The ANU student, 21, is now about to enter her final year of a Bachelor Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

"I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do after high school, so I applied to a whole heap of degrees at ANU," she said.

"If I choose to pursue economics or economic policy as a career path, university is probably the most straight forward way of getting into the field."

Ms Carrington isn't the only one sharing this view, with new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the number of people enrolled in study has reached its highest level.

The figures reveal one in five people between 15 and 64, more than 3 million people, are involved in a form of study.

Of those, 43 per cent are studying at university, 28 per cent are still finishing school, with 16 per cent at TAFE or an equivalent.

A record 64 per cent of females between 15 and 24 are receiving a form of education, up from 56 per cent in 2006, while the number of males in the same age group rose from 55 per cent to 61 in the same time period.

The bureau also revealed the ACT had the highest number of university graduates, with 41 per cent having a Bachelor Degree.

ANU student Fred Hanlin is aiming to join that group and has just finished his third year of a double degree in Middle East and Central Asian Studies as well as Linguistics.

He said the number of those enrolled in study after finishing school is at its highest level because it has become expected of many school leavers.

"Unless you want to be in a decent trade, it's expected that you need university qualifications to get into middle-tier jobs at all," he said.

"A bit over half of the people I know would've gone through university."

Management and commerce degrees were found to be the most popular among students, followed by society and culture degrees and engineering.

ANU deputy vice-chancellor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said while there are more people studying at university, it wasn't only just recent school leavers.

"[University] can help those who are retraining and those who want to go back to study later and improve their job prospects. It's good for the economy," she said.

"The norm for education has now changed, and people are now staying in school for longer and have chances at better jobs."

The findings were also welcomed by the University of Canberra, with acting vice-chancellor Frances Shannon sharing a similar view.

"We believe that everyone should have access to higher education, whatever their stages of life or background," she said.

While she still has a year to go of her Bachelor Degree, Ms Carrington was already considering further education options.

"My current plan is to join the workforce and then a few years down the track reconsider whether I want to continue my education in a different field," she said.