The National FEE‑FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) Project, Report on Policy Settings and Best Practice Guide. A Good Practice Report

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63608/ssj.4172

Keywords:

Access, pathways, FEE-FREE Uni Ready, enabling, equity, widening participation

Abstract

This good practice report outlines findings from the recently completed National FEE‑FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) Project (2026) to share the work and recommendations on FFUR policy settings and principles. Together, these aim to strengthen transitions into higher education for underrepresented cohorts. We focus on introducing the Best Practice Guide and FFUR Framework elements, highlighting the importance of place-based and cohort-tailored contextualisation. We outline key elements of the taxonomy of FFUR offerings, common learning outcomes, and governance guidelines that collectively enable portability, quality, and equity. We contextualise FFUR offerings within Australia’s evolving pathways ecosystem and show how the FFUR Framework can be adapted across place and tailored to specific cohorts. This good practice report contributes a practical architecture to both understand and operationalise equitable pathways, with scalable concepts and evaluation principles aligned to the Student Success conference theme of ‘Transitions: pathways to tertiary education’.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Anna Bennett, The University of Newcastle Australia

Associate Professor Anna Bennett is Director of the Pathways and Academic Learning Support Centre. She is on the editorial board of the Q1 journal Teaching in Higher Education and has led numerous national projects to guide best-practice, including the National FEE-FREE Uni Ready Project and the Critical Interventions Framework reviews of high education access and equity programs (2015; 2024) spanning access to postgraduate programs. Her research focuses on pathways and inclusion in higher education, evaluation and policy, along with policy-informing publications of various types.

Kristen Allen, The University of Newcastle Australia

Dr Kristen Allen is Assistant Head of Pathways at the University of Newcastle and a researcher in enabling education, student success, and widening participation. Her work explores equity in higher education, enabling pedagogies, and the experiences of students from underrepresented backgrounds. She has contributed to a range of funded research projects and sector initiatives focused on improving access and outcomes in higher education. As a co-investigator on the Fee-Free Uni Ready (FFUR) project, Kristen undertook qualitative interviews, analysed data, and authored sections of the national report and Best Practice Guide. Her doctoral research challenges traditional, metrics-based understandings of student success in enabling programs.

Michelle Mansfield, The University of Newcastle Australia

Dr Michelle Mansfield is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Head of Domestic Programs in the Pathways and Academic Learning Support Centre at the University of Newcastle, Australia. With over 20 years of experience in enabling education, her research explores inclusive pedagogies, LGBTQIA+ student experiences, blended learning, and strategies to improve higher education participation for underrepresented cohorts. She has presented her work at national and international conferences and has published in leading peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes in Sociology and Enabling Education. Michelle was a co-investigator in the National FEE-FREE Uni Ready Project.

 

Nicole Garske, Australian Tertiary Education Commisssion

Nicole Garske is Assistant Director, Student Profiles, at the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. She has more than 15 years of experience across secondary and higher education, with a particular focus on policies and practices that support equitable participation and improve student experiences and outcomes. Before joining ATEC, Nicole worked in the Pathways unit at the University of Newcastle, where she project managed the FEE-FREE Uni Ready project.

Georgia Way, The University of Newcastle Australia

Georgia Way is a Project Coordinator with the Pathways and Academic Learning Support team at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Her work focuses on widening participation in higher education, enabling and pathway programs, and supporting equitable access and success for students from diverse backgrounds. She has contributed to research and sector projects, including the national Fee-Free Uni Ready project, which explores best practice approaches to enhancing accessibility and student outcomes in enabling education. Her professional interests include student equity, educational pathways, transition and success, and evidence-informed policy and practice in higher education.

Downloads

Published

10-08-2026

How to Cite

Bennett, A., Allen, K., Mansfield, M., Garske, N., & Way, G. (2026). The National FEE‑FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) Project, Report on Policy Settings and Best Practice Guide. A Good Practice Report. Student Success, 17(2), 141–147. https://doi.org/10.63608/ssj.4172

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026): Special Issue / 2026 Student Success Conference

Section

Good Practice Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Anna Bennett, Kristen Allen, Michelle Mansfield, Nicole Garske, Georgia Way

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International Licence (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.