Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are those who self-identify upon enrolment via a positive response to the question “Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?”

Resources relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on the NCSEHE website:

Other links:

  • Australian Disability and Indigenous Peoples’ Education Fund — This fund assists Indigenous and non-Indigenous people with disability to participate in both formal and informal education programs through small grants.
  • ADCET Webinar: Meeting the needs of our Indigenous students with disability — The Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) presented this webinar in May 2019. Sharon Kerr, Leader Education and Training with the Centre for Disability Studies was the presenter. If you have questions about how your institution can better support the access needs and engagement of Indigenous students with a disability, this webinar is for you.
  • Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) — Fusing coaching principles and mentoring, AIME’s team of over 100 staff work with universities and businesses to engage and support Indigenous high school students so that they may finish school at the same rate as every Australian child.
  • Aurora Education Foundation: The Aspiration Initiative (TAI) — The Aspiration Initiative is a collaboration of the Aurora Project, the University of Canberra and the Charlie Perkins Trust, and also works with the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation. TAI aims to increase opportunities and support for Indigenous Australians. It works to change the current narrative of Indigenous education, whereby outstanding achievement is seen as the exception, rather than the norm. TAI projects include international scholarships, the Aurora Indigenous Scholars International Study Tour, the Indigenous Scholarships website and TAI’s academic enrichment program for high school students.
  • Engineering Aid Australia — EEA has, over the past 20 years, inspired and supported Indigenous high school students with an aptitude for mathematics and science to complete high school, go on to study engineering at university, and become professional engineers.
  • First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) — A national organisation of, and for, Australia’s First Peoples with disability, their families and communities. The organisation proactively engages with communities around Australia and advocate for the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability in Australia and internationally.
  • Indigenous scholarships portal: Scholarship opportunities for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians — A list of scholarships available for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students of, or currently studying at, universities, TAFEs or registered training organisations (RTOs). The Indigenous Scholarships Portal is delivered by the Aurora Education Foundation.
  • Whole of Community Engagement Initiative — The Whole of Community Engagement initiative worked with six remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory to explore community educational perspectives, and find ways that strengthen pathways into higher education for remote Indigenous peoples.
  • Yarn Safe — An initiative of Headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation), Yarn Safe offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing information and support.
  • Indigenous Students in Higher Education — This blog post is part of the Gonski Institute for Education’s open access annotated bibliography (OAAB) series.