Using Higher Education Statistics Collection data, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) calculates performance indicators for Indigenous higher education – Access, Participation, Retention and Success Rates. These indicators enable each provider to assess its progress from year to year, and to compare its performance with other providers, states/territories and national data.

A further indicator used to assess performance is the Participation Rate for Indigenous Parity in Higher Education (the Parity Rate). This indicator shows the proportion (%) of Australian students that would be expected to be Indigenous, if Indigenous people were represented according to their proportion of the higher education aged population.

Higher education providers can compare their Access and Participation Rates and other outcome measures with the Parity Rate for the state/territory where they are located to determine where they stand in relation to achieving parity for Indigenous Australians with the population as a whole. However, care should be taken in interpreting the Parity Rate, for example in some cases, the catchment for domestic students for a higher education provider may be wider than the State/Territory where it is located, and some providers may effectively have national catchments. Also, in some cases, the numbers of students involved may be too small to make interpretation reliable.

Definitions: Higher education sector Indigenous performance indicators

Access Rate – Compares the actual number of commencing Indigenous students to the actual number of commencing domestic students in any one year (i.e. number of Indigenous commencing students divided by number of domestic commencing students, expressed as a %). 

Participation Rate – Compares the actual number of total Indigenous students to the actual number of total domestic students in any one year (i.e. the total number of Indigenous students divided by the total number of domestic students, expressed as a %). 

Retention Rate – Compares the Apparent Retention Rates (ARR) of Indigenous and non‑Indigenous students as a ratio (i.e. the ARR for Indigenous students divided by the ARR for non-Indigenous students). The ARR is the proportion of students who are retained in a course from the commencement of one academic year to the next (excluding completions). A Retention Rate of 1.0 would indicate equity (or parity) for Indigenous students with non‑Indigenous students. 

Success Rate – Compares the Student Progress Rates (SPR) for Indigenous and non‑Indigenous students as a ratio (i.e. the SPR for Indigenous students divided by the SPR for non-Indigenous students). The SPR is the proportion of units students passed in a year compared with total units the students were enrolled in. A Success Rate of 1.0 would indicate equity (or parity) for Indigenous students with non‑Indigenous students. The Success Rate data refer to the year previous to that in which it is reported.

Participation Rate for Indigenous Parity in Higher Education (Parity Rate)

The Parity Rate shows in any one year the proportion (%) of Australian students that would be expected to be Indigenous, if Indigenous people were represented according to their proportion of the higher education aged population. The calculation of the parity rate takes into account the age structures of the Indigenous and total Australian populations as well as the actual age structure of the domestic higher education student population in the year. The Parity Rate is calculated at both national and state/territory levels and is available for 2001 and 2005 population data.

Figure:   Proportion of Indigenous and total Australian population by age range, Australia; 2001 and 2005

Calculation of the Parity Rate

The formula for the calculation is the same for state/territory and Australia:

Where:

S_i  =  the number of domestic students in the ith age group

Pop_i  =  the number of Australian persons in the ith age group

Pop (Indig)_i  =  the number of Indigenous persons in the ith age group

The source of data for the calculations is the DEEWR Higher Education Statistics Collection, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publications and data supplied under contract to DEEWR by ABS. ABS Publications sourced were ABS 3201.0 Estimated resident population, Australia, Revised, June 1997 to 2002, ABS 3201.0 Estimated resident population, preliminary 30 June 2004 and ABS 3201.0 Estimated Resident Population, Preliminary 30 June 2005, ABS 3201.0 Estimated Resident Population, Preliminary – 30 June 2006, release 13 December 2006 Table 7.

The rationale for having such a population based indicator is that the age structure of Indigenous Australians is significantly different to that of the Australian population as a whole (see Figure). Also, the proportions of Indigenous people in the Australian population vary widely between states/territories. It is necessary to take these factors into account when considering parity of outcomes between these populations.

Parity Rate by state/territory, Australia; 2001, 2004-2006

Performance data

• State, National and University performance - access, participation ( PDF 111KB) 
• State, National and University performance - success and retention ( PDF 91KB)