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.

Our extensive scholarship, 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 advances understanding of issues affecting poverty, informs policy and strengthens the capacity of individuals and systems to reduce deprivation and build opportunity for all.

Highlights of recent SDG 1 aligned activity are included below, with more information available in our 2024 Sustainability Annual Report (PDF 23 MB), with our 10 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.

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 2024 Sustainability Annual Report, there were 43 course units and 102 research projects aligned with SDG 1 in 2024, representing a wide range of initiatives related to addressing poverty. 

Other research insights are captured in the data below.

  • Course Units (Total): 43
  • Research Projects (Total): 102
  • International Research Partnerships (Total): 18
  • Publications (Total): 48
  • Publications in Top 25% Journal Percentiles by SJR (%): RMIT - 72.1 vs. Global Average - 57.9
  • Citations per Publication: RMIT - 1.2 vs. Global Average - 1.3
  • Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI): RMIT - 0.9 vs. Global Average - 1.1
  • National Publication Contribution (%): 4.1%
  • International Collaboration (%): RMIT - 56.3 vs. Global Average - 26.5
  • Developing Country Collaboration (%): 48%
  • Low to Lower-Middle Income Country Collaboration (%): 38%

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.

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