Individual demand for tertiary education; interests and fields of study

Adrian Beavis, ACER
Gerald Elsworth, University of Melbourne

Abstract

This study investigated individual demand for tertiary education courses in Australia. Using data taken from the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre for 1994, the list of all applications to undergraduate and selected TAFE courses were factor analysed to establish if there were any patterns in these applications. The implications of the study's findings included that demand for tertiary stud seems to be driven by interest. In addition the clustering of courses identified by the study reflects the similarities students see in courses. Finally, the cluster of courses may be usefully seen as fields of study, and therefore be able to be used effectively to understand the dynamics of the demand for tertiary education in Australia.