ABSTRACT

Higher education is a competitive enterprise at every level — from student admissions processes to university ranking systems and competition for funding. 2 The diverse student body includes increasing numbers of students who are socially or educationally disadvantaged, of non-traditional ages, with various physical or intellectual disabilities or who are not studying in their native language. Such diversity has created pressures for higher education institutions to implement a range of support mechanisms, often with inadequate funding or resources. This highly competitive and under-resourced environment is situated in an increasingly competitive worldwide economy, as well as a social context that may encourage students to regard higher education primarily as a means to a vocational end.