From the Military to the Academy: Supporting Younger Military Veterans in Australian Higher Education

This report outlines our strategies, including the creation of veterans’ support programs, dedicated contact officers, direct entry schemes, online resources, flexible timetabling, staff and student training, and medical, legal and careers support. Based on sectoral consultation and the voices of student veterans, we have also developed national guidelines for professional and academic staff. These guidelines address the need for: a coordinated institutional approach, including a central point of contact and provision of wrap-around support; supportive transition arrangements, including development of outreach, pathways, credit for prior service and learning, and approaches to managing disclosure of veteran status; effective interaction with staff and students, including provision of leadership roles, peer support, and harnessing of classroom diversity; and broader university support, including disability and health services, financial support, career development, and flexible study arrangements. We also note the urgent need for better data capture and provision, in order to monitor the access, success, and graduate outcomes of student veterans. Such data are critical to stronger advocacy and policy reform. Supporting military veterans in higher education is a moral, economic, and academic imperative. Individual universities can promote access and success by strengthening the evidence base and developing specific attraction and success strategies as outlined in this report. More broadly, the support of peak bodies in higher education would help to acknowledge the importance of veterans nationally and to promote consistent approaches, while the development of greater public financial support for veterans transitioning to higher education could substantially raise participation levels. Both institutional and national reforms are therefore required to transition more veterans from the military to the academy. Such reforms would benefit the veteran community, the higher education sector, and Australian society more broadly.