Adult student numbers increase across Queensland universities
Jeremy Hauter, 21, will start his pharmacy degree with honors in 2026.Credit: Jeremy Hauter
Other adult applicants left past careers behindLike 21-year-old Jeremy Hauter, who left his job as a security technician to study for a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy.
“The reason I originally chose my career option as a tradesman was because I was told in high school that I wasn’t good enough to go to college and study medical science,” Hauter said.
“March-April 2024 was when I became aware of this career. [in security] “It wasn’t for me.”
Hauter said the environment at his old workplace where he apprenticed was a key part of his decision.
“I was working every weekend, traveling all the time, not being able to go see my family, and being constantly mocked by my employers,” she said.
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“I was increasingly worried about my career.”
The Redcliffe native, who started his new path at Griffith University this year, is one of 6,261 adult students undertaking a health-related degree, the most common area of study for students of all age groups.
While the number of students accepted as adults to Queensland universities remains between 35 and 38 per cent annually, the actual number is increasing.
From the start of 2024 to 2026, the overall number of applications increased by nearly 12 percent, meaning there were 2,500 more adult applications this year than three years ago.
The most offers from any institution in 2026 came from the University of Queensland, particularly its honors undergraduate engineering programme.
But the most frequently offered course for adult students only was the bachelor of business administration program at the Queensland University of Technology, followed by the bachelor of arts at UQ and the online higher education foundation track offered at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Following Thursday’s major bidding round, additional quotas for courses starting in the first half of the year were expected to be made by the end of February.
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