In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, young people's ambitions regarding university has jumped significantly. The recent GENERATION, the voice of today’s youth, survey reveals key insights from Year 10 to Year 11, highlighting the journey students face in their pursuit of higher education.
Current trends in high school students across Australia
• 64% of Year 11 students plan to attend university or higher education after school
• 55% maintain their aspiration to attend university from Year 10 to Year 11
• 23% continue with no intention of attending university
• 12% of students change their minds and no longer wish to attend university
• 9% develop university aspirations after initially having none
Several factors influence these shifts in ambition. As students gain a clearer understanding of university life, such as financial obligations and relocation challenges, attitudes can change. Those less likely to pursue higher education often come from regional areas, have disabilities, or come from single-parent households. In high contrast, students with university-educated parents are 1.8 times more likely to maintain or develop aspirations for higher education.
Understanding the changing aspirations of young people regarding university is vital in shaping education and training initiatives for our future generations. These findings emphasise the importance of how parental involvement and socio-economic factors in shaping educational aspirations. Addressing these barriers will be crucial to realising the goal of having 80% of the workforce with tertiary qualifications by 2050.
For more information and the full report, visit the Generation Survey website.
