How early entry schemes can help to widen access to higher education: insights from university students from historically underrepresented equity groups

Abstract

With widening access to higher education remaining a sought-after but elusive goal, escalating attention has been directed at alternative admissions pathways and selection methods to increase and expand enrolment. In Australia, early entry schemes are one such pathway that has risen in prominence and use in recent years, allowing Year 12 students to gain entry to university using criteria other than (or in addition to) an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. These pathways have attracted significant criticism from principals, teachers, and education leaders for undermining formal schooling. At present, however, scant empirical attention has been paid to the student perspective, which has become particularly important in light of the Universities Accord recommending a new national framework to underpin these initiatives. Drawing on interviews conducted with 24 current university students from historically underrepresented equity groups who gained admission via an early offer, this paper demonstrates how early entry supports those who are educationally and/or socially disadvantaged, making a genuine difference to young people’s lives. I argue that the principles of recognition, certainty, care, and empathy inherent in early entry play a significant role in widening access for students most in need and that these principles should foreground any reform in this area.