Undergraduate participation

What is being tracked?

Measure: Proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability

This measure is part of the Participation in tertiary education priority of the Strategy. This priority is about supporting people with disability participate in and complete additional education after high school.

The desired outcome is that more students with disability enrol in higher education.

Last updated: 04 Jul 2025

Outcome area: Education and learning Priority: Participation in tertiary education

Baseline value

10%in 2021
Latest value

13%in 2023

Improving the measure is moving in the direction the Strategy wants

View the data source

Trends

Has the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability increased over time?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over). Data from 2011 to 2023 are presented with a break in series between 2020 and 2021. Data before and including 2020 are not comparable to data from 2021 onwards. In 2023, 13% of undergraduate higher education students had disability, compared with the baseline value of 10% in 2021.

Year	% of undergraduate students with disability
2011	5.0%
2012	5.2%
2013	5.4%
2014	5.8%
2015	6.2%
2016	6.5%
2017	6.8%
2018	7.3%
2019	7.7%
2020	8.1%
-	-
2021	10%
2022	11%
2023	13%

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview

State and territory

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary between states and territories?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), grouped by Australian states and territories. In 2023, 15% of undergraduate higher education students in South Australia and 12% in both New South Wales and Queensland had disability.

State/Territory	% of undergraduate students with disability
National	13%
New South Wales	12%
Victoria	13%
Queensland	12%
Western Australia	13%
South Australia	15%
Tasmania	14%
Australian Capital Territory	13%
Northern Territory	14%

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview

Population groups

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary for First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), by Indigenous status. In 2023, 20% of First Nations and 12% of non-Indigenous undergraduate higher education students had disability.
Indigenous status % of undergraduate students with disability

First Nations 20%

Non-Indigenous 12%

All persons 13%

Notes
Includes domestic students aged 15 and over only.
Excludes domestic students with permanent home residence outside of Australia.
Includes Table A (Public universities) and Table B (Private universities that receive Commonwealth assistance) providers only.
'Disability' refers to students who have indicated that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition which may affect their studies.
The data collection method for Higher Education student data changed in 2020, including changes to detailed disability categories.

Due to an issue related to implementation of the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for students with disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. As it is not yet possible to correct this oversight, the entire series has been reported as received and the figures for some individual universities, and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access, participation, and success indicators and the 2020 retention rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken when including 2020 enrolment data for students with disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
Source: Department of Education Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview
Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by gender?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), grouped by gender. In 2023, 9.9% of male undergraduate higher education students had disability, compared with 14% of females and 48% of students whose gender was recorded as ‘Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified’.
Gender % of undergraduate students with disability

Males 9.9%

Females 14%

Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified 48%

All persons 13%

Notes:
Includes domestic students aged 15 and over only.
Excludes domestic students with permanent home residence outside of Australia.
Includes Table A (Public universities) and Table B (Private universities that receive Commonwealth assistance) providers only.
'Disability' refers to students who have indicated that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition which may affect their studies.
The data collection method for Higher Education student data changed in 2020, including changes to detailed disability categories.

Due to an issue related to implementation of the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for students with disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. As it is not yet possible to correct this oversight, the entire series has been reported as received and the figures for some individual universities, and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access, participation, and success indicators and the 2020 retention rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken when including 2020 enrolment data for students with disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
Source: Department of Education Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview
Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by age?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), grouped by age. In 2023, 22% of undergraduate higher education students aged 65 and over had disability, compared with 11% in the 15–24 age group.
Age group % of undergraduate students with disability

15–24 11%

25–44 15%

45–64 17%

65 and over 22%

All ages 13%

Notes
Includes domestic students aged 15 and over only.
Excludes domestic students with permanent home residence outside of Australia.
Includes Table A (Public universities) and Table B (Private universities that receive Commonwealth assistance) providers only.
'Disability' refers to students who have indicated that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition which may affect their studies.
The data collection method for Higher Education student data changed in 2020, including changes to detailed disability categories.

Due to an issue related to implementation of the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for students with disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. As it is not yet possible to correct this oversight, the entire series has been reported as received and the figures for some individual universities, and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access, participation, and success indicators and the 2020 retention rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken when including 2020 enrolment data for students with disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
Source: Department of Education Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview
Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by language background?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), by language background. In 2023, 13% of undergraduate higher education students from an English-speaking background (ESB) had disability, compared with 5.2% among the non-English-speaking (NESB) group.
Language background % of undergraduate students with disability

ESB 13%

NESB 5.2%

All persons 13%

Notes
Includes domestic students aged 15 and over only.
Excludes domestic students with permanent home residence outside of Australia.
Includes Table A (Public universities) and Table B (Private universities that receive Commonwealth assistance) providers only.
'Disability' refers to students who have indicated that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition which may affect their studies.
The data collection method for Higher Education student data changed in 2020, including changes to detailed disability categories.

Due to an issue related to implementation of the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for students with disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. As it is not yet possible to correct this oversight, the entire series has been reported as received and the figures for some individual universities, and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access, participation, and success indicators and the 2020 retention rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken when including 2020 enrolment data for students with disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
NESB: A domestic student who arrived in Australia less than 10 years prior to the year in which the data were collected, and who comes from a home where a language other than English is spoken.
Source: Department of Education Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview
Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by remoteness?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over), grouped by remoteness. In 2023, 14% of undergraduate higher education students in inner regional areas had disability, compared with 11% in both remote areas and very remote areas.
Remoteness % of undergraduate students with disability

Major cities 12%

Inner regional 14%

Outer regional 12%

Remote 11%

Very remote 11%

All areas 13%

Notes
Includes domestic students aged 15 and over only.
Excludes domestic students with permanent home residence outside of Australia.
Includes Table A (Public universities) and Table B (Private universities that receive Commonwealth assistance) providers only.
'Disability' refers to students who have indicated that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition which may affect their studies.
The data collection method for Higher Education student data changed in 2020, including changes to detailed disability categories.

Due to an issue related to implementation of the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) System over its first year of operation in 2020, enrolment numbers for students with disability were substantially under-reported in the case of several universities. As it is not yet possible to correct this oversight, the entire series has been reported as received and the figures for some individual universities, and the aggregate figures for states and university sectors have been affected. This issue can be seen in the 2020 access, participation, and success indicators and the 2020 retention rates as reported in the 2021 data set. For this reason, caution should be taken when including 2020 enrolment data for students with disability in either annual, aggregate, or cross-institutional comparisons.
Remoteness is based on location of permanent home residence.
Remoteness category 'All areas' does not sum to cohort total due to some addresses that could not be categorised.
Source: Department of Education Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview

Indigenous status	% of undergraduate students with disability
First Nations	20%
Non-Indigenous	12%
All persons	13%

Gender	% of undergraduate students with disability
Males	9.9%
Females	14%
Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified	48%
All persons	13%

Age group	% of undergraduate students with disability
15–24	11%
25–44	15%
45–64	17%
65 and over	22%
All ages	13%

Language background	% of undergraduate students with disability
ESB	13%
NESB	5.2%
All persons	13%

Remoteness	% of undergraduate students with disability
Major cities	12%
Inner regional	14%
Outer regional	12%
Remote	11%
Very remote	11%
All areas	13%

Disability group

What type(s) of disability do undergraduate higher education students with disability have?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of students with specific disability types among the undergraduate higher education students with disability (aged 15 and over). In 2023, 49% of undergraduate higher education students with disability had a mental health condition, compared with 1.3% with an acquired brain injury.

Disability group	% of specific disability types among undergraduate students with disability
Hard of hearing/deaf	3.4%
Learning	13%
Low vision/blind	3.7%
Medical condition	26%
Acquired brain injury	1.3%
Intellectual disability	2.2%
Mental health condition	49%
Neurological condition	17%
Physical	6.1%
Other	14%
Unspecified	2.4%

Source: Higher Education Statistics Collection (HESC) | Data source overview

Where did these data come from?

Data on undergraduate participation come from administrative data collected by the Australian Government Department of Education.

Learn more about these data

Previous page VET participation
Next page VET completion

Undergraduate participation

What is being tracked?

Baseline value

Latest value

Trends

Has the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability increased over time?

State and territory

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary between states and territories?

Population groups

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary for First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians?

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by gender?

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by age?

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by language background?

Does the proportion of undergraduate higher education students with disability vary by remoteness?

What type(s) of disability do undergraduate higher education students with disability have?

Where did these data come from?

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