As parents and carers, you have a vital role to play in helping your children understand their post-school options and make choices about their future. One of those options is going to university.
University can offer benefits that include better employment prospects, increased lifetime earnings, high job satisfaction and enhanced personal development. And as universities now like to enrol a diverse range of students, there are a number of schemes available to support students from a variety of social backgrounds.
Yet many high school students don’t even consider university as an option because they assume it is not for them. This may be because they underestimate their own potential or because they assume university is exclusive and are not aware of the variety of access schemes and Government support available. Or it may be that no-one else in the family has attended university, so it’s not on their radar at all.
This site focuses on university: its benefits, choosing and applying for a course, and what university life is like. It includes inspirational real life stories of young people who decided to go to university and changed their lives. It aims to put you in the picture, so that you are better placed to talk about university with your child.
Case studies of students who chose to attend university
Benefits of a university education and ways to help your child make decisions about post-school options
Applying for a place at university
Practical steps, considerations and what happens next
Fees, course related expenses, accommodation, work and voluntary student unions
Financial assistance and scholarships
What you and your child can expect of life at university
How universities assess students
Note: Since this information was developed in Victoria, we refer to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). If you are from another state, information about your local equivalent Tertiary Admissions Centre will be available from your child’s school.