"UniSport" has conducted several research pieces examining the elite student-athlete pathway in Australia. This is the final repor. Universities around the world have created programs which offer supporting services assisting elite student-athletes to manage study and sport commitments. Although these programs are well embraced among Australian universities, many of them are in their early phases of establishment and it is important to evaluate the experiences of the elite student-athletes engaged in such programs. To address this need, this study administered a questionnaire to student-athletes who participate in elite student-athletes programs offered at Australian universities. The purpose was to understand their perceptions regarding the range, importance and general satisfaction with the services and support offered. This report presents the results of the n=867 valid responses collected from a total of 27 universities across seven Australian states and territories. The key findings of this study indicate: - The majority of elite student-athletes are undergraduate (93%) full-time (83%) on-campus (88%) students; - The majority of study participants (81%) indicated they were overall satisfied or very satisfied with services offered in their elite student-athlete program; - Academic support (85%) is the most important service area followed by athletic support (71%), miscellaneous support (68%) and self-development support (57%); - 91% of the elite student-athletes strongly agreed or agreed that they would recommend joining a program to other elite student-athletes; - 67% of the participants strongly agreed or agreed that the program has had a positive impact on their general physical health and well-being; - 71% of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the program has had a positive impact on their academic performance; - Qualitative data highlighted the benefits of the programs on elite student-athlete mental health and well-being promotion, life balance improvement and ability to cope with academic demands; - Findings also show that although universities are able to provide the basic services, there are unexplored opportunities to optimise their offerings (e.g., gender specific requirements). Therefore, the current services Australian universities provide via elite student-athlete programs deliver supporting services with success and positively impact on student-athlete career management. It was found that the programs allowed and encouraged elite student-athletes to pursue dual-career, sustain mental health and well-being and influence their ability to perform academically whilst maintaining a sporting career. The positive impact of services offered reinforce the need for the government to maintain support and funding as well as conduct frequent reviews to ensure elite student-athlete needs are met. Specific recommendations to optimise and sustain the program success are presented in this report.
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