The Adaptation of Tertiary Admissions Practices to Growth and Diversity - March 2016 - Final Report

Sep 5, 2026

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Final Report, March 2016, documents research on adapting tertiary admissions practices to support growth and diversity. It outlines the study’s acknowledgements, project leadership and research assistance, and summarizes the contributions of investigators across La Trobe University and the University of New England. The report presents an executive summary, major findings, contextual and background analysis, and results from surveys of Year 11 students, first-year university students, and careers advisers, supported by interviews with tertiary admissions centre leaders and university admissions directors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages120

Reading Time5 h 2 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Major Findings

Context and Structure of the Report

Background

Survey of Year 11 Students

Survey of First Year University Students

Survey of Careers Advisers in Schools

Interviews with Leaders of Tertiary Admissions Centres (TACs)

Interviews with Directors of University Admissions Departments

References

Glossary

Appendix A – Method

Appendix B – The role of ACTAC

FINAL REPORT March 2016 The Adaptation of Tertiary Admissions Practices to Growth and Diversity Andrew Harvey Matthew Brett Buly Cardak Alison Sheridan James Stratford Naomi Tootell Richard McAllister Rachael Spicer ENQUIRIES Access & Achievement Research Unit LaTrobe University Victoria 3086 T +613 9479 5656 [E](E aaru@latrobe.edu.au)[ aaru@latrobe.edu.au](E aaru@latrobe.edu.au) [latrobe.edu.au/aaru](latrobe.edu.au/aaru) Acknowledgements The project team is grateful for funding from the Australian Government Department of Education and Training Higher Education Participation Programme’s National Priorities Pool to conduct the research. The project was led by a team of investigators from La Trobe University and the University of New England, including: 􀁸 Dr Andrew Harvey, Director, Access and Achievement Research Unit, La Trobe University 􀁸 Associate Professor Buly Cardak, School of Economics, La Trobe University 􀁸 Matt Brett, Senior Manager Higher Education Policy, La Trobe University 􀁸 Professor Alison Sheridan, Head, UNE Business School, University of New England 􀁸 Greg Balcombe, Director, Student Administration and Services, University of New England. Research assistance for the project was provided primarily by Dr James Stratford, Naomi Tootell, Richard McAllister and Rachael Spicer, who were all employed to work on the project under the guidance of the chief investigators. The authors would also like to acknowledge the advice and assistance of Lisa Andrewartha, Ada Castle, Michael Luckman, Dr Kemran Mestan, Giovanna Szalkowicz, Jenna Tellefson and Adam Wood, all from the Access and Achievement Research Unit, La Trobe University. Other assistance from La Trobe University staff members was provided by: Kevin Hoon, John McDonald, Pamela Burley, Leanne Collins and Michelle Pianezzola from the Educational Partnerships team, who assisted with recruiting Victorian schools to the Year 11 survey; Shawn Walker and Emma Keating from the Schools Engagement and Recruitment team, who assisted in alerting Victorian school-based careers advisers to the online survey; and Julia Petrou, Senior Evaluations Coordinator, Performance and Institutional Planning Unit. We thank Mark Bowden from Swinburne University, Cain Polidano and Chris Ryan from the Melbourne Institute and Joe Vecci from Monash University. At the University of New England (UNE), Cameron Loudon, Manager, Student Engagement, Marketing and Public Affairs, assisted with the distribution and collection of surveys in NSW schools, as well as the recruitment of NSW school-based careers advisers to our online survey, while Simon Ostler, Survey Analyst, Corporate Intelligence Unit, assisted with survey distributions. We also acknowledge the support of the Victorian Department of Education and Training and the NSW Department of Education, who provided approval for us to conduct surveys with Year 11 students in secondary government schools. Cameron Walton and his team at Creative Data Solutions were responsible for the design, printing and scanning of the hardcopy surveys administered to Year 11 students. Finally, we acknowledge the contribution of all those who agreed to participate in the research, either through an interview or the completion of a survey. This includes the five directors of the state-based tertiary admissions centres (TACs), the representatives of eighteen universities across the country involved in leading or managing admissions processes, school-based careers advisers from across the country, commencing domestic undergraduate students at two Australian universities, and Year 11 students from participating NSW and Victorian schools. Contents Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................. 2 Contents .......................................................................................................................................

FAQs

What is the report’s main focus?

The report examines how tertiary admissions practices can be adapted to support growth and diversity.

Which groups were surveyed in the research?

It includes surveys of Year 11 students, first-year university students, and careers advisers in schools.

What additional qualitative evidence does the report include?

Interviews were conducted with leaders of tertiary admissions centres (TACs) and directors of university admissions departments.

Sep 5, 2026

Uploaded by Gelato