Supporting Military Veterans in Australian Higher Education

Abstract

Veterans often face difficulties during the transition from military to civilian life, with relatively high unemployment rates and mental health risks. Higher education represents an important pathway to navigate this transition successfully. Research from the United States shows that veterans bring unique strengths to the classroom, but also face specific challenges and barriers in accessing higher education. In Australia, military veterans have been largely invisible in the higher education sector. There is little national evidence on their access, success, and graduate outcomes. To begin to address this gap, we conducted a national survey of 240 student veterans who had enrolled in Australian higher education. In this article, we outline the barriers they faced in accessing and transitioning to higher education, and their subsequent experiences at university. We provide recommendations to help universities develop more effective programs and policies to promote the success of student veterans.

Keywords

• higher education, student veterans, widening participation, student equity