The Equity Scholarship Provision in Australian Universities: Insights and Directions forum was held at the University of Canberra on Wednesday 11 February 2015. Against the backdrop of the higher education deregulation debate, the NCSEHE undertook to deepen understandings and contribute in a meaningful way to the national discourse on equity scholarships.

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2. Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology
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The Agenda

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of equity scholarship provision
Professor Sue Trinidad and Professor Gail Whiteford, NCSEHE
The Research: A national “snapshot”

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Research Overview
 Background
 Methods
 Desktop audit – key findings
 Interviews with key informants – key findings
 Synthesis of findings – works in progress
 Iterative process & input today – attendees as “elite”
cohort

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Background & Methods

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Impetus and Development
 NCSEHE Board reading the “zeitgeist” intelligently and
perceiving a need for national leadership on equity
scholarships through focussed enquiry
 Management commitment to a project plan based on
value of expected outcomes and consistency with remit
of the Centre
 Scoping process within time constraints - 3 months last
quarter 2014

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Methods
 Agreement re “two pronged” approach – desk top audit
and in depth interviewing, purpose of which was to
counterpoint user vs provider perspectives
 Development of sample strategy in order to gain a national
“snapshot”
 Ethics clearance from Curtin University’s Human Research
Ethics Committee
 Research questions informing each approach were
focused on what constitutes best practice in equity
scholarship provision and how equity scholarships are
communicated, processed and evaluated

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Additional Detail
Findings

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Findings – Desktop Audit
 Sample –websites of 37 universities were reviewed
during October 2014 “point in time” data snapshot
 The approach was that of a potential student seeking to
find equity scholarship information – audit was
conducted by postgraduate research assistant

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Identified Best Practice Areas Requiring Development
Indigenous scholarships – information
generally clear and easy to find
Information re eligibility for
scholarships
Rural/regional/remote scholarships –
as above
Search engines variable – some filter
by equity group, some by field of study
– in some cases need to “drill down” to
reach relevant information
Sites providing all inclusive information
– Make Your Mark site identified as
exemplar (Bridges/UAC collaboration)
Difficulty in undertaking comparative
analysis between university offerings
Overall, the information available on websites
was… variable

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Findings – Qualitative Data
 11 interviews with key informants at a range of levels from
all States and Territories and from all groupings
(eg. ATN, GO8 etc.)
Key themes:
 Need for better evidence to inform practice
 Need for an holistic approach
 The need for collaboration – within universities and with
external stakeholders
 The need for transparency in processing
 The need for autonomy – to address contextual realities

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Some standout quotes:
 “Scholarships are good but they are one small part of a
broader attrition strategy, its a three part thing...timely
support services, inclusive curriculum and a sense of
belonging…”
 “Best practice is being transparent, being accessible,
being able to convey those messages to your core
stakeholder, and being mindful of the needs and
challenges of the institution and those the students
themselves are facing - and being flexible and
responsive to those challenges.”

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 “We are also looking at fairness and transparency…trying
to remove from many of our scholarships the arbitrary
decision making of panels…the principles we are looking
at is the support of those in need and the fairness and
transparency of everyone in the applicant pool.”
 “At the end of the day, equity arrangements have a long
gestational period before full impact…so, short term
palliatives in relation to equity don’t do equity a great
cause, all we ask for is more time and consistency and
probably greater autonomy in relation to all of this.”
Some standout quotes:

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Synthesis of findings
Additional Detail

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Decision making grid – guide best practice
development and link to policy
“Elements” developed into 8 self review type questions:
1. Context: What’s our profile now and aspirationally?
2. Demography: Who are our students?
3. Needs: What are the individual, general and context-specific needs of our students?
4. Resources: What are the financial and other resources available from university and
other sources to support equity scholarships?
5. Evidence: How do we know we are using our resources for maximal impact? Right
person / right time / right duration / right amount?
6. Institutional culture: How do students and staff perceive equity scholarships and their
role in the institution?
7. Structure: Do we have administrative arrangements that ensure efficiency as well as
highlight the importance of equity scholarships?
8. Relationships: Who do we need to work with to ensure relevance, transparency &
effective processing?

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Your input today:
 Salience of the Recommendations and Decision Making
Grid
 Responses to stimulus questions emerging from issues
identified in the research to inform policy directions

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Professor John Dewar, Vice Chancellor, La Trobe University
The Context

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Ellie Rowland and Jonathan Goerlach, University of Canberra
The Impact of Equity Scholarships

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Equity Director Mary Kelly, QUT
The Future

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Income Sources
Typical sources of income for a low-SES student – single, no
children, dependent, away from home.
Source of income Annual value
1a. Income Support – YA/Austudy $11,096
1b. Income support - Start-up scholarship $2,050
1c. Income support – Relocation scholarship,
rent assistance.
Variable - $6,500 to $1,500
2. Paid work Variable - $11,000
3. Family support or institutional scholarship Variable - equity scholarships typically $3-$5k.

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Dimensions of current Bills
 Course price
 Student debt (interest rates)
 Scholarships
 HEPP

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Key design issues from 2004
 Defining ‘need’ – financial hardship; complicated life
 Assessing relative need in a large applicant pool
 The role of merit (marks)
 Business processes

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QUT’s scholarship schemes
 Holistic evidence-based decisions; criterion-referenced
assessment.
 Income, expenditure, life circumstances; cash-poor and
time-poor.
 Open eligibility; one form.
 Aggregated points determine place in queue (need).
 Impact-tracking – strong retention effect; mild recruitment
effect.

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Professor Gail Whiteford, NCSEHE
Open Forum and Feedback from Sector

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Professor Sue Trinidad, NCSEHE
Thank you and Close