Student Demand : trends, key markets and the movement towards demand-driven enrolment

One of the key factors reshaping higher education provision in Australia is the policy to implement a demand-driven funding and enrolment system, as stated in Australia’s higher education policy blueprint: ‘From 2012, Australian public universities ... will be funded for student places on the basis of demand’ (Australian Government, 2009, p. 17). The precise impact of this policy is yet to be fully understood, as are the added complexities of incentives for increasing the proportion of students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, high university attainment targets, the introduction of a new quality and standards regulator, and the outcomes of the Base Funding Review. This research briefing explores the introduction of the policy for funding universities based on student demand. It is intended to provide a synthesis of information currently available, but that until now has not been presented cohesively. This briefing offers university leaders and policy makers a resource from which to draw when making planning and strategic decisions. The briefing covers the following areas: • An outline of the background to the demand-driven funding policy; • Trends in student demand over the past decade; • The response to demand – national-level enrolments over the past decade; • The response to demand – university-level enrolments in 2010 and 2011; and • Expectations for the future.