More Australian indigenous and poor students go to university

More Australian Indigenous children and students from low-income families are getting the opportunity to go to university than ever before, Minister for Higher Education Kim Carr confirmed Monday.

These latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics showed a 9.1 percent jump, from 2011 to 2012, in students from low- income backgrounds commencing university. Meanwhile, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children starting university increased by 8.2 percent, and regional student commencements were also up by 6.5 percent.

"We are determined to give every Australian the opportunity to go to university and we are proud of the increasing openness of our universities to students from all walks of life," Kim Carr said in a statement.

"Social status or how much money you have should never determine whether or not you can get a university qualification. We want university entry to be on the basis of hard work, ability and equal opportunity for all," he added.

Undergraduate enrollment at Australian universities now stands at a record high of 17.1 percent. Total enrollments have increased by 3 percent from 2011 to 1,257,722 in 2012, showing that the sector is continuing to grow.

"It is not enough just to get more young people from more backgrounds into university, we also want to see more students graduate with qualifications from Australian institutions that are recognized as among the best in the world," Carr said.