro and non-metro areas

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data describes how young people’s post-school education and training aspirations and outcomes differ by school location (metro vs non-metro). By their mid-twenties, high-achieving non-metro students are more likely to follow a VET pathway and less likely to enter higher education. Key findings include lower Bachelor completion rates for non-metro aspirants, greater need to live away from home, and barriers such as financial difficulty, location constraints, and family responsibilities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Key findings

The education aspirations of secondary school students

Young people aspiring to higher education

Moving for study

Young people aspiring to VET

Post-school education aspirations Comparisons between students from metro and non-metro areas Overview The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) show that most young people 1 aspire to some form of post-school education or training. According to data on young Australians who were aged 24 in 20182, the majority of young people achieve their post-school educational aspirations. However, there are noticeable differences in aspirations and attainment for young people from non-metro3 areas, compared to those from metro areas. By their mid-twenties, high-achieving young people from non-metro schools are more likely to have followed a Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathway and less likely to have gone on to higher education than their metro peers. Overall, around three quarters of young people from non-metro schools attain a tertiary qualification by their mid-twenties, but this is less likely to be a university level qualification than is the case for their metro counterparts. The Regional Education Taskforce has highlighted the challenges young people from non-metro areas face in participating in further education.4 Evidence from LSAY suggests that limited higher-level study options in their home location, and the need to move to pursue higher education, bring with them financial and social challenges that impact on educational attainment. Key findings 􀁸 Around two thirds (68%) of young people from metro schools who aspired to higher education completed a Bachelor degree or higher by age 24 compared to about half (55%) of young people from non-metro schools. 􀁸 Young people from non-metro schools are less likely to aspire to higher education and more likely toaspire to VET. 􀁸 Those young people from non-metro schools who go on to higher education are four times more likely to be living away from home in their first year of study. 1 ‘Young people’ or ‘young Australians’ are defined as people between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive) . 2 Data is from the 2009 LSAY cohort, which is comprised of young people who were aged 15 in 2009 and were surveyed annually. Reported outcomes data is weighted from the 2018 survey responses, collected when respondents were 24-years-old. 3 Non-metro or non-metropolitan categorisation at age 15 (or where respondents are “from”) is based on the Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) classification. This classification is based on the location of the school they attended at age 15. 4 Regional Education Expert Advisory Group, Issues Paper 2: Improving access, opportunity and choice in tertiary education for non-metro, rural and remote learners, Department of Education, Canberra. 2019 The education aspirations of secondary school students Most students plan to undertake further study after leaving school regardless of whether they attend school in a metro or non-metro area (92% and 89% respectively) . However, young people from non-metro schools are less likely to aspire to higher education and more likely to aspire to VET study after leaving school. Around 11 per cent of young people from non-metro schools had no post-school study plans compared to 8 per cent from metro schools (Figure 1) . Figure 1: Post-school study plans at age 16 by school location Secondary school students from non-metro areas are more likely to perceive barriers to post-school study and this may factor into their future study aspirations. LSAY data 5 shows that many students from nonmetro schools perceive financial difficulty (32%), location (21%) and family responsibilities (16%) as barriers to further study. Young people aspiring to higher education The different levels of higher education attainment for young people from metro and non-metro areas at age 24 reflect both differences in aspirations and the extent to which these aspirations are realised. More than two thirds (68%) of students from metro areas who aspired to higher educa

FAQs

What does LSAY show about post-school education aspirations across metro and non-metro areas?

LSAY indicates most young people aspire to post-school education or training. Clear differences appear in both aspirations and attainment between non-metro and metro students.

How do Bachelor completion rates differ for metro vs non-metro students who aspired to higher education?

About 68% of metro school aspirants completed a Bachelor degree or higher by age 24, compared with about 55% for non-metro school aspirants.

Why does moving out of home affect university participation for non-metro youth?

Non-metro students are more likely to live away from home for the first year of higher education, which brings financial and social challenges. Location also contributes to gaps in university participation even after controlling for academic and socio-economic factors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys