Pre-university prepared students: a programme for facilitating the transition from secondary to tertiary education

The expectations of first-year students are becoming more widely researched and understood. How to realign perceptions and prepare students for the transition from secondary school to tertiary education is less well considered. This paper presents an account of a pre-university preparation programme embedded in the senior years of secondary education (10–12), launched initially in 16 Queensland schools, and expanding to over 50 schools with 447 students. The programme provides students with a scaffolded experience, introducing them to the realities of university life while building a connection to the university as an institution and developing relationships with transitioning peers. Qualitative data collected from 198 pre-university prepared students (PUPS) suggest that they have more realistic expectations of what university life is like, and feel better prepared to make the transition from secondary school to the tertiary environment. Further research ideas are considered to address attrition during/after the first year of university studies.