Enabling programs, as an alternative to Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)-based entry pathways to university, are a key mechanism for widening participation in Australian higher education, particularly for equity students. Drawing on recently released data, this report focuses on changes in enabling program participation rates across Australia from 2014 to 2023, retention rates from 2021 and 2022, and success rates from 2021 to 2023.

Equity students refers to students who belong to at least one of the four key equity groups presented in this report: students with disability, First Nations Australian students, students from low SES areas, and students from regional and remote areas.

Retention and success rates are presented across two comparative dimensions:

• equity students entering university via enabling programs compared with non-equity students entering via enabling programs
• equity students entering university via enabling programs compared with equity students entering via ATAR.

Comparing equity and non-equity students provides a within-cohort reference point that helps quantify equity gaps and identify where outcomes diverge. Comparing equity students entering university via enabling programs versus ATAR provides a pathway benchmark to help understand how enabling programs perform for specific equity groups.

Key findings

• Overall, retention rates for equity students who entered university via enabling program pathways dropped between 2021 and 2022, while remaining relatively stable for non-equity students.
• Success rates for both equity and non-equity university students from enabling program pathways showed distinct upward trends in 2023.