To help shrink the persistent gap in equal access to education between secondary school students, this research team has designed an app called the 'Financial Aid Calculator'.
The problem
There is a persistent gap in higher education enrolment between advantaged and disadvantaged Australian youth, and rural/regional and metropolitan students. Evidence shows access to information plays a major role, with disadvantaged youth tending to lack accurate information about benefits of and support to attend university. As a result, they may shy away from enrolling, eventually missing out on better jobs, which perpetuates socioeconomic gaps.
The research
To investigate how information barriers around financial aid impact education choices, the team designed the 'Financial Aid Calculator', an app aggregating and providing digestible information about financial support. They then test effects of the app on students’ perception about higher education and study path choices using randomised controlled trials at high schools.
The impact
Positive pilot results suggest the research has great potential to shrink the gap in higher education enrolment, while also benefitting the economy by nudging more students towards higher paying jobs. Already, participating students have shown greater awareness about University education, helping them to fulfill their potential.
Department: Economics
Area: Education and equal access
Sustainable Development Goals
We align our research activity with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).