Part-time students make up 31% of all Australian university students, yet university policies and systems remain designed for full-time school-leavers. Associate Professor Kelly Linden shares preliminary findings from her research with almost 1,000 part-time students about their experiences, needs and the policy barriers they face. Ebe and Kelly talk about:

• Research findings on what supports part-time student success, including access to engaging lecturers and clear expectations
• Policy barriers facing part-time students: extensions, scholarships, work-integrated learning and recognition of prior learning
• The impact of caring responsibilities and work commitments on part-time study without inclusive policies
• Inconsistencies in how universities define and support part-time enrolment
• Public transport and taxation policies that disadvantage part-time students
• Universal facility access: how universities could share resources to support distance and part-time learners
• Policy recommendations for better supporting part-time students
• The role of universal design for learning in improving equity

Guest

Associate Professor Kelly Linden is a 2025 Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) Equity Fellow. Over nine years at Charles Sturt University, she's developed award-winning student retention programs and led research into supporting part-time students and students from equity backgrounds.

Links and resources

• Connect with Kelly
• Kelly's research on part-time students

Send us a text

Support the show

For students who want to transform their universities. For staff ready to build genuinely inclusive systems. For academics and professionals who think big about what Australian higher education could become.

Ready to raise the bar?

Support the podcast: higherhopespod.com
Follow us: LinkedIn @HigherHopesPod | Instagram @higherhopespod
Full transcript: Available at higherhopespod.com

Produced on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples.