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Did you know that October 28, 2025 was World Access to Higher Education Day? The date is one of hope – a time to increase awareness about global education inequality and promote action towards improving access to higher education.
Beneath the positive goals and collective spirit, though, is a revealing truth: while everyone deserves access to higher education, that dream is not yet a reality.
So how, then, can we increase access to higher education for all of us? And what are the barriers to studying at a higher level in the first place?
We unpack the complexities of higher education access with the help and insider perspectives of Deakin University’s senior coordinator of equity initiatives Nathan Coffey.
Higher education is a type of ‘tertiary education’ – study that takes place after high school, usually at university. Higher education could be a bachelor degree or a postgraduate qualification (like a Masters or PhD), but it’s usually considered separate to vocational training, like the certificates and diplomas awarded through TAFE.
Access to higher education is important on a life-changing level.
‘Education holds immense power for an individual, shaping opportunities and broadening perspectives,’ says Coffey. ‘Australian Government data shows that higher educational attainment leads to persistently higher incomes across a person’s life.’ According to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, tertiary degree-qualified adults in OECD countries like Australia earn double the income of high-school educated peers.
Coffey says that the benefits of higher education can be felt across society, too.
‘UNESCO research suggests that each additional year of schooling completed increases a country’s annual GDP growth by approximately 0.37%,’ he says.
Australia’s tertiary education rate is growing. As of 2025, 33% of Australians held a bachelor degree or higher, compared with 26% in 2016. Despite this positive trend, higher education in Australia is still not accessible to everyone.
‘There is still a lot of progress Australia can make to ensure that every person, regardless of where they grew up, what school they went to, or how much money their family earns, has an equal opportunity to access higher education,’ says Coffey. ‘In Australia there are still many communities that do not see higher education as an accessible part for their future. As a sector we need to break down these barriers to show that higher education is a place where all people can succeed, thrive and belong.’
So, how can we improve university accessibility in Australia? According to Coffey, we need to first recognise areas of opportunity to make universities more accessible and inclusive, such as:
Coffey’s lived experience showcases the oftentimes challenging reality of accessing higher education in Australia.
‘I grew up in regional Victoria, in a single-parent home, in a low-socio-economic town, attending a low-socio economic school, and I’m the first in my family to complete secondary school and attend university,’ he says. ‘Growing up I never thought that I would be able to go to university – no one around me had ever done it before.’
As an equity student now working with the Deakin Engagement and Access Program (DEAP), Coffey has seen the barriers to higher education – and he says they’re often intertwined. ‘It’s important to also consider that these barriers are not siloed,’ he says. ‘These barriers often intersect, compounding the experience of our equity students. You’ll see this demonstrated strongly through my own lived experience.’
The DEAP team deliver outreach to over 15,000 secondary school equity students yearly and see these barriers firsthand. As Coffey explains, these barriers to studying include:
Online study is well and truly in the mainstream now – which is great news for higher education access.
For instance, an Australian Government report notes that domestic students with one or more self-reported disabilities ‘increased from 39,829 in 2021 to 47,458 in 2024, a 19.2 per cent increase over 4 years’. The increase, it says, is likely a result of online courses reducing barriers to access – though the report also acknowledges that there is still plenty of work to be done in this space.
From Coffey’s point of view, better access to online higher education courses could help a range of potential students throughout Australia.
‘Online education provides flexibility for many in our communities, allowing them to access higher education in their own way,’ he says. ‘It can increase access for a mother with young kids, a young person in regional or remote Australia who is hundreds of kilometres from their nearest university or TAFE, or a working professional looking to upskill or retrain.’
Higher education is an opportunity that should be open to anyone who wants it – whether here in Australia or studying abroad. While we’re not there yet, with the awareness created by World Access to Higher Education Day and the passionate work of people like Nathan Coffey, the Deakin Engagement and Access Program team, and equity practitioners around the world we should be optimistic. We just need to make sure the pathways to study are accessible – and that we’re treating equity students with the respect they deserve along the way.
‘As a society we need to ensure that young people feel empowered to shape their own futures and explore the options available in the world around them,’ Coffey says. ‘I also think that the sector can shift where it places the deficit when viewing and engaging equity students. We too often see equity students being referred to as “disadvantaged students”, which places the deficit and the responsibility on the student. When, in fact, they are incredibly talented people who can succeed at university. It’s important that we start to shift where we place the deficit – let’s try “students who experience systematic disadvantage” or something similar!’
While barriers to access remain a persistent challenge across higher education, efforts to widen participation are evolving. At Deakin, this includes initiatives such as the Deakin Engagement and Access Program, Deakin Guaranteed ATAR, equity schemes and scholarships, access programs and more.
Wondering how to access higher education pathways at Deakin? Explore the opportunities of Deakin’s Pathways today.
Senior coordinator of equity initiatives
Deakin University
