Nurturing excellent students from all backgrounds
To be a truly global institution, committed to providing an education to talented students from all backgrounds we need to actively engage students with potential wherever they may be. We will ensure that disadvantage is no barrier to accessing the University of Melbourne, and that prospective students, regardless of background, see themselves here and are confident that they will be supported. We will also broaden our international recruitment, designing our curriculum and support systems with diversity as a first principle and meeting our deep obligation to ensure we are fostering talented Indigenous students to succeed and realise their potential.
Our ambition
- A step-change in the University’s mindset and approach to equity and student diversity, from prospective student outreach to beyond graduation
- A culture that embraces diversity as a collective strength and in which students from all backgrounds are supported to contribute and excel
- A graduating cohort that better reflects our local, regional and global community
- To be a leader in creating opportunities for students from low SES and regional backgrounds
- The educational institution of choice for Indigenous Australian students.
Advancements
We will fundamentally change our recruitment, selection, onboarding and support processes to better identify, attract and retain excellent students from all backgrounds.
We will:
- Develop scalable approaches to the selection of undergraduate students that moves beyond relying solely on ATAR
- Implement new approaches to recruit, select and support graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds, including through Access Melbourne Graduate Degree Packages
- Develop tailored enrichment and engagement programs for students who have experienced educational disadvantage to support them to thrive at Melbourne
- Through the implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2030, create a culture where all members of our community are welcomed and encouraged to participate.
A flagship scholarship program will be created to attract and support talented students from across Australia who have experienced educational and financial disadvantage.
We will:
- Launch a major merit-based scholarship program
- Offer more support for Indigenous students in both the provision of stipends and accommodation support
- Offer relocation and accommodation scholarship packages for students from regional or remote areas.
Implement an International Student Diversification Plan to significantly alter the profile of our international student body across undergraduate and graduate programs and diversify the source countries from which our students come.
We will:
- Invest in recruiting the most talented students from across the Asia Pacific region and the world to attend the University of Melbourne
- Offer a suite of bursaries and other financial aids to support excellent international students’ study at Melbourne.
- Partner with international institutions to develop and implement new delivery models for key educational programs that combine local international study with study at Melbourne.
Create outreach programs that engage students who may not otherwise have considered a Melbourne education accessible or suitable for them.
We will:
- Improve our engagement with schools across Victoria and targeted areas interstate and overseas
- Develop new partnerships with community groups and external organisations.
Ensure our campuses and classrooms are places in which our students can encounter those different from themselves and develop the high level of intercultural competence they will need to lead on the global stage.
We will:
- Include more international intercultural and global experiences within the classroom, for example through international case studies, inviting international guest lecturers and ensuring students are regularly engaged with diverse cultural groups
- Develop a rich co-curriculum that encourages all students to explore the different cultures, backgrounds and ideas present within our community
- Provide more opportunities for greater numbers of our students to study overseas.
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