Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are supported in higher education with programs and funding to increase participation and help Close the Gap. Discover what programs and policies are in place, and how they are being implemented.
Delivering program and policies
The Department of Education is the policy lead on higher education, including Indigenous higher education.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), under the Minister for Indigenous Australians, works closely with several bodies to ensure Indigenous programs and services deliver for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as intended. This includes working with:
- State and Territory governments
- Indigenous peak bodies
- Stakeholders and service providers
For more information on NIAA’s programs to support Indigenous higher education, please visit the National Indigenous Australians Agency website.
Demand Driven Funding for all First Nations Australians
From 2021, the Australian Government guaranteed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from regional and remote areas a Commonwealth supported place.
This measure has now been extended to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students regardless of location.
New demand-driven funding will support all First Nations Australians to go to university.
From 2024, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australia will be guaranteed a Commonwealth supported place at a university of their choice, when accepted into their chosen course of study.
An eligible university place is a non-designated, bachelor level course (other than medicine) at an Australian public university.
The Australian Universities Accord process has highlighted the increased challenges First Nations Australians continue to experience, noting to meet the Closing the Gap target ‘by 2031, 70 % of First Nations people have a tertiary qualification’, systemic barriers to participation need to be addressed.
Introducing demand driven funding for all First Nations students responds to Priority Action 3 of the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report.
Demand-driven funding for these students will have flow-on benefits for all First Nations communities across Australia by increasing the number of First Nations graduates in the workforce. It will help increase delivery of professional services and support other enterprises requiring university educated workforces. It will also increase the availability of role models in communities for increased aspiration for further education.
Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund (IRLSAF)
The IRLSAF funds universities to support Indigenous students and students from low socio-economic status (SES), regional and remote backgrounds. The IRLSAF combines existing programs, including:
- The Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP)
- Regional loading
- Enabling loading
Closing the Gap
The new National Agreement on Closing the Gap includes a target to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are supported to participate and succeed in higher education.
By 2031, the target aims to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-34 years who have completed a tertiary qualification (Certificate III and above) to 70 per cent.
The 2023 Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan is now available.