Low socio-economic status (SES) - SA1 measure

The Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) Statistical Area 1 (SA1) measures are used to estimate the socio-economic status of domestic onshore students based on their residential location. These measures are derived from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), specifically the Index of Education and Occupation for SA1 areas.

SA1s in the bottom 25% of the population aged 15–64 are classified as Low SES. The middle 50% are classified as Medium SES, and the top 25% as High SES.

Published Measures

There are two distinct Low SES measures based on SA1:

  • First Address Low SES by SA1 This measure is based on the first address recorded for the student at the time of enrolment.
  • Current Address Low SES by SA1
    This measure is based on the current residential address of the student.

Geocoding Process

  • Student addresses—both first and current—are processed using geocoding software to determine their corresponding SA1 and subsequent SES status.
  • If the geocoding result has a low confidence rating, a previously geocoded result with high confidence may be used (from an earlier reporting period).
  • If no high-confidence result exists, the postcode of the student’s reported residential address (either first or current) is used to assign SES status.

Exclusions

  • Only domestic students are included.
  • Students with a permanent home address overseas are excluded.

Unclassifiable Cases

Students who cannot be assigned to Low, Medium, or High SES categories are given an SES status of ‘Unknown’.

Application of glossary term:
  • Statistical outputs