Cinderella on the path at midnight: students on regional university campuses and equity

Colleen Carlon; Lucinda Aberdeen; Robyn Eversole; Merete Schmidt; Janet Congues; Kylie Wrigley

doi:10.1080/07294360.2025.2493249

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Cinderella on the path at midnight: students on regional university campuses and equity

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Cinderella on the path at midnight: students on regional university campuses and equity

Colleen Carlon, Lucinda Aberdeen, Robyn Eversole, Merete Schmidt, Janet Congues and Kylie Wrigley

Higher education research and development, Vol.44(8), pp.1949-1963

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2025.2493249

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Abstract

cultural capital

higher education

intersectional diversity

regional campuses

Rural

strength-based

structural inequity

Just as Cinderella’s prospects for attending the ball seemed elusive, so does higher education for people living in rural, remote and regional locations in Australia. The concentration of university campuses in Australian capital cities systematically diminishes opportunities for people living in regional locations. Indeed, most regional communities in Australia do not have access to a local university campus. This article presents research that captures the voices and experiences of students studying on three small regional university campuses through semi-structured interviews. Acknowledging their intersectional diversity linked to gender, ethnicity, caring and cultural responsibilities, disability, and socio-economic status, a thematic analysis of the students’ responses revealed four key themes. These themes illuminate the inequities faced by regional tertiary students using a strengths discourse that recognises the aspirational and experiential capital that informs what it takes to combat such adversity to succeed in higher education. This research contributes vital knowledge that recognises the cultural capital of regionally based higher education students, their commitment to place and contribution to place-based knowledge and learning.

Details

Title: Cinderella on the path at midnight: students on regional university campuses and equity
Authors/Creators: Colleen Carlon - Edith Cowan University
Lucinda Aberdeen - The University of Melbourne
Robyn Eversole - Bucknell University
Merete Schmidt - University of Tasmania
Janet Congues - La Trobe University
Kylie Wrigley - Edith Cowan University
Publication Details: Higher education research and development, Vol.44(8), pp.1949-1963
Publisher: Routledge
Number of pages: 15
Grant note: Edith Cowan University #10028994 / Spencer Foundation
Identifiers: 991005877698007891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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