Increasing number of young Aussies moving away from traditional universities
There is a huge trend that is on the rise across the country, with young Aussies moving away from the traditional university experience.
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Young Aussies are ditching the traditonal university experience, with an increasing number looking into alternative pathways.
Earlier this month, experts warned that Australia’s university sector was “on the brink”, with the majority of the country’s 10 top centres of higher learning suffering falls in the latest global ranking from Times Higher Education.
The survey marks 2860 universities across the world on a range of metrics, with the results showing just one Australian university – the University of Melbourne – made it into the top 50.
The University of Melbourne ranked in the 39th position, falling from spot 37.
The majority of Aussie unis also fell from their previous positions on the ladder.
Australian National University in Canberra fell to the 73rd spot from 67th, the University of Sydney went from at 61 from 60, the University of Adelaide moved down to 128 from 111 and the University of Queensland retreated seven places to 77 from 70.
Damian Gascoigne, the Associate Dean at JMC Academy, a leading creative industries education provider, told news.com.au he is seeing a jump in the number of students looking for alternative higher education pathways.
“We find an increasing number of students are feeling a bit lost in larger educational settings. They want to feel valued as individuals and are hungry for the social experience of tertiary education, not just the academic side,” he said.
“We’re talking about a cohort of students who lost valuable face-to-face teaching time at school due to Covid and they crave that smaller scale classroom learning.”
Recent data from the Department of Education found the number of undergraduate students at public universities decreased by 1.6 per cent between 2022 and 2023. This follows on from a 3.8 per cent decrease in 2022.
Mr Gascoigne said smaller institutions offer smaller class sizes compared to larger, traditional universities, along with more hands-on tuition.
“It allows for a deeper connection between lecturers and students and more time spent focusing on the individual needs of each student. Our lecturers know their students by name,” he said.
“We also find our smaller size means there’s more room for cross collaboration between different courses which allows our students to experience working alongside other creative disciplines, as they would in their future careers.”
Mr Gascoigne said that in larger universities there is often a “split focus” between research and student satisfaction.
“Whereas here at JMC Academy our sole focus is on the wellbeing and success of our students.”
The latest Student Experience Survey by Quality Indicators for Learning and Technology (QILT) found student support was higher at JMC Academy than at some major universities.
JMC scored 81.6 in the student support category in 2022, compared to The University of Sydney with a score of 54.7.
The University of NSW scored 68.5, UTS scored 72.4, The University of Melbourne scored 63.6, The University of Adelaide got 75.7 and the Queensland’s University of Technology got 69.6.
Kaitlyn Stevenson, 19, is one of the young Australians who decided to ditch the traditonal university experience in favour of a smaller institution.
Being academically inclined, when the young Sydney student was deciding what pathway to follow to her career after high school, her first thought was to pursue a traditional pathway with a larger university.
However, she also felt drawn to the creative industries and didn’t want to deny herself that dream.
“I felt like I was setting myself up for failure and that I would be letting my family down for not pursuing noble and traditional subjects at university,” Ms Stevenson told news.com.au.
“I was considering enrolling into an English or Communications degree but couldn’t go through with it and decided to apply for a range of film schools, later accepting a place at JMC Academy for my Bachelor in Creative Arts (Film and Television).”
While she always felt supported by her family and friends in her decision to purse non-traditional higher education, she still placed an “immense amount of pressure” on herself over the decision.
For other young people who are struggling with the decision of what to do after high school and are unsure which pathway to take, Ms Stevenson noted that taking a non-traditional university route “does not make you any less successful or deserving of the life you want”.
“It’s okay to pursue what you are passionate about and there is no need to put any pressure on yourself to consider otherwise,” she said.
“Comparison is indeed the thief of joy, so nurture your passions and follow your dreams without the need to compare.”
Lewis Mitchell is another student who said he “felt a bit lost” after high school.
He knew that music was his passion and had completed a Cert III in Entertainment Industry Music during his HSC.
While he always knew he wanted to pursue music, his family encouraged him to also have a “plan B”.
“So I studied electronics and had a backup plan to study electrical engineering if music didn’t work out,” he said.
“Initially, I planned to do just the diploma at JMC, but I loved being in the studio and decided to go for the full bachelor’s degree.”
Now 31, Mr Mitchell is a firm believer is further nurturing strengths and passions.
“A lot of young people feel a bit lost because they might not know anyone working in the industry they want to get into. I’d always wanted to pursue music, but coming from a small town I knew I’d have to move to find people who shared that passion,” he said.
“My advice? Follow what makes you happy. It might take some time to find what’s right for you. Trust your instincts and remember it’s OK to pivot and explore other areas. If you feel a pull toward something, take a step in that direction.
“You might not end up where you thought you would, but the skills you gain and the connections you make may lead you to opportunities and pathways you didn’t know existed.”
There are now also higher protections in place for Aussies seeking non-traditional higher education pathways.
Last year, the government announced a $37.8 million investment towards a new integrity unit to crack down on non-genuine vocational education and training (VET) providers.
The unit is established within the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and works to address threats to the integrity of the VET and improve student outcomes.
The move also included the establishment of a confidential tip-off line, giving whistleblowers the ability to alert the regulator to serious breaches without fear of punishment.
To conduct compliance checks, the integrity unit will work in tandem with other government bodies including the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Federal Police and other commonwealth and state law enforcement agencies.
Originally published as Increasing number of young Aussies moving away from traditional universities
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