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City of MelbourneCommunity profile

City of Melbourne

Education institution attending

In 2021, 27,366 people in the City of Melbourne were attending university. This represents 18.3% of the population, compared to 5.8% in Greater Melbourne.

The share of the City of Melbourne's population attending educational institutions reflects the age structure of the population, as it is influenced by the number of children attending school; proximity to tertiary education, which can mean young adults leaving home to be nearer to educational facilities and; the degree to which people are seeking out educational opportunities in adulthood, especially in their late teens and early twenties.

This data is often combined with Age Structure to identify areas with significant university student populations.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'

Education institution attending
City of Melbourne - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Type of institutionNumber%Greater Melbourne %Number%Greater Melbourne %2016 to 2021
Pre-school1,2500.82.27780.61.6+472
Primary school3,6242.48.12,6842.07.9+940
Primary - Government2,6501.85.61,8481.45.3+802
Primary - Catholic4650.31.54100.31.7+55
Primary - Independent5090.31.04260.30.9+83
Secondary school2,9622.06.42,5151.86.1+447
Secondary - Government1,8331.23.61,3531.03.3+480
Secondary - Catholic2920.21.43110.21.4-19
Secondary - Independent8370.61.48510.61.3-14
TAFE/Vocational7,3084.92.54,3133.21.8+2,995
University27,36618.35.834,36125.36.4-6,995
Other3,7752.51.23,4172.51.1+358
Not attending92,20161.669.271,65652.768.6+20,545
Not stated11,1297.44.716,24711.96.4-5,118
Total149,615100.0100.0135,971100.0100.0+13,644
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in the City of Melbourne in 2021 compared to Greater Melbourne shows that there was a lower proportion attending primary school, a lower proportion attending secondary school, and a higher proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 2.4% of the population were attending primary school, 2.0% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 23.2% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.1%, 6.4% and 8.2% respectively for Greater Melbourne.

The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in the City of Melbourne and Greater Melbourne were:

  • A larger percentage of persons attending University (18.3% compared to 5.8%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons not attending (61.6% compared to 69.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons attending a primary school (any type) (2.4% compared to 8.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons attending a secondary school (any type) (2.0% compared to 6.4%)

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, City of Melbourne's population increased by 13,644 people (+10.0%). This represents an average annual change of 1.93% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in the City of Melbourne, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • University (-6,995 persons)
  • TAFE/Vocational (+2,995 persons)
  • Primary school (+940 persons)
  • Primary - Government (+802 persons)

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