An Adelaide University program developed to support high school students in non-mainstream education has more than tripled in size this year, helping more young people imagine a different future.
The University’s 2026 University Makes a Difference Outreach Program will culminate on 28 October in a showcase event bringing together student participants, teachers, university staff and community partners to celebrate the students’ achievements through presentations and poster displays.
Launched in 2025 with 16 students, this year’s University Makes a Difference program expanded significantly with 53 participants across nine schools in Adelaide’s northern suburbs and Port Lincoln, who are in alternative education programs or face significant barriers to traditional education pathways.
Young people participate in non-mainstream education for a variety of reasons, which may relate to disability, behaviour, mental health concerns, long-term illness, incarceration, attendance or other complexities.
The Adelaide University team worked with schools and students throughout terms two and three, guiding participants as they explored topics meaningful to them – including powerful themes such as the causes of homelessness, to AI’s detrimental impact on creativity and how First Nations’ voices can contribute to conservation.
Students were introduced to university life through assigned mentors, experiencing campus facilities and getting a taste of the academic environment as they researched their topics and interviewed experts, supported by workshops delivered at their schools and on campus.
Associate Professor Sarah Hattam, who is Director of Adelaide University Pathways College and co-developer of the program, said it’s about much more than encouraging students to go to university.
“Our program is about supporting more young people to complete their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), to realise that their experiences matter, and to understand they have choices about their future,” Associate Professor Hattam said.
“It’s about breaking down barriers and myth busting, establishing self-belief and encouraging aspirations.”
The university program recognises that students’ educational journeys are shaped by a range of factors, including their experiences of schooling, family and community circumstances, confidence, aspirations and their understanding of what higher education can provide.
“We take a relationship-based approach to engagement, working alongside schools and students over time rather than relying on one-off outreach activities,” Associate Professor Hattam said.
“It’s about opening doors, showing students who may not think they fit a perceived academic norm that there is no single pathway, that they don’t need to follow a typical journey.”
The University Makes a Difference program forms part of Adelaide University’s commitment to equity, access and participation by helping high school students from diverse educational and social backgrounds to picture themselves belonging in higher education.
The showcase will demonstrate how universities can work differently with schools and communities to create more accessible, personalised pathways into higher education.
Results count towards the South Australian Certificate of Education and can facilitate university entrance through Adelaide University’s Foundation Studies or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathways Program, if the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) path is not a good fit.
Adelaide’s north is a strategic region for the University, which is growing its research, education, industry and clinical partnerships in the area to boost local health and societal outcomes, as well as workforce capability and innovation.
The program is full for next year – when it will also expand into Mount Gambier and Whyalla – but interested schools may submit an Expression of Interest for the waitlist via email to PathwaysPartnershipandEngagement@adelaide.edu.au.
“Shaping learning to be relevant, future-focused and grounded in students’ realities can engage students to stay at school, to succeed and potentially pursue an education beyond Year 12,” Associate Professor Hattam said.
Media opportunities
Media are invited to the showcase event, please register your interest. Interviews are available before or at the event with participating students, school teachers and representatives, and Adelaide University staff involved in the program:
University Makes a Difference Showcase
Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 5.45 pm – 8.30 pm
Adelaide University, Pridham Hall Level 2, City West Campus Adelaide
Media contact (and registration for event):
Kim Giannoni, Senior Project Officer, Adelaide University Pathways College, Adelaide University. Email: kim.giannoni@adelaide.edu.au Telephone: 0478 404 649
Megan Andrews, Media, Adelaide University Email: megan.andrews@adelaide.edu.au Telephone: 0434 819 275