How first-year regional students turn commencement regret into relief

Research into first-year students’ attitudes towards their studies has revealed there is often a gap between their pre-commencement expectations and their perceived experience. The Australian Universities Accord has affirmed the importance of inclusion, with a focus on increasing attainment of historically under-represented cohorts in tertiary education. This requires new research to better understand how pre-commencement expectations among regional and remote university students are formed, and how students respond to this expectation-experience mismatch. This research examines the relationships between unmet expectations and the response of first-year, first-time regional and remote (FYFT-RR) university students as it relates to their overall satisfaction. Insights drawn from 20 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews revealed how action-based responses to mismatches result in increased satisfaction whereas inaction-based responses result in decreased satisfaction. This research provides insights for practitioners looking to create well-timed interventions and communications to better shape pre-commencement expectations. This research also highlights the opportunity to help FYFT-RR self-manage mismatches in the initial stages of their transition to university.