Explaining Disparities in Higher-Education Participation by Socio-Economic-Background: A Longitudinal Study of an Australian National Cohort

Ensuring equitable access to higher education (HE) is not only a matter of social justice, but also a critical component to enhancing the long-term sustainability of modern societies. This study contributes to existing knowledge on socio-economic disparities in HE participation in Australia by identifying the extent to which key factors at the family, school, and individual levels mediate the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and university enrolment. In doing so, it extends existing knowledge by simultaneously considering multiple factors at each ecological level, which enables us to disentangle their independent and joint influences on the SES differential in HE enrolment. To accomplish this, we analysed longitudinal data from the 2009 cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY) using event-history models. Our findings reveal that students from lower-SES backgrounds are significantly less likely to enrol in university than their higher-SES peers, with persistent barriers emerging across multiple levels of influence. Indeed, after adjusting for cognitive skills, HE expectations, parental support, school climate, and access to learning resources, the estimated SES effect on HE participation was reduced by 68.6%. By systematically disentangling the relative contributions of these factors, this study provides critical insights into how sustainable education policies can be designed to mitigate social inequalities and promote inclusive growth. Intervention areas are discussed accordingly.