Southern Cross University (SCU) has established a pathways college to increase access to and widen participation in higher education for people in regional areas of Australia. While many Australian universities have preparatory colleges associated with them, SCU College has been designed to make it unique in the sector. SCU College will operate under close contractual collaboration with the two vocational education institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in its footprint, North Coast TAFE and the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE. The core offerings of SCU College will be generic associate degrees in arts, business, allied health and science, offered on SCU campuses, at learning centres on the campuses of the three partners and by distance. Graduates from the College will be able to articulate into SCU degree courses. Survey data reveal that there are thousands of people in this region who are not qualified for direct entry into university, who do not wish to study at TAFE institutes and who are unable or unwilling to travel to study. The associate degrees are designed to provide generic skills for these people within a discipline context with enhanced study support from local College staff.

The author demonstrates the process involved in creating the SCU pathways College noting that its creation fills an educational gap that responds to removing barriers and enhancing access, as well as successful outcomes noting that in detailing the main steps, strategies and design necessities involved may be of value for duplicating similar institutions, in Australia and elsewhere.