Only one university identified surplus land and building assets

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 and a transition back to face-to-face teaching, universities have experienced increased usage of physical campus buildings and student accommodation. One university, the University of Newcastle, identified land and building assets that were surplus to requirements in 2022. These comprised of teaching, accommodation and mixed-use spaces.

Student accommodation rates return to pre-pandemic levels

Universities that own student accommodation buildings have experienced a significant increase in the average occupancy rate from 43% in 2021 to 74% in 2022. This is on par with the occupancy rate of 74% in 2019 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, revenue from student accommodation this year has increased 87.3% to a total of $109 million.

In October 2022, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency mandated that overseas students must return to face-to-face learning by 30 June 2023, in a return to compliance with Education Services for Overseas National Code. The National Code was relaxed during 2020 and 2021 due the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed flexibility for overseas students to study in Australia or offshore. At the same time, the Department of Home Affairs stipulated that restricted work rights for student visa holders will be reinstated on 1 July 2023 so that student visa holders will only be allowed to work up to 48 hours a fortnight. The previous work restrictions of 40 hours a fortnight were lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic to address labour shortages.

In January 2023, China issued an edict requiring students studying with a foreign university online to return to in-person classes.

These factors will drive an increase in overseas students returning to Australia for their studies, increasing demand for student accommodation.

Key drivers behind the 2022 results were:

• decline in combined investment income by 108%, with six universities experiencing overall investment losses in 2022
• reduced government grants for nine universities
• continued decrease in overseas student revenue for six universities
• increased combined employee related expenses of 4.9%, which include $73.1 million in remediation of wages.

The graph below presents the revenue and expenditure for each university in 2022.

The movement in revenue and expenditure for each university and for the sector as a whole is analysed later in this report.

Revenue from operations

A snapshot of the universities' revenue for the year ended 31 December 2022 is shown below.

Combined revenue for universities totalled $11.1 billion in 2022, representing a decrease of $1 billion (9.5%) from 2021 (using adjusted 2021 revenue to exclude the impact of Education Australia Limited (EAL) transactions). The decrease was mainly due to a $782 million reduction in combined investment income, resulting in overall investment losses, and decreased government grants of $246 million. As a relative proportion of total revenue, fees and charges have returned to representing over half of universities' total revenue as they did in 2020 and prior years.

Government grants represented 35% of universities' combined revenue in 2022

Aggregated government grants revenue to NSW universities decreased from $4.1 billion in 2021 to $3.9 billion in 2022. As a proportion of the total revenues of all universities, government grants increased slightly to 35.3% (34.4% in 2021).

In previous years, various higher education reforms have been proposed by the Australian Government to manage the cost of tertiary education and to reduce universities' reliance on government grants. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined government grants as a proportion of the total revenue of universities in NSW had been steadily reducing, since at least 2015, to their lowest point in 2019 of 31.1%. However, while the dollar value of government grants fell in 2022, the percentage of government grants to total revenues has increased since 2020.

Government grants and investment income have decreased in 2022

The graph below presents the aggregated revenue streams for all universities in NSW from 2018 to 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the financial results from 2020 onward.

In 2022, combined fees and charges was the only revenue stream that experienced a slight growth of $42.6 million from the prior year. However, this movement was not equally shared as only four universities recorded increased fees and charges revenue in 2022. Combined other revenue remained fairly consistent, with a slight decrease of $50.2 million or 3.6% from 2021.

Government grants decreased by 5.9% in 2022 from the previous year. However, 2021 grants included additional funding for the Research Support Program, totalling $297 million for the NSW universities, which did not recur in 2022. Excluding this, government grants otherwise increased by $51.5 million.

Volatility in global financial markets contributed to the decrease in investment income in 2022, impacted by the war in Ukraine, and rising inflation in Australia and other economies. Universities also recorded investment losses in 2022 relating to their shareholding in IDP shares which dropped 20.8% since 31 December 2021.

Over the past five years, fees and charges revenue overall had the smallest growth rate of 2.3%. However, at its peak of $6.2 billion in 2019, the growth rate was 7.9% between 2018 and 2019. The decrease in 2020 reflects the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with reduced overseas student enrolments. The largest growth rates over the last five years have been in government grants, with an increase of 10.3% ($364 million), and other revenue of 9.1% ($112 million).

The following graph shows major revenue streams by universities for 2022. In 2022, four universities (five in 2021) received over 40% of their total revenue from government grants.

In the current year, nine universities saw a decrease in government grants from the prior year. The change in revenue from government grants at individual universities varied from a decrease of 8.8% to an increase of 0.1%.

The graph below shows government grants received at individual universities in 2022 with the percentage change from 2021.

In 2022, course fees revenue decreased by 0.5% from overseas students and decreased by 0.7% for domestic students

Universities' overseas and domestic student course fees and charges revenue for 2018 to 2022 is presented in the following graph.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which introduced global travel restrictions, course fees and charges revenue from overseas students had been increasing steadily since at least 2012 to their peak of $3.6 billion in 2019. Since 2019, overseas student revenue has decreased by $334 million or 10.1%. This decrease has been driven by a 15.4% decrease in the number of overseas students studying at universities in NSW, from 93,557 full-time equivalent students in 2019 to 79,123 students in 2022.

Over the same period from 2019 to 2022, course fees and charges revenue from domestic students has grown by $50.6 million or 2.3%. The movement in full-time equivalent students from 206,141 in 2019 to 200,073 in 2022 is a decrease of 2.9%. The decrease in students has been offset by fee rate increases.

In comparing average revenue per student, universities earn nearly twice as much from overseas students compared to domestic students. In aggregate for the NSW universities in 2022, the average revenue per domestic full-time equivalent student (including amounts from Higher Education Loan Programs and CGS funding for Commonwealth Supported Places) was $22,195. The average revenue per overseas full-time equivalent student was $41,491.

The graph below shows individual universities' revenue in 2022 from overseas and domestic students. Income from overseas students exceeds income from domestic students at two universities (two in 2021). These were the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney. Overseas student revenue recorded by these two universities makes up over 66% of total overseas student revenue for universities in NSW. 

Six universities recorded decreases in overseas student revenue compared to 2021. The movement in overseas student revenue in 2022 by university is shown in the graph below. 

The movement in overseas student revenue did not impact each university equally. Different universities attract overseas students from different countries of origin in varying proportions. Students from some countries were better able to return to Australia to continue their studies or were able to transition to online learning. The quality of the telecommunications infrastructure in students' home countries and time-zone differences contributed to the ease (or difficulty) of transition. The ability (or inability) of students from foreign countries to continue their studies impacted the revenues earned by universities where they were enrolled.

Almost 42% of universities' total revenue from course fees in 2022 came from overseas students from three countries

In 2022, overseas students contributed $3.1 billion in course fees to universities in NSW ($3.1 billion in 2021), increasing by $4 million from 2021. Students from the top three countries of origin contributed $2.4 billion in fees ($2.4 billion in 2021), which closely approximates the universities' total revenue from domestic students for 2022. These top three countries were China, India and Nepal (same in 2021). Revenue from students from these countries comprised 41.5% (42.5% in 2021) of total student revenues for all universities, and 75.6% of total overseas student revenues in 2022.

As we have reported previously, a high level of reliance on student revenue from these three countries of origin poses a concentration risk for NSW universities. Unexpected shifts in demand arising from changes in the geo-political or geo-economic landscape, or from restrictions over visas or travel can impact revenues, operating results and cash flows. The consequence of the reliance on revenues from overseas students when there is a lack of diversification in the countries of origin was realised as travel restrictions were implemented following the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. While all universities' revenues from overseas students were negatively impacted in 2020, there was a greater impact initially and less resilience in student revenues from some countries of origin over the following two years.

The graph below shows the parent universities' revenue in 2022 from overseas and domestic student fees and charges.

Student enrolments from China represent over half of total overseas enrolments in 2022

The number of overseas student enrolments (by headcount) at NSW universities increased slightly from 138,907 in 2021 to 138,941 in 2022.

2019 was the last year data was not impacted by the pandemic. Overall enrolments of overseas students have continued to decline throughout the pandemic. Enrolments of overseas students has fallen by 12.4% overall from pre-pandemic levels. A notable exception is the enrolment of students from China, which increased by 271 students in 2022, following an increase of 2,259 in 2021. Students from China now represent over half of all overseas student enrolments.

All universities continue to market their educational products in international markets, focusing on countries in Asia. Whilst the countries of origin of overseas students have diversified in the years leading up to 2019, the trend has since reversed, primarily due to a reduction in students from countries other than China.

The graph below shows the composition of overseas student enrolments by country of origin over the past five years.

The highest proportion of overseas student revenue sourced from a single country of origin at individual universities ranged from 22% to 84% (2020: 19% to 86%). It is important to note that not all universities are dependent on revenue from students from China. However, the pandemic has increased the number of universities where China is the leading source of overseas student revenue. Chinese students were able to access technology to continue their studies and were less disadvantaged by time differences.

While enrolments of students from India and Nepal had been increasing in the years up to 2019, they decreased from 2020. For two universities, the University of Wollongong and Southern Cross University, the top country of origin changed from India to China in 2021. Seven out of the ten universities now record China as the leading source of overseas student revenues. This creates not only a concentration risk for each university, but for the NSW university sector as a whole.

The graph below illustrates the relative reliance of each university on a single country for their overseas student revenue. Most of these have decreased in 2022 from last year. Only three universities now have over 40% of their overseas student revenue reliant on one country, compared to six universities with over 40% reliance in 2019.

Other revenues

Overall philanthropic contributions to universities increased by 13.7% in 2022

Universities and many of their controlled entities are charities and are registered as deductible gift recipients for taxation purposes. They can attract significant donations and bequests from public, private and corporate philanthropists. Some bequests are tied to specific research activities, in which case in order to comply with the terms of the bequest, the university may not use the funds for other purposes.

Philanthropic contributions to universities increased by 13.7% from $179 million in 2021 to $203 million in 2022. However, philanthropic contributions decreased at two universities in 2022.

The University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales attracted 61.6% of the total philanthropic contributions to the universities in 2022 (69.6% in 2021). The newer, smaller and non-metropolitan universities have been least able to attract donations, although most of them still experienced a growth in donations in 2022.

The graph below presents the donations revenue received by each of the universities in 2022.

Total research income for universities was $1.6 billion in 2021

Universities' total research income increased by $147 million (9.8%) in 2021 compared to 2020. The increase over the five years between 2017 and 2021 was $501 million (44%) from $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion, mostly attributed to increased industry and other funding and Australian Competitive Grants of a combined $397 million.

Research income statistics for 2022 will be available from the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment after July 2023.

Two universities attracted 69% of the total research income of all universities (67% in 2020). The graph below shows research income by university in 2021.

Expenditure

A snapshot of combined expenditure at universities in NSW for the year ended 31 December 2022 is shown below.

Universities' combined expenditure increased by 6.6% in 2022

Combined expenditure for universities totalled $11.2 billion in 2022. This was an increase of $694 million (6.6%) from 2021. Most of this increase has been in employee related expenses and other expenses.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic put immediate financial pressure on the sector and universities responded by implementing cost saving measures. However, as COVID-19 restrictions relaxed, 2022 saw most universities transition back to face-to-face teaching and working. As a result, the combined 'other' expenses including travel and entertainment, staff development, consultants and repairs and maintenance increased by 13.6% in 2022 by $389 million to $3.2 billion. This was largely driven by costs associated with:

• travel, entertainment and staff development expenses increasing by $98.1 million (206%) as most travel restrictions were lifted in Australia and internationally
• consultant and professional services expenses increasing by $25.7 million (14.7%)
• repairs and maintenance expenses increasing by $25.2 million (11.6%).

Employee related expenses increased 4.9% in 2022

Combined employee related expenses for universities increased to $6.2 billion in 2022, up by $289 million (4.9%) from 2021. The movement was partially due to a growth in full-time equivalent (FTE) staff numbers by 1,210 or 3.1%, and wage increases in line with enterprise agreements.

Redundancy expenses decreased from $111 million in 2021 to $17.5 million in 2022. The number of positions made redundant during the year also fell from 1,297 positions to 734 in 2022.

Combined expenses relating to wage underpayments amounted to $73.1 million in 2022, up from $19.5 million in 2021.

The expenditure for each university in 2022 with the change since 2021 is shown below.

Only two universities reduced expenses during 2022 compared to the ten universities that reduced expenses during 2021. The biggest reduction was at the University of Wollongong where savings of $21.8 million were achieved. The biggest increase in expenses, of $298 million, was reported by the University of New South Wales.

The graph below shows the key components of expenditure for each university in 2022.

Employee related expenses represent the major portion of expenses at each university and ranged from 53% to 61% of total expenditure.

Controlled entities

The overall number of universities' controlled entities remained unchanged

While some universities have started to streamline and reduce the number of their controlled entities to contain administrative and compliance costs, others have established new entities to expand their operations overseas or commence new business activities. There were two new controlled entities created (one each for Macquarie University and University of Wollongong), one entity deregistered (Macquarie University) and one entity sold (University of Technology) in 2022, resulting in the same number of controlled entities this year overall.

Out of 74 controlled entities, there were 12 dormant entities at 31 December 2022 (14 in 2021), including corporate trustees that do not trade and entities that have ceased to operate due to business rationalisation.

While many of the universities' controlled entities were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, none were closed as a result. All controlled entities were able to demonstrate they were going concerns (that is able to meet financial obligations as and when they fall due for the next 12 months). However, 17 controlled entities reported a loss in 2022 (18 in 2021).

Twenty-two of the universities' controlled entities required letters of financial support from their parent in 2021 (29 in 2021).

Depending on the nature of their business, the controlled entities based in Australia were impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:

• reduced activity in student services such as food outlets, gymnasiums and sporting facilities due to less students on campus
• reduced enrolments in academic pathway courses with general reduction in overseas students
• increased costs to business for research activities, in terms of protective equipment and reduced capacity due to physical distancing.

Controlled entities based overseas did not report significant disruption of their activities from COVID-19.

The table below details the number of universities' controlled entities.

Cyber security controls

Entities continue to assess their cyber security controls with all but one performing an assessment in the last 12 months for operating effectiveness. In these assessments, IT controls were reviewed by a party independent of the IT function. However, there are opportunities for further improvement with respect to:

• 23% of entities not performing reviews of their logs of privileged user activities
• 62% of entities not quarantining activities of privileged users to environments that do not have internet facing capabilities, for various reasons including genuine business needs
• 69% of entities not having automated notification systems to alert the IT function when a new user is added
• 77% of entities not having automated notification systems to alert the IT function when user permissions are changed
• 8% of entities not performing a resilience review during 2022.

Cyber security threats

Entities have identified their material digital and electronic assets subject to cyber security risk. The nature of these assets varies across entities and includes:

• intellectual property (77%)
• copyrighted material (54%)
• confidential research (92%)
• trade secrets (31%).

Cyber threats are recognised in all entities’ enterprise or IT risk registers. All entities have performed a risk assessment on their IT assets and identified their ‘crown jewels’ or ‘Mission Critical’ assets.

However, we noted:

• one entity did not have an IT asset register for the purposes of IT configuration and security
• one entity’s IT asset register did not include IT dependencies between the IT asset and the business function it supports
• one entity has a ‘Mission Critical’ IT asset which was not covered by vendor support at 31 December 2022. This entity noted it is due for an upgrade that will bring it into support by the end of 2023. Assets that are unsupported by vendors may be unpatched for identified security weaknesses and at greater risk of being compromised in a cyber attack
• one entity has not formally accepted the residual risk where cyber security controls were not fully implemented or have not met target levels
• one entity recorded risks that did not contain mitigating controls.

All entities report cyber risks to management, reporting on average quarterly and have assigned owners for identified cyber risks to ensure accountability.

Managing personally identifiable information (PII)

Entities hold PII for a variety of purposes in delivery of services. PII can include:

• student and staff names
• student numbers or staff ID
• date of birth and ID records
• billing addresses and banking details
• details of participants in research activities.

Due to the sensitive nature of the PII held by entities, the information is attractive to cybercriminals that may seek to access the information for:

• financial gain
• recognition and achievement
• political motivation
• their nation’s own interests (state actors)
• corporate espionage.

Entities have assessed and classified the data held that is considered personally identifiable (PII), and established internal guidelines and plans to manage the data.

Retention policies of personal information vary greatly across entities

PII is retained for different lengths of time across the entities, with ranges as follows:

• personal information of employees – held between seven years and indefinitely
• personal information of students – held between seven years and indefinitely
• personal information of others (research, commercial activities) – held between seven and 15 years.

Entities that retain sensitive PII long-term can in time hold greater volumes of information, increasing their risk exposure.

Entities tend to store PII data using a combination of offshore, onsite, offsite and cloud/internet facing environments. Over 65% of entities utilise cloud storage for personal information which relies on third party IT service providers. Third party IT service provider arrangements are further discussed later in this chapter.

Three entities have not conducted a review of user access to PII in 2022. Of the ten entities that have, three have conducted only annual reviews of user access.

Cyber incident management

The number of cyber incidents or attacks identified by entities in 2022 ranged from nil to 1,777, compared to 2021 which ranged from nil to 4,400. The disparity in the number of recorded incidents is due to:

• different definitions of what a ‘cyber incident’ is
• some registers do not cover all systems (two entities)
• some registers include intercepted or blocked attempts, while others do not. One entity did not record blocked attempts anywhere.

Monitoring of attempted attacks enables entities to locate weaknesses in their processes and identify areas subject to regular or increased attack.

It is important to note the above is based on entities’ self-reporting of incidents and the incidents they have identified. There is a continued risk that incidents may have occurred and gone undetected or unreported to those charged with governance.

Two entities reported financial losses from cyber incidents

The highest financial loss reported by universities in NSW was from a single attack on an entity that involved malicious software executed on a faculty computer laboratory. Whilst most entities have not reported direct financial losses from cyber incidents, many required significant effort and costs to respond to known, but unsuccessful incidents.

Third party IT providers

Many entities engage IT service providers as they deliver specialised services and may offer cost savings or efficiencies. Consequently, third party IT providers are part of the general IT ecosystem and embody certain risks that need to be managed. Being unaware of weaknesses in an IT service provider's cyber security controls means entities may respond slowly, or not at all to close vulnerabilities, which can be exploited by threat actors to gain access to systems, data and assets.

We observed all entities’ cyber security policies capture and apply to their third party IT vendors. However, two entities did not require IT vendors to comply with its cyber security policy, as this was not a standard term within its contracts with IT service providers.

Thirty per cent of entities do not require attestations or certifications from IT service providers confirming compliance, and 23% do not require controls assurance reports from IT service providers, relating to their providers’ controls around cyber security.

Thirty-one per cent of entities did not require their IT vendors to notify them of cyber incidents

Thirty-one per cent of entities did not require their IT vendors to notify them of cyber incidents and are revisiting their current practices. Of those that do, five entities reported receiving notifications from vendors of cyber incidents that occurred during the year. Cyber supply chain risks can expose entities to additional risks, particularly where the supplier is a vendor of IT services. Arrangements with vendors should include standard security terms and conditions including requirements for timely notification of incidents to ensure entities can respond to incidents efficiently and effectively.

From 8 July 2022, amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act) require that organisations with 'critical infrastructure assets' report cyber incidents to the ACSC within 12 hours of detection for critical incidents that have a significant impact on the availability of the asset, or 72 hours for other incidents that have a relevant impact on the asset. Given that all universities operate in critical infrastructure sectors as defined in the SOCI Act, namely higher education and research, it is increasingly important that entities ensure their IT service providers notify them of incidents promptly.

Disaster recovery plans

Two entities did not test their disaster recovery plans during 2022

Disaster recovery plans provide guidance and instructions to entity staff on how to respond to various incidents including cyber attacks. Whilst no entity was required to activate their disaster recovery plan during the year following an incident, we noted two entities did not test their existing plans during 2022. Of the entities that did perform tests, these were conducted to varying extents, with tests targeting specific systems according to entity’s risk appetite. Periodic disaster recovery testing of entity systems can support entities to identify weaknesses in their plan and improve their cyber resilience.

Cyber risk awareness training

All but one entity provided mandatory training or refresher training and awareness programs on cyber security to their staff during 2022. Of the training provided, we observed further improvements can be achieved as:

• 54% of cyber training offered to staff was not tailored for staff positions. Certain organisational positions carry a higher cyber risk and are more likely to be targeted by cyber criminals
• 46% of entities did not test staff knowledge through awareness exercises. Awareness exercises can be effective to gauge the adequacy of current training.

Entities that performed simulated phishing attacks as part of their awareness exercises reported click-through rates ranging from three per cent to 71%. Results can vary significantly according to the complexity of the simulated phishing attack. Simulated phishing attacks, when well designed, can help entities raise awareness of phishing risks and provide valuable learnings in a safe environment.

For overseas student graduates, employment rates are consistently lower than those for domestic graduates. However, the 2022 survey showed average employment rates have improved from 2021 due to a strong recovery of the Australian labour market. The report noted there was a broad decline in graduate employment rates between 2019 and 2020 for both domestic and overseas graduates associated with general weakness in the labour market, which was worsened in 2020 from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The average full-time employment rate for overseas undergraduates was reported at 57.7% (2021: 43%) and 57.9% for international postgraduate coursework (2021: 43.9%).

The graph below presents the 2020–22 longitudinal results from the survey by university.

Student enrolments by field of education

Enrolments at universities decreased the most in Science related courses in 2022

Enrolments at NSW universities declined overall by over 12,000 full-time equivalent students. The largest decreases in student enrolments at universities in NSW in 2022 were in:

• Science related courses, with 7,094 fewer enrolments compared to 2021 (16.7% decrease).
• Society and Culture courses, with 6,831 fewer enrolments compared to 2021 (9.9% decrease).

The largest increase in student enrolments at universities in 2022 was in Health courses. An additional 4,801 students were enrolled compared to 2021 (11.7% increase).

The graph below shows the movement in student enrolments by field of education between 2021 and 2022.

Modes of learning

Over half of the universities decreased their delivery of courses via online methods in 2022

Sixty per cent of universities decreased the percentage of courses they delivered through online or digital means during 2022 compared to 2021.

Following the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in NSW at the end of 2021, all five metropolitan universities have shifted significantly back to face-to-face learning. In 2021, four metropolitan universities delivered over 75% of their courses primarily via online methods. In 2022, all metropolitan universities now have less than 30% of their courses delivered digitally. The inverse has occurred at regional universities, which have increased the percentage of their courses delivered digitally.

On average, universities delivered:

• 23% of their courses primarily online (59% in 2021)
• 51% of their courses primarily face-to-face (25% in 2021)
• 43% of their courses both online and face-to-face (33% in 2021).

The average percentage of domestic students who received their education primarily via digital learning means was 37% (68% in 2021). For overseas students, it was 24% (53% in 2021).

Universities utilise a combination of both internally and externally managed learning platforms, with internally managed platforms supported by third party software.

All universities have performed evaluations on the quality and effectiveness of their online service delivery over the last 12 months, some of which include student experience surveys and reviews of online content against externally published quality standards. Much of this is done as part of general course evaluation procedures.

All universities have evaluated their digital learning platforms as part of their cyber security assessments.

Students from low SES backgrounds

In 2009, the Australian Government set a target for 20% of university undergraduate enrolments to be students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds by 2020.

The 2020 results for universities in NSW showed five universities achieved enrolments of more than 20% of domestic undergraduate students from low SES backgrounds.

In 2021, the same five universities achieved the 20% target. There has been slight improvement in each of the other universities of their percentage of domestic undergraduate students being from low SES backgrounds.

Enrolment statistics for 2022 are not expected to be available from the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment until late 2023.

Universities can continue to improve outcomes for these students by consistently setting targets, tracking achievement against those targets, implementing policies to increase enrolments and supporting students to graduation.

Five universities reported that they enrolled more students from low SES backgrounds than the target

Universities in NSW reported barely an increase in the total number of low SES domestic undergraduate student enrolments, from 40,517 in 2020 to 40,521 in 2021. Overall, domestic undergraduate student enrolments (headcount) in NSW increased by two per cent in the same period from 225,918 in 2020 to 230,379 in 2021.

Reported enrolments of domestic undergraduate students from low SES backgrounds in 2021 for universities as a percentage of total domestic undergraduate students are shown in the graph below.

Enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

In March 2017, all Australian universities committed to achieving growth rates for enrolments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to exceed the growth rate of enrolments of other domestic students by at least 50%.

In this report, Aboriginal students are students who identify as being of the First Nations peoples of the land and waters now called Australia, and includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The 2021 results for universities in NSW showed seven universities achieved increased enrolments of students from Aboriginal backgrounds (eight in 2020).

Seven universities reported increased enrolments of Aboriginal students in 2021

Universities in NSW reported an increase in the overall number of Aboriginal student enrolments in 2021 by 213 students, taking the total number of Aboriginal student enrolments in 2021 to 7,587. This represents a growth of 2.9% since 2020. Overall, non-Aboriginal student enrolments in NSW increased by only 1.6% in the same period, from 303,951 in 2020 to 308,748 in 2021.
Consequently, the target growth rate for enrolments of Aboriginal students to exceed the growth rate of enrolments of non-Aboriginal students by at least 50% was achieved in 2021.

The Aboriginal student enrolments for 2021 by university is shown below, together with the change in Aboriginal student enrolments since 2020.

The following graph shows Aboriginal students in 2021 as a percentage of total domestic students at each university.