Tuition fee overhaul ‘would save Canberra money’
New research suggests that reforming Australia's student loan and tuition fee system could save the government millions while improving fairness. Experts propose a fee structure based on projected lifetime earnings to reduce interest rate subsidies and debt burdens for humanities graduates.
Why it matters
Higher education funding models are a significant economic and social policy challenge for governments worldwide.
Australia’s government could save itself up to A$200 million (£105 million) a year by reforming tuition fees to make them fairer, according to modelling by the architect of the country’s widely emulated student loan scheme.
Meanwhile another study, by a former higher education policy chief in the federal civil service, argues that it would be fairer and more effective to charge every student the same.
The two papers, published within days of each other, have added to a chorus of demands for an overhaul of the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) scheme of tuition fees and teaching subsidies.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in