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Contents > 1. Overview of Sector > 1.1 Students, equity and outcomes
1.1 Students, equity and outcomes
Student enrolments and demand
During the last decade there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of students2 enrolled in Australian universities, from 559 400 students in 1992 to 726 400 in March 2001. The increase is evident for both domestic and overseas students, although overseas student numbers have grown more rapidly in recent years reflecting Australia’s success as an educational exporter (see figure 1.1).
The largest contribution to this growth was a 62 000 increase (from 1992 to March 2001) in domestic undergraduate students, of whom some 97 per cent are HECS-liable. The highest growth rates for domestic students were in the number of higher degree research and postgraduate coursework students. The majority of growth in overseas student numbers came from fee-paying undergraduates, with the strongest growth rate at the postgraduate coursework level.
The student population, as at March 2001, was composed predominately of domestic undergraduates (67 per cent), with domestic postgraduates comprising 16 per cent and overseas undergraduates 10 per cent (see figure 1.2).
Figure 1.1: Total, domestic and overseas students, 1992 to 2001
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Figure 1.2: Composition of student population, 2001
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Enrolments and completions
Table 1.1 shows commencing enrolments, all enrolments and award-course completions nationally for the last decade.
Total undergraduate enrolments have increased by 24 per cent (108 600 enrolments) from 1992 to 2001 (Table 1.2). The increase between 2000 and March 2001 was 3 per cent (16 400 enrolments). Commencing undergraduate enrolments increased by 4 per cent over the same period.
A notable feature of Australian universities during the last 10 years has been the increase in postgraduate coursework enrolments. These increased by 48 per cent between 1992 and March 2001 (Table 1.3). The largest annual increase was in 2001, with an 11 per cent increase in all postgraduate coursework enrolments and a 12 per cent increase in commencing student numbers.
The number of higher degree research enrolments has grown faster than either undergraduate enrolments or postgraduate coursework enrolments. There has been a 59 per cent increase in higher degree research enrolments in Australian universities in the 10 years from 1992 to March 2001 (Table 1.4). Higher degree research enrolments accounted for 4 per cent of all enrolments in 1992 and 5 per cent at March 2001. There was only a small increase in enrolments for these students in 2001 and a slight decline in commencing enrolments.
The largest fields of study by student completions in 2000 were Business, Administration and Economics (51 300), Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (35 200), Science (24 700), Health (21 200) and Education (20 700) (see figure 1.3). Further information on enrolments and completions by broad Field of Education/Study can be found at Appendix A.
The eight largest institutions by enrolment in 2001 (in order of number of enrolments) were Monash University, The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, and Charles Sturt University. A number of institutions have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, the three most rapidly growing institutions being the Australian Maritime College (albeit from a low base), Central Queensland University and Charles Sturt University. Further information on enrolments for each institution can be found at Appendix B.
Figure 1.3: Student completions by Field of Study, 2000
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Table 1.1: Total student enrolments and completions, 1992 to 2001
|
Year |
Commencing |
Change |
All |
Change |
Award |
Change |
|
1992 |
210 603 |
559 381 |
120 583 |
|||
|
1993 |
217 455 |
3.3 |
575 616 |
2.9 |
132 858 |
10.2 |
|
1994 |
225 226 |
3.6 |
585 435 |
1.7 |
138 677 |
4.4 |
|
1995 |
244 802 |
8.7 |
604 176 |
3.2 |
140 918 |
1.6 |
|
1996 |
261 196 |
6.7 |
634 094 |
5.0 |
145 228 |
3.1 |
|
1997 |
266 318 |
2.0 |
658 849 |
3.9 |
155 275 |
6.9 |
|
1998 |
266 712 |
0.1 |
671 853 |
2.0 |
161 556 |
4.0 |
|
1999 |
276 404 |
3.6 |
686 267 |
2.1 |
164 423 |
1.8 |
|
2000 |
285 518 |
3.3 |
695 485 |
1.3 |
171 089 |
4.1 |
|
2001 |
301 270 |
5.5 |
726 418 |
4.4 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Table 1.2: Undergraduate award course enrolments and completions, 1992 to 2001
|
Year |
Undergraduate |
Share of all |
Undergraduate |
Share of all |
Undergraduate |
Share of all |
|
1992 |
150 204 |
71.3 |
448 533 |
80.2 |
89 955 |
74.6 |
|
1993 |
152 113 |
70.0 |
453 926 |
78.9 |
98 528 |
74.2 |
|
1994 |
159 078 |
70.6 |
459 974 |
78.6 |
101 716 |
73.3 |
|
1995 |
172 908 |
70.6 |
470 596 |
77.9 |
102 186 |
72.5 |
|
1996 |
185 163 |
70.9 |
491 715 |
77.5 |
101 596 |
70.0 |
|
1997 |
187 764 |
70.5 |
511 323 |
77.6 |
107 284 |
69.1 |
|
1998 |
189 594 |
71.1 |
525 184 |
78.2 |
112 116 |
69.4 |
|
1999 |
195 135 |
70.6 |
535 597 |
78.0 |
113 824 |
69.2 |
|
2000 |
199 680 |
69.9 |
540 719 |
77.7 |
115 465 |
67.5 |
|
2001 |
206 834 |
68.7 |
557 150 |
76.7 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Table 1.3: Postgraduate coursework enrolments and completions, 1992 to 2001
|
Year |
Commencing |
Share of all |
Postgraduate |
Share of all |
Postgraduate |
Share of all |
|
1992 |
44 638 |
21.2 |
79 182 |
14.2 |
27 916 |
23.2 |
|
1993 |
48 356 |
22.2 |
85 298 |
14.8 |
31 117 |
23.4 |
|
1994 |
48 466 |
21.5 |
85 764 |
14.6 |
33 003 |
23.8 |
|
1995 |
53 525 |
21.9 |
91 477 |
15.1 |
34 447 |
24.4 |
|
1996 |
57 864 |
22.2 |
98 940 |
15.6 |
38 902 |
26.8 |
|
1997 |
59 500 |
22.3 |
102 656 |
15.6 |
42 807 |
27.6 |
|
1998 |
57 835 |
21.7 |
100 950 |
15.0 |
44 290 |
27.4 |
|
1999 |
60 710 |
22.0 |
102 318 |
14.9 |
45 253 |
27.5 |
|
2000 |
63 888 |
22.4 |
105 060 |
15.1 |
50 182 |
29.3 |
|
2001 |
71 381 |
23.7 |
116 813 |
16.1 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Table 1.4: Higher degree research enrolments and completions, 1992 to 2001
|
Year |
Commencing |
Share of all |
Higher |
Share of all |
Higher |
Share of |
|
1992 |
9 339 |
4.4 |
24 289 |
4.3 |
2 712 |
2.2 |
|
1993 |
10 234 |
4.7 |
28 344 |
4.9 |
3 213 |
2.4 |
|
1994 |
10 349 |
4.6 |
31 011 |
5.3 |
3 958 |
2.9 |
|
1995 |
10 164 |
4.2 |
32 646 |
5.4 |
4 285 |
3.0 |
|
1996 |
9 945 |
3.8 |
33 560 |
5.3 |
4 730 |
3.3 |
|
1997 |
10 554 |
4.0 |
35 144 |
5.3 |
5 184 |
3.3 |
|
1998 |
10 385 |
3.9 |
35 625 |
5.3 |
5 150 |
3.2 |
|
1999 |
10 807 |
3.9 |
37 221 |
5.4 |
5 346 |
3.3 |
|
2000 |
10 763 |
3.8 |
37 362 |
5.4 |
5 442 |
3.2 |
|
2001 |
10 292 |
3.4 |
38 499 |
5.3 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Student demand
A broad indication of the level of demand for higher education and the extent to which universities are meeting that demand is available by looking at the aggregate number of university applications and offers. Figure 1.4 shows a convergence in recent years suggesting that the level of unmet demand for higher education places has dropped significantly. It was at an historical low in 2001. Unmet demand was higher in 2002 owing mainly to an increase in applications but was nothing like the unmet demand of the early 1990s. Information on university admissions is not available at the aggregate level and is therefore not reflected in figure 1.4. However, applications through admissions centres are a reasonable proxy for the pattern of student demand (Li, Karmel and MacLachlan, 2000).
Figure 1.4: University applications and offers, 1992 to 2002
Table 1.5: Equity groups in higher education, 1991 to 2001
|
Equity Group |
Number of |
Share of |
Number of |
Share of |
|
Indigenous students |
5 000 |
0.9 |
8 000 |
1.2 |
|
Students from low SES |
74 000 |
14.7 |
94 000 |
14.6 |
|
postcodes(a) |
||||
|
Students from a non-English- |
21 000 |
4.1 |
23 000 |
3.6 |
|
speaking background(b) |
||||
|
Students from rural areas(c) |
93 000 |
18.5 |
114 000 |
17.7 |
|
Students from isolated areas(d) |
10 000 |
1.9 |
9 000 |
1.4 |
|
Students with a disability |
12 000(d) |
2.0 |
20 000 |
3.1 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection
(a) Those whose postcodes of home location fall within the lowest quartile of the population determined by the value of the ABS Index of Education and Occupation (1991).
(b) Those born overseas and who arrived in Australia less than 10 years ago, and who speak
a language other than English at home.
(c) Those whose home address is identified as rural or isolated according to the 1992 classification of postcodes by the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy.
(d) 1996 figure. Numbers for students with a disability were unavailable before 1996.
During 2000, the Department conducted a study looking at university responsiveness to student demand at both an aggregate level and at broad Field of Study level (Li, Karmel and MacLachlan, 2000). The study found that the number of offers made by universities was directly related to the number of applications through admission centres. Direct entry enrolments seemed to be used as a balancing item to meet Government set targets. It also found that universities were reasonably responsive to student demand by Field of Study.
Participation by equity groups
The Commonwealth has a continuing commitment to promote equity in higher education. Institutions receiving funds under the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 have an obligation to support equity of access. Since 1990, the Commonwealth has identified six groups as targets for equity planning, on the basis of their history of relative disadvantage in accessing higher education. These are:
-
Indigenous Australians;
-
people from a non-English-speaking background, who have arrived in Australia within the last 10 years;
-
people with disabilities;
-
people from rural and isolated areas;
-
women, particularly those in non-traditional areas of study; and
-
people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The progress that these groups have made over the last decade has been varied. While the number of available student places has increased significantly and this has led to a commensurate increase in the number of students from equity groups at university, equity groups have not greatly increased their share of the domestic student population. Students from a non-English-speaking background now comprise a smaller share of domestic students than at the beginning of the decade. This may be associated with migration patterns, and this issue is currently being investigated. Table 1.5 compares each equity group’s share of the domestic student population in 2000 with that of 1991.
All six equity groups are currently being reviewed, to assess whether their participation and performance in higher education continues to remain at a level of relative disadvantage and whether classifications need to be updated.
Women have improved their access to, and participation in, higher education generally and have made significant inroads into non-traditional areas of study. The remaining groups still have relatively poor access to higher education and are less likely to succeed and complete their course when they do enrol. It is worth noting that people from a non-English-speaking background generally have very positive outcomes but it may be the case that people from some countries do not enjoy the same levels of participation in higher education as the non-English-speaking background group as a whole.
Students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are currently identified on the basis of the postcode of their permanent home address. Work is currently being conducted to establish a more accurate method of identifying such students, based on the education and occupation levels of their parents. It is expected that the new methodology will be available for the 2003 academic year. Work is also proceeding on using locality rather than postcode to define rurality.
The current definition of a student from a non-English-speaking background (NESB) is being replaced with the Australian Bureau of Statistics recommended definition Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE). LBOTE is broader than the NESB definition in that it removes the requirement to have arrived in Australia less than 10 years ago.
Figure 1.5 shows the trend in the number of students in each equity group (except Indigenous) over the past five years.
Figure 1.5: Number of Students in higher Education for each equity group, 1996 to 2001
Women in non- traditional areas
The pattern of women’s participation has changed to such an extent that their representation remains low only in Engineering and some areas of Science, such as Computing Science. Figure 1.6 compares their position in 1991 to that in 2000 in respect of areas that were labelled as non-traditional in 1991. Five areas of study were selected as being traditionally dominated by men and these were targeted as areas in which women’s enrolment should be encouraged. The subjects Agriculture, Business, Science, Architecture and Engineering all had participation rates of less than 40 per cent for women, based on 1989 enrolments, with the rate for Engineering being particularly low.
DEST will continue to monitor performance in three subject areas in which women remain significantly under-represented: information technology, engineering, and architecture/building. There are also specific subject areas within disciplines that may be added to these, depending on continued progress. These may include specific areas of science and agriculture.
Historically, women have not participated in postgraduate studies to the same extent that they have undertaken undergraduate studies. In 1991 women made up 40 per cent of domestic students completing higher degrees by research and 44 per cent of those completing higher degrees by coursework. However, over the last 10 years, their participation has improved considerably and women now make up 49 per cent of domestic students undertaking higher degrees by research and 53 per cent of higher degrees by coursework.
Figure 1.6: Women's participation in non-traditional areas of study, 1001 to 2000
Indigenous students
While Indigenous students have experienced strong growth in higher education over the decade, there was a 15 per cent fall in those commencing higher education in 2000. This contributed to an 8 per cent fall in the total number of Indigenous students. It appears that Indigenous students moved into vocational education and training at the expense of higher education, though it is not clear why this may be the case or whether this is of benefit to the Indigenous community. There have been claims that changes to ABSTUDY have deterred Indigenous students from higher education. Initial Departmental investigation does not substantiate these claims, although it may be the case that community perceptions have been affected. The Department is working with Centrelink to facilitate better access to income support information by Indigenous students and institutions.
Indigenous Australians continue to be under-represented in bachelor degree and postgraduate courses. They are much more likely than other students to be enrolled in sub-degree courses or enabling courses. However, the situation has improved over the decade. Between 1992 and 2000, the number of Indigenous students in higher degree and other postgraduate degrees doubled. The number of Indigenous students in bachelor degrees increased by 54 per cent during the same period. Between 1992 and 1999, total award course completions by Indigenous students increased by 59 per cent.
The share of Indigenous students in higher education has also increased. The percentage of commencing domestic students who are Indigenous has risen from 1 per cent in 1991 to 1.5 per cent in 2000. It should be noted that the Indigenous share of the 15–64 year old population has also increased (from 1.2 per cent in 1991 to 1.8 per cent in 1996, Census of Population and Housing). However, completions have not increased to the same extent. In 1989, Indigenous students accounted for 0.6 per cent of domestic award course completions. By 1999, this figure had only increased to 0.8 per cent.
Figure 1.7: Commencing Indigenous students, 1990 to 2001, and award course completions by Indigenous students, 1990 to 2000
The academic success of Indigenous students continues to be poor. In 2000 Indigenous students successfully completed, on average, 65 per cent of subjects undertaken in that year compared with a subject completion rate of 86 per cent for non-Indigenous students. The Department has recently commissioned work to better understand Indigenous higher education needs and to assist in future policy development. This includes:
-
an analysis of Indigenous school students’ educational aspirations and of Indigenous parents’ aspirations for their children’s further education; and
-
an analysis of outcomes of Indigenous ex-students who have withdrawn from university before completing their award course.
Students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds
Access to higher education by students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds remains low, as has been the case for the last 10 years. Although the proportion of students from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background has remained relatively static, when they do enrol they succeed in and complete their courses at almost the same rate as the general student population. Students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds remain under-represented in higher degrees and over-represented in enabling and non-award courses.
Rural and isolated students
The total number of rural and isolated students has grown steadily over the last 10 years, as shown in figure 1.8. Despite this, their share of the domestic student population has remained steady. In 1991, rural students constituted 18.5 per cent of domestic students and isolated students, 1.9 per cent. At the time 24.3 per cent of the wider community lived in rural areas and 4.5 per cent lived in isolated areas (ABS, 1991). In 2001 rural students had declined slightly as a share of the domestic student body to 17.7 per cent, and isolated students had declined to 1.4 per cent.
Figure 1.8: Students from rural and isolated backgrounds in higher education, 1992 to 2001
Once at university, rural students remain in higher education and complete their courses at close to the same rates as other domestic students. Isolated students, in comparison, are almost as successful at passing individual units as the general student population but less likely to remain at university and complete their studies. This may in part be because of the way they undertake their studies—just over 40 per cent of isolated students study externally, compared with around 14 per cent of all domestic students. External students are much less likely to complete their studies (Urban, et al., 1999).
Students with a disability
The number of students with disabilities has continued to rise and in 2001 they made up 3 per cent of the domestic student population. Students with disabilities are likely to be as successful as other domestic students and to remain at university to complete their studies. Table 1.6 shows the distribution of higher education students with disabilities, who were enrolled at university in 2001.
Table 1.6: Students with a disability as a percentage of the domestic student population, 2001
|
Institution |
Number of |
% of students |
|
University of Queensland |
1,148 |
4.0 |
|
Monash University |
1,105 |
3.2 |
|
University of Wollongong |
925 |
8.6 |
|
Queensland University of Technology |
821 |
2.8 |
|
University of Melbourne |
816 |
2.7 |
|
University of New South Wales |
794 |
2.9 |
|
University of Newcastle |
762 |
4.3 |
|
La Trobe University |
760 |
3.9 |
|
Charles Sturt University |
734 |
2.8 |
|
University of Western Sydney |
683 |
2.5 |
|
University of New England |
663 |
4.2 |
|
Flinders University |
655 |
6.0 |
|
University of South Australia |
624 |
2.9 |
|
RMIT University |
605 |
2.7 |
|
Macquarie University |
604 |
3.2 |
|
Griffith University |
581 |
2.5 |
|
Central Queensland University |
565 |
5.0 |
|
Murdoch University |
531 |
5.4 |
|
University of Tasmania |
531 |
4.7 |
|
University of Sydney |
513 |
1.6 |
|
University of Technology, Sydney |
495 |
2.2 |
|
Australian Catholic University |
449 |
4.6 |
|
University of Southern Queensland |
445 |
3.0 |
|
Deakin University |
442 |
1.6 |
|
Southern Cross University |
423 |
4.6 |
|
University of Western Australia |
418 |
3.2 |
|
Australian National University |
411 |
4.9 |
|
Edith Cowan University |
404 |
2.4 |
|
University of Adelaide |
386 |
3.0 |
|
James Cook University |
356 |
3.4 |
|
Victoria University |
304 |
2.1 |
|
Curtin University of Technology |
282 |
1.4 |
|
University of Canberra |
235 |
3.0 |
|
University of the Sunshine Coast |
169 |
5.6 |
|
Northern Territory University |
154 |
3.6 |
|
University of Ballarat |
132 |
3.1 |
|
Swinburne University of Technology |
103 |
1.0 |
|
Australian Maritime College |
18 |
1.7 |
|
Batchelor College |
15 |
2.3 |
|
University of Notre Dame |
3 |
0.8 |
|
Melbourne College of Divinity |
0 |
0.0 |
|
Bond University |
0 |
0.0 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection.
Regional access
The Commonwealth has committed itself to improving access for rural and isolated students though measures such as new places targeted to regional universities and campuses and the development of educational precincts in rural areas. An example of an educational precinct is the new Dubbo campus of Charles Sturt University which is co-located with the local TAFE college and high school.
The Commonwealth recognises that there are factors involved in an individual’s decision to attend university, other than proximity to a campus. Factors such as economic resources, expectations and aspirations of the community play a significant part in an individual’s decision to attend university (Stevenson et al., 2000).
New regional places
A total of $34.8 million has been committed over the next four years to provide an additional 670 fully funded commencing university places each year to regional universities. By 2005 there will be an additional 1830 places each year as students progress through their course. The places will provide opportunities for more students to study at regional campuses and universities and help establish some new delivery sites to improve participation rates in some under-serviced areas. Details of the allocation process and a full list of the allocations are in section 2.1.
Other Commonwealth support for regional access
The Government currently provides over $1 billion and 100 000 equivalent full-time places a year to regional universities and Australian students in regional areas. Campuses are operating in a wide range of areas including Broome, Kalgoorlie and Albany in Western Australia, Whyalla and Mount Gambier in South Australia, Warrnambool, Mildura and Gippsland in Victoria, the north-west of Tasmania, Batchelor in the Northern Territory, Mackay and Toowoomba in Queensland and Lismore, Dubbo and Orange in New South Wales.
Funding has recently been provided for a range of projects through the Capital Development Pool and the Higher Education Innovation Programme (HEIP) that facilitate access to higher education in regional areas. These include:
-
the establishment of learning centres in regional cities and towns, such as the University of New England at Tamworth, Edith Cowan University at Manjimup and remote access centres in Indigenous communities for Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education;
-
funding major regional campus developments such as the University of Newcastle at Ourimbah, Charles Sturt University at Dubbo, the University of Wollongong at Nowra and the South Coast, the University of Western Australia at Albany and Central Queensland University at its regional campuses;
-
funding for the University of the Sunshine Coast for the development of its campus;
-
the development of communication networks between learning centres and the main campus and between regional campuses of universities; and
-
assisting a number of regional universities in Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory to access greater bandwidth for online services.
The Commonwealth is also committed to enhancing the role that universities and regions can play in promoting regional growth and creating regional opportunities. The Government supports the creation of partnerships between governments, regional universities and regions. The then Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr Kemp, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Anderson, hosted a Universities and Regional Development Forum in March 2001, which brought together representatives of regional universities, community groups, businesses and state and local governments. The Forum discussed how to facilitate engagement between universities and regions to promote economic development. This session was followed by a Universities and Regional Development Think Tank in August 2001, also hosted by Dr Kemp and Mr Anderson. The Think Tank brought together a smaller, targeted group to build on and further develop key ideas from the Forum and to inform Government policy.
The Think Tank highlighted the important role regional universities and campuses play in their communities, and discussed the difficulties associated with building closer university–community links. As a result, regional engagement will become a key agenda item for the annual profiles discussions. Information on the annual Profiles discussions is in Section 1.6. This will assist the Commonwealth to identify and address structural impediments to regional engagement, as well as enabling institutions to detail their activities.
Graduate destinations, starting salaries and satisfaction
The annual Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) is a study of the activities of new domestic university graduates around four months after the completion of their qualifications. The GDS is undertaken by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia and is independent of government, though it is supported with funding from the Commonwealth. The Survey provides a range of data on the employment and study destinations of graduates, their starting salaries and satisfaction with their studies. The Graduate Destination Survey includes the Course Experience Questionnaire and Graduate Starting Salaries Survey.
Graduate Destinations
In recent years bachelor degree graduate destinations show a relatively stable picture, following the period of high unemployment in the early to mid 1990s (see Table 1.7). In 2001 the proportion of graduates in full-time employment rose to 56 per cent from 55 per cent in 2000. It is now at its highest level since 1990. The proportion of graduates seeking full-time employment has remained around 11 per cent. The proportion of graduates continuing on to further full-time study decreased slightly to 23 per cent in 2001 from 24 per cent in 2000.
Table 1.7: Bachelor degree graduate destinations, 1989 to 2001 (%)
|
Year |
In full-time |
Seeking full-time |
In full-time |
Other |
Total |
|
1989 |
61.0 |
5.8 |
18.5 |
14.7 |
100 |
|
1990 |
59.5 |
8.3 |
19.3 |
12.9 |
100 |
|
1991 |
50.8 |
15.3 |
23.2 |
10.7 |
100 |
|
1992 |
44.7 |
18.6 |
24.7 |
12.0 |
100 |
|
1993 |
44.1 |
17.9 |
24.5 |
13.5 |
100 |
|
1994 |
46.3 |
15.9 |
23.6 |
14.2 |
100 |
|
1995 |
49.8 |
13.3 |
21.6 |
15.3 |
100 |
|
1996 |
55.4 |
13.3 |
20.0 |
11.3 |
100 |
|
1997 |
53.2 |
14.0 |
21.5 |
11.3 |
100 |
|
1998 |
53.4 |
13.8 |
22.0 |
10.8 |
100 |
|
1999 |
52.6 |
12.5 |
23.7 |
12.2 |
100 |
|
2000 |
54.6 |
10.7 |
24.2 |
10.5 |
100 |
|
2001 |
55.7 |
11.3 |
23.4 |
9.5 |
100 |
Source: Graduate Careers Council of Australia, Graduate Destination Survey, 2001.
Starting salaries
In 2001 graduate starting salaries as a proportion of average weekly earnings increased to 86 per cent, up from 84 per cent in 2000 and 81 per cent in 1999 (see figure 1.9). Graduate starting salaries relative to average weekly earnings are now at their highest level since 1990. This is partly attributed to the overall fall in unemployment. While there has been a slight recovery in graduate salaries in recent years, over the period 1977 to 1995 there was a longer term downward trend in graduate starting salaries relative to average weekly earnings.
Figure 1.9: Graduate starting salaries as a proportion of average weekly earnings, and unemployment rate, 1991 to 2001
The median annual starting salary for new graduates in 2001 was $35 000. The starting salary for female graduates improved to 94 per cent of males’ earnings in 2001, up from 92 per cent in 2000 and 1999.
Graduate satisfaction
Graduate satisfaction has been increasing over the past few years, indicating that higher education institutions are responding in a creative and positive manner to the challenges of university teaching. In 2001, 90 per cent of all bachelor degree graduates expressed overall satisfaction with their courses, maintaining the high levels of satisfaction recorded in recent years (see figure 1.10).
Figure 1.10: Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) - % broad satisfaction(a), 1993 to 2001(b)
2 Throughout this Report, references to ‘students’ means actual students irrespective of how many places (EFTSU) those students occupy. Student numbers are based on the first submission of student data from universities and represent the number of students enrolled at the March census date.