Full-time/part-time student status (STUP)

Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
Cite
Reference period
2021

Definition

This variable describes the full-time or part-time status of students.

Scope

All persons

Categories

CodeCategory
1Not attending
2Full-time student
3Part-time student
4Institution (TYPP) stated, full-time/part-time status (STUP) not stated
&Both not stated - both institution (TYPP) and full-time/part-time status (STUP) not stated
VOverseas visitor

Number of categories: 6

See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.

Question(s) from the Census form

Is the person attending a school or other education institution?

Is the person attending a school or other education institution?
Is Person 1 attending a school or any other education institution? Include tertiary education and vocational education and training providers (e.g. TAFE and private training providers). Include external, online or correspondence study. More information Person's school attendance No Yes, full-time student Yes, part-time student

More information

Additional information relating to the question on: Is the person attending a school or other education institution?
Is Person 1 attending a school or any other education institution? Include tertiary education and vocational education and training providers (e.g. TAFE and private training providers). Include external, online or correspondence study. More information Select full-time student or part-time student based on whether the institution considers the person to be a full-time or part-time student. For a person who attends only hobby or recreational courses, select 'No'. If the person is currently studying at home because of lockdowns or other COVID-related reasons, but usually attends a school or other education institution, select one of the 'Yes' options.

How this variable is created

This variable is collected from a mark box response to the Full-time/part-time student status question on the Census form. Respondents are asked to mark only one response. In cases where respondents mark more than one response, they are accepted in the order they appear on the form and the extra responses are rejected.

History and changes

A question on current type of attendance at school or other educational institution has been asked since 1976. The categories for Full-time/part-time student status (STUP) were revised for 2011.

For 2021, minor changes were made to the question wording and instructional text to improve clarity. In addition, to emphasise that respondents should include attendance at preschool, the question wording in the online form has changed for people in the household aged six and under. The question asks ‘Is the person attending a preschool, school or other education institution?’.

For 2021, a question instruction was added to the online form to provide guidance to people in COVID-19 affected areas on Census day.

Data use considerations

There are no data use considerations for this variable.

The non-response rate for Full-time/part-time student status (STUP) was 5.6% in 2021. This is a decrease from 6.8% in 2016.

The non-response rates for this variable include 0.1% of respondents (0.2% in 2016) who did not indicate whether they were students at the Full-time/part-time student status question (question 29 on the Census Household form) but went on to state the type of educational institution attended at the next question, Type of of educational institution attending (TYPP). 

Related variables and glossary terms

  • Type of educational institution attending (TYPP)
  • Educational institution: attendee status (TYSTAP)
  • Engagement in employment, education and training (EETP)

Useful links