The senior years of high school can be very stressful. For many students, they are dominated by exams and pressure to gain a certain ATAR for certain university courses.
For some students, perhaps for health or family reasons – this pathway isn’t possible. But this does not mean uni isn’t an option.
Students have historically had to wait until after high school to complete a different pathway such as the Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test, a vocational educational training certificate, portfolio entry or enabling pathway.
Enabling courses can prepare students for undergraduate study. And as our new report shows, it’s possible for students to do an enabling program as part of their high school work.
Read more:
You don’t need an ATAR to go to uni. You can do an ‘enabling’ or ‘bridging’ course instead
What are enabling programs?
Enabling programs are courses that qualify students for undergraduate university study. They are also known as “bridging” or “fee-free uni ready” programs.
They teach both academic skills as well as subject knowledge and qualify students to enter a wide range of undergraduate degrees for example education, nursing, science, creative arts and criminology.
Since the 1990s, they have specifically supported students from equity and underrepresented backgrounds, or those with disrupted education.
Many enabling programs are run through universities. So, students complete them after they leave school (sometimes directly after school and sometimes many years after) . But they can also be run in schools, while students are in year 11 or 12.
Each universities has slightly different qualifying criteria for entry into the program based on English competency and school recommendations.
How do enabling programs work in schools?
In 2026, seven universities offer structured in-school programs, targeting regional, remote, and equity cohort schools.
Developed between universities and schools, these programs build academic skills, such as time management, research, academic reading and writing and maths. They can also focus on discipline-specific knowledge and on skills such as confidence and critical thinking.
The curriculum, designed by universities, is embedded in the school timetable in year 11 and 12 and taught by school teachers with university support. Some programs are also on uni campus outside school hours.
These programs are aimed at students who have uni aspirations, but have experienced disadvantage or have not thrived via an ATAR pathway.
Our research
We did an analysis of enabling programs delivered by 94 high schools around Australia. This included surveys of 2,000 students enrolled between 2021 and 2023.
We found 79% of the group completed the program and 660 students progressed to uni in 2022–2024.
Of those who went onto university study, 75% continued into second year. This compares to 79% for ATAR entrants.
At university, students who had done an enabling course had an average pass rate of 76%. recent school leavers who entered uni with an ATAR had an average pass rate of 88%.
What do students say?
In our survey, students repeatedly spoke of being under enormous pressure at school before choosing an enabling pathway. ATAR struggles and stress were a key reason for this. As one student noted:
I struggled a lot with ATAR. I did well in classes and assignments but fell through with the exams.
Another stated:
I dropped out of [the] ATAR [pathway] due to stress and poor mental health, but I still wanted to attend university.
Other students spoke of how the enabling program better suited their particular health or disability needs. One student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder told us:
I found [school program] more effective […] as the learning
was a lot more practical, and the learning and content felt more in-depth.
Students spoke of the program giving them “faith in myself” and a “head start” before they began undergraduate studies. As another student told us, “[the program] explained exactly what universities expect of you”.
What now?
Some politicians have criticised enabling programs in schools, saying they are not challenging enough and do not prepare students for university study. Our findings suggest the opposite.
This study suggests governments and schools need to increasingly recognise there is no single route that suits every student.
One limitation of the study is that this study did not have available data on graduates who went on to study at universities outside the partner institutions.
For schools and universities considering these programs, guidance from our research highlights how the strongest outcomes are linked to programs that are taught within the school timetable. This is because it reduces barriers to attendance and provides support and monitoring from their teachers.
Effective programs also need support from the university partners who provide teacher training and academic guidance. Information for schools on how to set up an enabling program with a university is further explained in our research.
Fiona Navin, Selena Dhondea-Tenakov, Joanne Lisciandro, Johanna Nieuwoudt, Anita Maclaurin, Fabiane Ramos, Shaz Attree and Michael Howie all contributed to the research report described in this article.
