UAC's Student Lifestyle and Learning Report 2025

UAC’s fifth Student Lifestyle and Learning Report reveals new insights and key trends from almost 70,000 school leavers over five years, offering a comprehensive look at the interests, passions and concerns of students from across Australia.

In response to one of the largest annual surveys of its kind in Australia, these young adults have generously shared their perspectives with us – through the ups and downs of the COVID pandemic, changes in government and worldwide uncertainty.

This year’s respondents – almost 18,000 teenagers from across the country – tell us what they really think about HECS, housing affordability and the issues that will influence their vote as Australia heads into a federal election in 2025, among other critical issues.

Key insights

• Cost of living leads voting issues: 86% of Year 12 students say that the cost of living will influence their vote at this year’s federal election.
• Graduate employment surges in importance: Graduate employment matters to 65.9% of school leavers when choosing a course, a five-year high.
• Students expect support to get to a job: More than half of students would like these two services at campus that could lead to a graduate job:
  • employment services (65%)
  • industry partnerships and work experience opportunities (60%).
• AI becomes a tool of mass adoption: Two in three students are confident using AI-related technologies.
• Those jobs aren’t safe yet: Two in three students (67%) still think that AI will lead to fewer jobs.
• Mental health still on the mind: 41% of students are highly concerned about their mental health, rising 1.2% from last year.
• Passion powers higher education: Over the past four years, passion for subject matter has remained the number one influence on course choice for school leavers.
• Fewer feet on campus: Students are slipping away from campus. Their preference to study solely on campus has fallen 8% since 2021 to 56%. Meanwhile, students’ desire for learning that blends face-to-face and online delivery has risen 9% since 2021 to 42% of respondents.
• Trapped in the family nest: Long gone are first-year-uni renters. Almost three in four (72%) will stay in the family nest with their parents. As a sign of the times, only 6% are heading into the pricey private rental market.

Download your copy of the Student Lifestyle and Learning Report 2025. If you would like to discuss any of the findings or information presented in this report, please contact us.