Volume 2 Number 3 September 2012
ISSN 2202-1779
Introduction
Higher education is rapidly changing at the global and the local level. In this Joining the Dots briefing, newly released data from the 2011 Census of Australian Population and Housing has been explored to provide insight into the characteristics of Australian university students and how they have changed in the first decade of the 21st century.
An understanding of the university student population and how it is evolving is important for institutions, policy-makers and prospective students. This briefing provides the latest insight into university students in Australia based on the most comprehensive data collection of the Australian population available. To provide perspective on how things are changing, data from previous Censuses have also been utilised here.
Census data offers a unique insight into the university student population in Australia, yet they are rarely used in analyses of higher education. Unlike other administrative data collections, it allows us to explore in detail issues relating to residential location and housing arrangements, and provides a platform for exploring the key demographics of this population. The consistency and methodological rigour with which Census data is collected offers confidence and accuracy in its results.
Higher
Education Students in Australia
What the new
Census data tell us
IN THIS ISSUE
The Census
The 2011 Census of Australian Population and Housing was conducted in August 2011 …
P3
Growth in the university student population
Census data show that there were just under one million (932,526) university students in Australia …
P4
University student characteristics in 2011
Given the growth recorded over the past five years in the university student population, it is interesting to explore the characteristics of the current student population …
P6
by Daniel Edwards & Eva van der Brugge
The share of women among university students continues to The average age of
university students in Australia has not substantially changed during the latest growth period.
Indigenous students comprise just over
1 per cent of the university student population.
57.2 %
77.7 % 1 %
25.1 %
Among students born overseas, the largest growth between 2006 and 2011 was for those born in Africa and the Middle East.
26 y ear s 11 months
More than threequarters of university students in Australia live in a capital city.
University students in Australia are more likely to be living at home with their parents (29%) than other living arrangements.
Snapshot of Australian university students, 2011 Snapshot of Australian university students, 2011
25.1 %
In the past five yearsthe number of students in higher education in Australia has increased by 25 per cent.
Both full-time and part-time student numbers have grown in the past twenty years, although the rate of growth in full-time student numbers has been more substantial.
After a decline in mature aged student numbers (those aged 25 years and above) between 2001 and 2006, from 2006 and 2011 they grew at the same rate as the under 25 student population.
Key findings from an analysis of the Census based on the first release 2011 data show that:
In the past five years the number of students in higher education in Australia has increased by 25 per cent – a much larger increase than experienced in any five year period over the past two decades.
Both full-time and part-time student numbers have grown in the past twenty years, although the rate of growth in full-time student numbers has been more substantial.
After a decline in mature aged student numbers (those aged 25 years and above) between 2001 and 2006, from 2006 and 2011 they grew at the same rate as the under 25 student population.
The average age of university students in Australia (26 years and 11 months) has not substantially changed during the latest growth period, with increases in student numbers recorded across all age groups between 2006 and 2011.
The share of women among university students continues to increase in Australia, comprising 57.2 per cent of the student population in 2011.
The largest growth in enrolment share is among part-time students where women make up 60.9 per cent of the population.
Despite a relatively large growth in numbers in the past five years, indigenous students are substantially underrepresented at university, comprising only just over 1 per cent of the university student population.
The number of university students born outside Australia grew at a faster rate than that of Australian born students between 2006 and 2011. Students born in China, South East Asia and the United Kingdom are the most numerous, while the growth between 2006 and 2011 was the largest for students born in the Middle East and in Africa.
More than three quarters of university students
The share of women among university students continues to increase in Australia, comprising 57.2 per cent of the student population in 2011.
The average age of university students in Australia has not substantially changed during the latest growth period.
Indigenous students comprise just over
1 per cent of the university student population.
57.2 %
77.7 %
29 % 1 %
25.1 %
Among students born overseas, the largest growth between 2006 and 2011 was for those born in Africa and the Middle East.
26 y ear s 11 months
More than threequarters of university students in Australia live in a capital city.
University students in Australia are more likely to be living at home with their parents (29%) than other living arrangements.
Snapshot of Australian university students, 2011 Snapshot of Australian university students, 2011
25.1 %
In the past five yearsthe number of students in higher education in Australia has increased by 25 per cent.
Both full-time and part-time student numbers have grown in the past twenty years, although the rate of growth in full-time student numbers has been more substantial.
After a decline in mature aged student numbers (those aged 25 years and above) between 2001 and 2006, from 2006 and 2011 they grew at the same rate as the under 25 student population.
The Census
The 2011 Census of Australian Population and Housing was conducted in August 2011. Census data was collected from every household in Australia. This is the largest collection of survey data in Australia and the information collected is used to inform policy and planning for a vast range of social resources. The Australian Census is conducted every five years, and data are collated and disseminated in a manner that allows for time series comparisons.
The analysis in this research briefing is based on the first release Census data, released in June 2012 and uses analytic tools provided by the ABS released in August. A second release of data later in 2012 will enable further analysis including that of labour force data.
The key variable from the Census used for identifying university students is the question: ‘What type of educational institution is the person attending?’
and is administered to all people who indicate they are attending an educational institution.
Persons who responded ‘University or other higher educational institution’ are considered for the purposes of this analysis to be higher education students. Further detail on this particular variable is available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/
[email protected]/Lookup/2901.0Chapter10102011. The Census questionnaire does not differentiate between undergraduate and postgraduate students. Therefore, the analysis in this briefing is based on the whole student population, incorporating all qualifications offered by universities.
Growth in the university student population
Census data show that there were just under one million (932,526) university students in Australia in 2011. This number has grown remarkably in only a short period of time. In 2006, the university student population in Australia was about three-quarters of a million (745,445). These figures represent a 25 per cent growth in the university student population between 2006 and 2011.
As shown in Figure 1, the increase in the university population between 2006 and 2011 was significantly larger than that recorded between the previous two censuses. From 2001 to 2006 the university student population in Australia grew by a mere 3.2 per cent.
Growth in inter-censual periods prior to this were higher than the 2001 to 2006 period, but the level of growth experienced in the past five years is by far the largest in the past 20 years. The reasons for this growth are varied and are not detailed here. However, there is little doubt that a key driver of this growth to 2011 has been the announcement of new student demand driven funding and the ‘gearing up’ of universities for the full introduction of the funding system in 2012.
Figure 2 further highlights growth in the higher education sector in the two decades since 2011. As this graph shows, there was steady growth in university student numbers from 1991 and 2001, which slowed between 2001 and 2006 before a noticeable spike in numbers over the last five years of the time series.
Figure 2 also shows the growth in numbers of students by mode of attendance, revealing that overall there has been growth in both part-time and full-time student numbers between 1991 and 2011. However, the trajectory of growth for these two enrolment types has been different over this period, with part-time student numbers rising slightly between 1991 and 2001 before declining through to 2006. Growth in part-time student numbers between 2006 and 2011 returned to the levels of growth established during the 1991 to 1996 period, although overall the growth in this attendance mode has not been as large as for full- time students. Full-time student numbers have seen relatively consistent growth over the past two decades, although the largest gains in this population were in the last five years.
0
1991 1996 2001 2006 2011
100 000 200 000 300 000 400 000 500 000 600 000 700 000 800 000 900 000 1 000 000
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0
Number of enrolments
Figure 2 University enrolments in Australia 1991 to 2011, by attendance type
Full-time Part-time Total
Percentage change in university student numbers, Australia, inter-censual periods 1991 to 2011
Figure 1
1991–1996 1996–2001 2001–2006
Percentage growth in enrolments
2006–2011
17.3 %
14.2 %
3.2 %
25.1 %
of the university population is under 25
58 %
Age
The overall age distribution of students has not changed dramatically between 2006 and 2011.
However, some interesting details are worth
mentioning. Figure 4 displays students by age in 2006 and 2011. It shows that growth in university students was recorded in every age category rather than being concentrated in one specific age cohort.
This fact is also highlighted in an analysis of the average age of university students, which increased slightly between 2006, when the average age was 26 years and 10 months, and 2011, when the average age was 26 years and 11 months.
The majority of university students in Australia in 2011 were studying full-time and aged under 25 years. In total, persons aged under 25 accounted for 58 per cent of the university attending population. As shown in Figure 3, this cohort of students has grown more rapidly than the over 25 group in the past fifteen years, although the relative growth of these two groups was almost the same between 2006 and 2011.
University student characteristics in 2011
Given the growth recorded over the past five years in the university student population, it is interesting to explore the characteristics of the current student population and examine how this population has changed during the large growth period between 2006 and 2011.
Age of university students in Australia in 1996 and 2011
0
Under 18
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 and older 20 000
40 000 60 000 80 000 100 000 120 000 140 000
Number of university students
Age Figure 4
2011 2006
Percentage change in university student numbers by age, Australia, 1996 to 2011 Figure 3
Aged 25 years and over Aged 15–24 years
-10.0
1996–2001 2001–2006 2006–2011
-5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0
Percentage change in enrolments
16.3%
11.6%
8.5%
-4.0%
25.4% 25.1%
Gender
The last decades have seen a steady increase in the proportion of students who are women. This trend continued between 2006, when 56.5 per cent of
students were female, and 2011, when women made up 57.2 per cent of students.
However, as Figure 5 and Figure 6 illustrate, the growth in the proportion of female students seems to have slowed slightly compared to previous Census periods. The average percentage point growth in the overall share of female students in the university population over the past three Censuses (1991–2006) was 1.2 percentage points. Between 2006 and 2011, this growth was only 0.7 percentage points.
Figure 5 also hints at a very interesting trend in the proportion of females in part-time education as compared to full-time education that is further illustrated in Figure 6. Between 1991 and 2011, the growth rate in the proportion of females is much larger among part-time than full-time students. During this time, the share of females among part-time university students increased by more than eight percentage points. In 1991 females comprised just over half of all part-time students, 52.5 per cent, but by 2011 they made up 60.9 per cent of this group.
In 2011 the dominance of females over males in part-time enrolments was especially pronounced in the population of students who were 25 years old and above, where 61.4 per cent were female, as compared to 58.7 per cent in the group below 25.
Change in percentage of Australian students who are female, 1991 to 2011 Figure 6
9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0
1991 to 1996 1996 to 2001 2001 to 2006 2006 to 2011 1991 to 2011
Percentage point change
Change in female share of full-time students Change in female share of part-time students Change in female share of all students Percentage of Australian students who are female, 1991 to 2011 Figure 5
50%
1991 1996 2001 2006 2011
51%
52%
53%
54%
55%
56%
57%
59%
61%
58%
60%
62%
% Female Full-time
% Female Total
% Female Part-time
Indigenous status
While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders made up 2.5 per cent of the Australian population in 2011, only 1.09 per cent of university students were indigenous. This is a considerable underrepresentation of this group in higher education. Despite this, the 2011 Census figures do show a slight increase in the proportion of indigenous university students from 0.96 per cent in 2006 (Table 1). In absolute terms, there was a notable increase in the number of indigenous students in university between 2006 and 2011, with enrolments growing by 3071 – a growth rate of 43.5 per cent.
Birthplace
The Census provides detailed information about the birthplace of students in higher education. Overall, the 2011 data show that just over one-third of all university students in Australia were born overseas. While the number of students born in Australia grew by 24.3 per cent between 2006 and 2011, this growth rate is 26.8 per cent for students born in other countries. As Figure 7 illustrates, in absolute numbers, the largest group of students born outside Australia remains students from China and South East Asia, followed by those born in the United Kingdom. Of all students in Australia, 7.3 per cent were Chinese in 2011. The number of students born in Asia has grown by 29.4 per cent between 2006 and 2011, a rate of growth substantially larger than that of students born in Australia.
The regions in Figure 7 have been ordered by rate of growth, revealing an interesting pattern: whilst their absolute numbers are still small, a number of developing regions have shown substantial growth in numbers of students enrolled in Australian higher education. Of note specifically are the African regions, with an average of 52.2 per cent growth in student numbers, equating to an increase of 8665 students between 2006 and 2011, and the Middle East, with 86.3 per cent growth (7611 additional enrolments). On the other hand, developed regions such as Europe and Northern America have had below average growth in
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 2006 2011
Share of total Australian population 2.3% 2.5%
Share of university population 0.96% 1.09%
Number of university students 7057 10,128
% change in university students (2006 to 2011) 43.5%
Table 1
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australian higher education, 2006 and 2011
Students born outside Australia by country, and growth between 2006 and 2011 Figure 7
Northern Europe Central America South Eastern Europe Eastern Europe Ireland Polynesia (excludes Hawaii) Melanesia United Kingdom, Channel Southern Europe Maritime South-East Asia Japan and the Koreas Caribbean Western Europe Northern America New Zealand Mainland South-East Asia Chinese Asia (includes Mongolia) Southern Asia Southern and East Africa South America North Africa Middle East Central Asia Central and West Africa 0%
010 00020 00030 00040 00050 00060 00070 00080 000 20%40% Percentage change 2006–2011
Number of university students 60%80%100%
2011 HE students 2006 HE students
Growth 2006–2011 Average growth
Residential location
Despite additional support for regional infrastructure and efforts to boost numbers of students from low socioeconomic status areas – many of which are in regional areas – the last five years have not seen any major changes in the proportion of students living in regional areas compared to those in capital cities.
In 2006, 77.4 per cent of students attending Australian universities lived in a capital city; in 2011 this figure was 77.7 per cent. Since there were no major changes, here we take a closer look at the 2011 data only.
Figure 8 shows the percentage of students living in a capital city by state. Notable states in this figure are Tasmania, where only slightly more than half of all students live in Hobart, and South Australia, where almost all students live in Adelaide.
Living arrangements
The Census questionnaire records how the persons living in each dwelling relate to each other, providing an insight into the living arrangements of university students. We have categorised the data based on groups of relationships meaningful to student life, such as
‘share house’ or ‘dependent student living at home’.
The period between 2006 and 2011 has not shown any disproportionate growth in student numbers with any particular living arrangement – all groups have seen more or less equal growth. Figure 9 breaks down the living arrangements of students in 2011.
The largest proportion of students live at home in a dependent relationship with their parents, followed by a nearly equally large group of students living with a partner. There are few gender differences in this distribution; however, there is a noteworthy exception:
of all lone parents, 91.9 per cent are female. Male students are slightly more likely than females to be living with their parents or in a share house.
Living arrangements of students in Australia, 2011 Figure 9
Living with partner (married or de facto)
Dependent student living at home
3
%15
%7
%4
%27
%3
%29
%7
%5
%Non-dependent student living at home Living with family member
other than parent/s Living with another family
Living in a share house
Living alone Other
Lone parent Percentage of
students living in a capital city by state, 2011 Figure 8
NSW QLD NT
SA WA
TAS VIC
75
%62
%92
%86
%91
%58
%Conclusion
This briefing has analysed the newly released data from the 2011 Census to explore the characteristics of the university population in Australia and examine the changes in this population over the past few decades.
It is clear from the indicators that Australian higher education is currently in the midst of rapid expansion.
In the past five years the number of students in higher education has increased by 25 per cent – a much larger increase than experienced in any five year period over the past two decades.
Key characteristics of the Australian university student population in 2011 identified here include:
• The average age of university students in Australia (26 years and 11 months) did not substantially change between 2006 and 2011.
• The share of women among university students continues to increase in Australia, comprising 57.2 per cent of the student population in 2011.
• Part-time students are more likely to be females, who make up 60.9 per cent of the part-time population.
• Indigenous students are considerably
underrepresented at university, comprising just over 1 per cent of the university student population.
• One-third of all university students were born outside of Australia. Students born in China, South East Asia and the United Kingdom are the most numerous, while growth between 2006 and 2011 was largest for students born in the Middle East and in Africa.
• More than three-quarters of university students in Australia live in a capital city, a figure unchanged between 2006 and 2011.
• University students in Australia are most likely to be living at home with their parent/s (29 per cent), or with a partner (27 per cent), while 15 per cent are living in share houses and 7 per cent live alone.
These findings help to build greater understanding of the people attending higher education institutions in Australia – an understanding that is valuable in a rapidly expanding system. It allows policy-makers and university leaders to gain a better perspective on the student population from a wide variety of perspectives allowing for additional evidence on which to base the allocation of resources to support students and build a sustainable higher education sector.
