'There were a few maturies in there': Exploring the First-Year Mature Age Student University Experience

Recent Australian policy changes have increased access to university through a focus on equity and inclusion, with a significant benefactor being mature age students. This research explores the first-year university experience of mature age students undertaking their first undergraduate degree. Interviews performed in first and second semester identified notions of success and the strategies employed to achieve success. Bourdieu’s theories of field, cultural capital and habitus were utilised to understand the lived experience of mature age students. This research aligns mature age students within three categories, embracing, accepting and struggling, which provide insights to better understand and support this cohort.