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There are 48 enabling programs across Australia that provide an entry pathway into university for students who would otherwise be excluded from higher education (Habel et al., 2016). Enabling programs are non-award courses offered by universities and private providers to prepare students with the required skills and knowledge for undergraduate study (Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2021). In 2020, 32,579 students were enrolled in Australian enabling programs (Department of Education, 2022). These programs typically attract students from low socio-economic backgrounds and other equity groups who have previously found higher education inaccessible (Syme, Roche et al., 2021). The programs are specifically designed to build students’ confidence and the academic skills, knowledge and attributes needed for successful transition to higher education. While enabling education programs have existed in Australia since the mid-1980s (May & Bunn, 2015), they developed in isolation at individual universities and are not yet part of the AQF. This factor, and their apparent diversity, has meant they have sometimes been viewed as lacking transparency (Pitman et al., 2016). Shah and Whannell (2017), for example, claim the lack of transparency and standardisation puts the integrity of enabling programs at risk. In the current changing government funding landscape and with the introduction of the Job-Ready Graduates Package in 2020, there is even greater imperative to ensure that programs across Australia provide a high level of quality assurance.

While enabling education offers nuanced programs that respond to the needs …