Equity at Charles Sturt

As Australia’s largest regional university, Charles Sturt is committed to improving access to higher education and supporting the success of students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.

On this page you'll find insights into domestic undergraduate admissions, enrolments and completions by the equity groups recognised across Australian higher education.

In this context, equity students are students who belong to at least one of the following groups – Low SES, Students from Regional or Remote Locations, Students with Disability and First Nations Australian Students.

We track student progress from admission through to graduation. These insights help us develop enabling and transition programs and services that support student success.

More on equity at Charles Sturt [PDF]

Insights

The charts below are a summary of the proportion of Charles Sturt students in key equity groups at various stages of the student lifecycle.

The Headcount for Students in Equity Groups shows the yearly proportion of students who belong to one or more key equity groups. These groups include students that are from low socioeconomic locations, from regional and remote locations, identify as First Nations, have a disability, or are women or identify with a gender other than male or female.

From 2020–2024, the proportion of students in an Identified Equity Group increased from 73% to 81%, while those not in an equity group declined from 27% to 19%. The highest value was 81% (2023–2024) and the lowest was 19% (2023–2024), indicating growing representation of equity group students.

Offers Sent by Gender

The Offers Sent by Gender chart shows the yearly proportion of applicants that received offers reported as Female, Male or Another Term.

Offers were predominantly sent to females, increasing from 64% (2020–2021) to a peak of 70% (2023) before slightly declining to 69% (2024). Male offers fell from 36% to 30–31%. Maximum: 70% (female, 2023). Minimum: <0.1% (another term, all years).

Offers Sent by Student First Nations Status

The Offers Sent by Student First Nations Status chart shows the yearly count of First Nations applicants who received an offer as a proportion of domestic offers sent.

Offers sent to First Nations applicants remained relatively stable, ranging from 3.7%–4.4% between 2020 and 2024. The highest proportion was 4.4% (2020) and the lowest was 3.7% (2022), indicating consistent First Nations representation in offers over time.

Offers Sent by Student Socio Economic Status

The Offers Sent by Student Socio-Economic Status (SES) chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic students classified as Low SES, Medium SES or High SES. Our SES data, based on postcode information, provides valuable insights but does not fully capture the number of Low SES students as accurately as the government's street-level methodology. As a result, this chart currently underrepresents the true number of Low SES students.

Offers were predominantly sent to Medium SES students (54–56%), increasing slightly over time. High SES offers declined from 31% to 27%, while Low SES rose from 15% to 17%. Maximum: 56% (Medium SES, 2024). Minimum: 15% (Low SES, 2020–2021).

Offers Sent by Student Location

The Offers Sent by Student Location chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic applicants that received offers in Regional/Remote Locations or Major Cities of Australia. Location information is based on the student's reported residential address.

Offers to students from Major Cities remained the majority but declined from 59% (2021) to 55% (2023–2024). Regional and Remote offers increased from 41–42% to 45%. Maximum: 59% (Major Cities, 2021). Minimum: 41% (Regional and Remote, 2021).

Offers Sent by Student Disability Status

The Offers Sent by Student Disability Status chart shows the yearly proportion of applicants that received offers with a reported disability.

Offers to students with disability increased from 6.9% (2020) to a peak of 7.7% (2022) before declining to 5.9% (2024). Maximum: 7.7% (2022). Minimum: 5.9% (2024). Overall, disability representation in offers fluctuated, then decreased in 2024.

Most Recent Sector Average is not available for admissions products, as admissions information is not included in sector-wide data releases.

Commencing Headcount by Gender

The Commencing Headcount by Gender chart shows the yearly proportion of commencing students reported as Female, Male or Another Term.

Commencing students were predominantly female, rising from 60% (2020) to a peak of 68% (2023) before easing to 65% (2024). Male proportions declined from 40% to 32–35%. Maximum: 68% (female, 2023). Minimum: <0.1% (another term, all years).

2023 Sector Average (Students who identify other than Male): 57%

Commencing Headcount by Student First Nations Status

The Commencing Headcount by Student First Nations Status chart shows the yearly count of First Nations Students as a proportion of commencing domestic students.

First Nations commencing student representation remained stable at 4.0–4.5% from 2020–2024. Maximum: 4.5% (2020). Minimum: 4.0% (2021). The data shows consistently strong First Nations participation in commencing enrolments, well above the 2023 sector average (2.6%).

2023 Sector Average (First Nations Students): 2.6%

Commencing Headcount by Student Socio Economic Status

The Commencing Headcount by Student Socio-Economic Status (SES) chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic students classified as Low SES, Medium SES, or High SES. Our SES data, based on postcode information, provides valuable insights but does not fully capture the number of Low SES students as accurately as the government's street-level methodology. As a result, this chart currently underrepresents the true number of Low SES students.

Commencing students were predominantly Medium SES (54–56%) throughout 2020–2024. Low SES increased slightly from 15% to 17%, while High SES declined from 30–31% to 27%. Maximum: 56% (Medium SES, 2024). Minimum: 15% (Low SES, 2020–2021).

Comparable Data for Sector Average Not Available for SES

Commencing Headcount by Student Location

The Commencing Headcount by Student Location chart shows the yearly proportion of commencing domestic students in Regional/Remote Locations or Major Cities of Australia. Location information is based on the student's reported residential address.

Commencing students from Major Cities remained the majority (56–59%), while Regional and Remote students accounted for 41–44%, increasing slightly over time. Maximum: 59% (Major Cities, 2021). Minimum: 41% (Regional and Remote, 2021). The data shows a consistently strong regional student cohort.

2023 Sector Average (Regional and Remote): 19%

Commencing Headcount by Student Disability Status

The Commencing Headcount by Student Disability Status chart shows the yearly proportion of commencing students with a reported disability.

Commencing students with disability increased from 4.6% (2020) to a peak of 7.7% (2023), before declining to 6.3% (2024). Maximum: 7.7% (2023). Minimum: 4.6% (2020). The data shows growing disability representation among commencing students, remaining above 2020 levels.

2023 Sector Average (Students with Disability): 7.6%

Headcount by Gender

The Headcount by Gender chart shows the yearly proportion of students reported as Female, Male or Another Term.

Total headcount was predominantly female, increasing from 60% (2020) to 68% (2023–2024), while male representation declined from 40% to 32%. Maximum: 68% (female, 2023–2024). Minimum: <0.1% (another term, all years). The data shows a growing female majority in overall enrolments.

2023 Sector Average (Students who identify other than Male): 57%

Headcount by Student First Nations Status

The Headcount by Student First Nations Status chart shows the yearly count of First Nations students as a proportion of all domestic students.

First Nations students consistently represented 3.8–4.0% of total enrolments from 2020–2024. Maximum: 4.0% (2020 and 2024). Minimum: 3.8% (2022). The data shows stable First Nations representation in total headcount, remaining well above the 2023 sector average (2.2%).

2023 Sector Average (First Nations): 2.2%

Headcount by Student Socio Economic Status

The Headcount by Student Socio-Economic Status (SES) chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic students classified as Low SES, Medium SES, or High SES. Our SES data, based on postcode information, provides valuable insights but does not fully capture the number of Low SES students as accurately as the government's street-level methodology. As a result, this chart currently underrepresents the true number of Low SES students.

Total headcount was consistently dominated by Medium SES students (55–56%). Low SES representation increased from 15% to 17%, while High SES declined from 30% to 28%. Maximum: 56% (Medium SES, 2020, 2022, 2024). Minimum: 15% (Low SES, 2020–2022).

Comparable Data for Sector Average Not Available for SES

Headcount by Student Location

The Headcount by Student Location chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic students in Regional/Remote Locations or Major Cities of Australia. Location information is based on the student's reported residential address.

Total headcount from Major Cities remained stable at 55–56%, while Regional and Remote students accounted for 44–45% throughout 2020–2024. Maximum: 56% (Major Cities, 2020–2022). Minimum: 44% (Regional and Remote, 2020–2022). The data shows consistently strong regional student representation.

2023 Sector Average (Regional and Remote): 18%

Headcount by Student Disability Status

The Headcount by Student Disability Status chart shows the yearly proportion of students with a reported disability.

Students reporting disability increased steadily from 5.0% (2020) to a peak of 9.2% (2023), remaining high at 9.0% (2024). Maximum: 9.2% (2023). Minimum: 5.0% (2020). The data shows growing disability representation within the total student headcount, exceeding the 2023 sector average (7.6%).

2023 Sector Average (Students with Disability): 7.6%

Completions by Gender

The Completions by Gender chart shows the yearly proportion of completions reported as Female, Male or Another Term.

Completions were predominantly female, increasing from 54% (2020) to 63% (2023–2024), while male completions declined from 46% to 37%. Maximum: 63% (female, 2023–2024). Minimum: <0.1% (another term, 2022–2024). The data shows a growing female majority among graduates. 2023 Sector Average (Students who identify other than Male): 59%

Completions by Student First Nations Status

The Completions by Student First Nations Status chart shows the yearly count of First Nations completions as a proportion of all domestic completions.

First Nations students accounted for 2.4–3.6% of completions between 2020 and 2024. Maximum: 3.6% (2021). Minimum: 2.4% (2020). The data shows generally stable First Nations completion rates, consistently exceeding the 2023 sector average of 1.6%. 2023 Sector Average (First Nations): 1.6%

Completions by Student Socio Economic Status

The Completions by Student Socio-Economic Status (SES) chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic students classified as Low SES, Medium SES, or High SES. Our SES data, based on postcode information, provides valuable insights but does not fully capture the number of Low SES students as accurately as the government's street-level methodology. As a result, this chart currently underrepresents the true number of Low SES students.

Completions were consistently dominated by Medium SES students (53–55%). Low SES completions increased slightly from 13% to 14%, while High SES declined from 33–34% to 32%. Maximum: 55% (Medium SES, 2021). Minimum: 13% (Low SES, 2020–2022). This represents the socioeconomic profile of student completions. Comparable Data for Sector Average Not Available for SES

Completions by Student Location

The Completions by Student Location chart shows the yearly proportion of domestic student completions in Regional/Remote Locations or Major Cities of Australia. Location information is based on the student's reported residential address.

Completions were predominantly from Major Cities (58–61%), while Regional and Remote students represented 39–42%. Maximum: 61% (Major Cities, 2022). Minimum: 39% (Regional and Remote, 2022). The data shows the geographic distribution of student completions, with strong regional representation throughout. 2023 Sector Average (Regional and Remote): 17%

Completions by Student Disability Status

The Completions by Student Disability Status chart shows the yearly proportion of student completions with a reported disability.

Completions by students with disability increased steadily from 3.2% (2020) to 7.7% (2024). Maximum: 7.7% (2024). Minimum: 3.2% (2020). The data shows growing representation of students with disability among course completions over the five-year period. Comparable Data for Sector Average Not Available for Students with Disability

Figures displayed are subject to minor revisions throughout the year, which cause minor discrepancies with previously published figures.

Staff seeking information on equity students for Needs-Based Funding purposes should contact the Office of Planning and Analytics.