Goal 1 - No Poverty

Goal 1 - No Poverty

RMIT University delivers teaching, research, capability-building and student support programs that target the root drivers of poverty and support vulnerable communities. We equip learners across all discipline areas with knowledge and skills to increase resilience and remove structural barriers to economic participation.

RMIT University delivers teaching, research, capability-building and student support programs that address the root drivers of poverty and support vulnerable communities. We equip learners across all disciplines with the knowledge and skills to build resilience, expand opportunity and overcome structural barriers to economic participation.

Our extensive scholarships, entry pathways and student support programs enable access to education for first-in-family, low-income and disadvantaged students. Through research and thought leadership, RMIT also advances understanding of the factors that contribute to poverty, informs policy and strengthens the capacity of individuals, communities and systems to reduce disadvantage and create opportunities for all.

Highlights of recent SDG 1 aligned activity are included below, with more information available in our 2025 Sustainability Annual Report (PDF 13 MB), with our 11 years of reporting progress outlined on the Sustainability Annual Report webpage.

Broader sustainability contributions are also highlighted in our organisational Annual Report, which are tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

2025 Case Studies

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RMIT is committed to ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent students from accessing and succeeding in higher education. 

Through scholarships, grants and targeted support programs, RMIT helps students overcome financial barriers and achieve their study goals. 

In 2025, RMIT awarded 2,200 equity scholarships worth $5.7 million across 84 scholarship schemes, supporting students with study expenses, accommodation, assistive technology, laptops, travel and work-integrated learning costs. 

An additional 12 equity scholarships worth almost $460,000 were secured through industry and donor partnerships, providing financial assistance, paid work opportunities and tailored support for students experiencing disadvantage. 

RMIT also distributed more than $1.5 million through the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Prac Payments scheme, supporting students undertaking mandatory placements in nursing, teaching and social work. 

Programs such as the Future Leaders Scholarship, which supports high-achieving international students, further demonstrate RMIT’s commitment to expanding access to education and fostering student success.

RMIT’s Dr Liam Davies is contributing to national research on affordable and social housing systems, examining how policy design and funding models affect access and tenant outcomes.

Recent work provided evidence-based analysis of first home buyer and housing policies, assessing their impacts on affordability and the risk of poverty for low- and middle-income households.

This research also identified practical policy levers to support more inclusive, sustainable housing systems and expand access to secure, affordable homes.

RMIT’s Social Equity Research Centre brings together researchers, community partners and policymakers to address the structural causes of poverty, inequality and disadvantage. 

Through interdisciplinary research and collaboration, the Centre develops evidence-based solutions that improve social and economic outcomes for individuals and communities experiencing marginalisation. Its work focuses on key areas including community wellbeing, gender and harm, housing insecurity and homelessness, and local-global relations. 

By partnering with community organisations and incorporating lived experience into research design and practice, the Centre helps influence policy, strengthen social inclusion and build more equitable and resilient communities. 

Through this work, RMIT contributes to reducing disadvantage and supporting pathways towards a fairer and more sustainable future.

2024 Case Studies

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RMIT encourages students to apply for scholarships, highlighting that they offer more than just financial support. Scholarships can boost confidence, provide networking opportunities, and enhance career prospects. RMIT's diverse range of scholarships ensures that students from various backgrounds can access the support they need to succeed academically and personally.

20,572 equity scholarships worth $6 million across 109 scholarship schemes have been awarded to equity group students in 2024, providing support with living expenses, accommodation, assistive technology, laptops, travel grants, and WIL expenses. 

Fourteen new equity scholarships worth nearly $662k have been secured from industry and donors, providing cash stipends, work placements or paid work, and a range of other support to equity group students in particular programs. 

Reviews continue to demonstrate that our equity-focused scholarship program improves access, retention and success for priority equity student cohorts. 

At RMIT Vietnam, 105 scholarships were awarded, including seven Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars and 13 PhD scholarships, collectively worth VND24.1 billion. RMIT Vietnam also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Opportunity Scholarship, aiding students with disabilities or financial challenges.

Young people remain disproportionately impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. In response to these ongoing issues in 2024, RUSU were instrumental in supporting students through various initiatives.

RMIT revised eligibility requirements for hardship grants, increased access to crisis accommodation, and provided financial assistance for students on placement through dedicated grants and fee payment plans for international student experiencing hardship, increased the free printing allowance, and promoted an extended medical hub as bulk billing healthcare option.

The university also introduced complimentary sanitary products in all-gender and accessible bathrooms, reflecting its commitment to inclusivity and support for all students. 

These measures helped to effectively alleviated financial pressure and enhance students' wellbeing.

RMIT’s new Social Equity Research Centre is tackling the root causes of poverty and disadvantage through transformative, multidisciplinary research. Launched on World Day of Social Justice, the Centre unites nearly 100 researchers focused on improving social and economic outcomes for vulnerable communities. 

Its work spans four key themes - community wellbeing, gender and harm, housing insecurity and homelessness, and local-global relations, each addressing structural inequities that perpetuate poverty. 

By collaborating with community organisations and embedding lived experience, the Centre drives evidence-based policy and practice that promote inclusion and resilience. Through this research, RMIT contributes to reducing inequality and building pathways toward sustainable, poverty-free communities.

SDG Alignment Mapping Overview

As reported in the 2025 Sustainability Annual Report, there were 29 course units and 48 research projects aligned with SDG 1 in 2025, representing a wide range of initiatives related to addressing poverty for our students and the broader community. 

Other SDG alignment insights are captured in the data below.

29 Course Units

48 Research Projects

9 International Research Partnerships

55 Publications

  RMIT Global Average
Publications in Top 25% Journal Percentiles by SIR (%) 65.4 58.7
Citations per Publication 2.0 1.8
Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) 1.1 51%
National Contribution (%) 5.5% N/A
International Collaboration  49.1 27.0
Developing Country Collaboration (%) 51% N/A
Low to Lower-Middle Income Country Collaboration (%) 35% N/A

Research Projects and Initiatives Over the Years

The following research projects have been specifically aligned to Sustainable Development Goal 1 and the aim to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. These projects and initiatives are examples of the University’s contribution to the SDGs over the years.

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The Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Vietnam

Conventional farming in developing countries contributes to climate change and environment deterioration while bringing negative health effects to both farmers and consumers. Arguable it will not solve the problem of food security.

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Environmental shocks and wellbeing in Vietnam

Globally, natural disasters kill an average of 60,000 people per year. Ninety-five per cent of disaster related deaths occur in developing countries.

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The Impacts of Climate Change and Climatic Shocks on Household Wellbeing: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

Climate change has been widely recognized as a main impediment for progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

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Multidimensional Poverty in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a lower middle-income country that experienced a civil war from 1983 to 2009. While Sri Lanka’s achievement in reducing income poverty is commendable, pockets with striking poverty rates still exist.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples