Reduce inequality within and among countries
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.
*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026
13,201 students studying subjects about this goal
22.1% of publications related to this goal had international collaboration*
9.5 citations per publication*
34.5% publications in the Top 10% most cited*
The University of Wollongong was named the top university in Australia for equity in the 2024 Australian Financial Review (AFR) Best University Rankings, placing equal ninth overall with excellent results in all criteria.
The AFR rankings evaluate universities across equity, teaching, research and career impact, with UOW ranking among the top 15 in each category. The equity pillar measures five groups of disadvantaged students: non-English speaking background, disability, Indigenous, low socio-economic, and regional/remote.
Around 40 per cent of UOW students come from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in higher education, supported by extensive regional campuses in the Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley, alongside metropolitan campuses in Liverpool and Sutherland. The first place ranking for equity underscores the University’s commitment to expanding access to higher education for students from all backgrounds.
In 2024, UOW's commitment to educational equity continued to position the University as a sector leader in delivering the Australian Universities Accord's reform agenda. Around 40 per cent of UOW students come from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education, demonstrating the University's longstanding dedication to expanding access.
UOW is already exceeding expectations in participation rates among First Nations people, people from low socio-economic status backgrounds, and regional and remote students. This success proves that inclusion and diversity does not come at the price of excellence, innovation or scale, evidenced by UOW's position in the top one per cent of the QS World University Rankings 2024.
The University's pathway programs and network of regional campuses create vital opportunities for students to access world-class education close to home, supporting both individual aspirations and community economic development across NSW.
The University of Wollongong hosted the 28th Indigenous Nationals in June 2024, bringing together more than 500 Indigenous student-athletes from 33 Australian universities to compete in touch football, basketball, netball and volleyball. With support from Squadron Energy as Official Team Sponsor, UOW fielded two teams.
The annual event celebrates the rich sporting culture of Indigenous Australia and acknowledges the heritage and history of the participants.
The artwork for the 2024 Indigenous Nationals was created by Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal graphic designer and UOW graduate Brittney Angus. The design featured meeting place symbols reflecting communities from every corner of Australia, with journey lines depicting collective travels to UOW, and dots representing Australia's vast landscape connecting present to past.
While focusing on community celebration and networking, the games promoted unity, health, fitness and wellbeing, creating new communication networks and reinforcing identity through positive role models.
SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing
SDG 4 – Quality Education
SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
A work-integrated learning partnership between UOW and local social enterprise Flagstaff Group provided students with the opportunity to develop a pioneering program to enhance employment pathways for people living with disability.
Through site visits and direct engagement with Flagstaff Group, postgraduate business students undertaking a research capstone subject gained firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities surrounding inclusive employment. The collaboration encouraged students to explore how meaningful work can be created within community-focused, values-driven organisations, beyond traditional corporate landscapes.
Students applied academic knowledge in practical settings, creating strategic proposals shaped by Flagstaff’s principles of equity, wellbeing and workplace diversity. The partnership proved mutually enriching, with Flagstaff gaining fresh perspectives and innovative recommendations, while students experienced real-world application of their knowledge to address genuine social challenges.
In an inspiring collaboration between a Wagga Wagga-based employment agency and UOW, two students designed and created an assistive horse grooming device for Grace, a 26-year-old quadruple amputee and a dedicated animal lover.
Grace, who contracted meningococcal as a baby, experienced difficulties pursuing her passion for grooming horses due to her unique needs. To help her find employment, the local agency contacted the UOW Maker Space program to enquire whether there were ways of creating a tailored, assistive horse grooming device for the young woman.
The UOW Maker Space is a workshop for students to explore their creative side using technology, with access to tools, equipment, and regular events and training on 3D printing, Virtual Reality and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities.
The device has not only transformed Grace's life but helped her secure a job at a local Wagga Wagga Veterinary Hospital, where she now works with horses. The experience was rewarding for the students who were instrumental in improving Grace’s quality of life by implementing their engineering skills gained at UOW.
Frame Running Wollongong (FRW) provides valuable sporting opportunities for kids who rely on wheelchairs and walkers. Operating out of UOW’s Sports Hub, this non-profit community service in the Illawarra region, offers children with disabilities or impaired balance the chance to experience the exhilaration of 'free to run' – through frame running.
The frame runner is a three-wheeled frame, similar to a trike, but with no pedals – which supports the athlete as they walk or run. It can be used by people of all ages for recreation and sport at a variety of levels, including children with a disability or impaired movement or balance.
FRW aims to enrich the lives of children with a disability by participating in the sport of Frame Running and is the only provider of Frame Running in the Illawarra Region.
Volunteer to enrich the lives of Illawarra kids with mobility challenges
The Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) is committed to building the aspirations of First Nations Australians in tertiary education. The Centre provides programs and facilities that encourage, support and advance students from entry to university through to successful completion. WIC provides a culturally safe space and all the elements for a supportive academic journey, including tutoring programs, academic and accommodation scholarships, and financial support.
UOW supports and welcomes sexual and gender diversity and strives to provide an inclusive workplace. We are proud of our vibrant Pride Network, which consists of a dynamic group of over 285 staff and students, offering events and regular sessions throughout the year aimed at building awareness of LGBTQI+ issues and provides a place for the community to come together and share their stories. In 2019, the University received our first Australian Workplace Equality Index Bronze Award. UOW’s first Gender Identity and Affirmation Guidelines provide a framework on how to best support those who are transgender and gender diverse, and those going through gender affirmation.
Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) was established at UOW in 2008 to help redress the imbalance in high school completion rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, by improving Year 10 and Year 12 completion rates and university admission rates for all participating students. Each year, the AIME program pairs student mentors with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students.
Equity Fellowships assist staff facing difficulties in completing their PhD program due to equity issues. They are targeted toward academic women and Indigenous Australians, however, a number of fellowships will also be available each year for other equity groups. The establishment of these fellowships is one of the strategies to address the current under-representation of these two equity groups, particularly at senior levels.
The Indigenous Admission Program (IAP) is an assessment process that offers an alternative pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 17, to seek entry into UOW’s undergraduate programs. The program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who haven’t completed secondary school, are not receiving an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), don’t have the required ATAR for their preferred course, and mature aged students.
Check out our alternative pathway for future indigenous students
In 2017, Universities Australia (UA) launched the Indigenous Strategy (2017-2020), developed in consultation with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium (NATSIHEC). The Strategy is a demonstration of the sector’s commitment, and pledges UA and its 39 members, including UOW, to amplify their efforts to deliver on targets for Aboriginal student participation, success and employment in Universities. The Strategy pledges Universities to an Aboriginal employment target of 3%.
More information is available on the Department of Education website for Equity Performance Data and Attrition, Retention and Success Rates.
The University of Wollongong tracks and monitors applications and admissions of students from under-represented (equity) groups and low socio-economic status (low SES) backgrounds. The university offers a range of scholarship and mentoring programs to support student success from these groups.
The table below provides the percentage of successful applications and commencing students in under-represented groups in 2024.
|
Equity Group |
Percentage of successful applicants |
Percentage of Undergraduate Commencers |
|
Students from low socio-economic status |
15.9% |
15.1% |
|
Indigenous students |
3.1% |
4.1% |
|
Students with disability |
9.5% |
11.7% |
|
Remote or regional students |
31.4% |
28.3% |
|
Female students (women) |
62.9% |
60.0% |
*Equity data presented is for domestic undergraduates
In 2024, 15.9% of successful applicants were students from low socio-economic backgrounds, 3.1% were Indigenous, 9.5% were students with disabilities, 31.4% came from remote or regional areas, and 62.9% were female.
Among domestic undergraduate commencing students, 15.1% came from low socio-economic backgrounds, 4.1% were Indigenous, 11.7% had disabilities, 28.3% were from remote or regional areas, and 60% were female.
Get in touch with the UOW Media Team to learn more about our commitment and contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
