Hijack The Streets: how much is too much to pay for a degree?

There’s a lot of rumbles across the nation that fee caps on university fees will soon be scrapped. The word is that the government is considering a major shake up of funding structures that will let education providers charge students as much as they want for degrees.

Two possible scenarios of this policy are that HECS debts will grow for local undergraduates, and that international and postgraduate students will have to pay more to study up front. The Group of Eight is (unsurprisingly) pretty stoked at this prospect, but their students’ reactions are a different matter.

Hijack The Streets headed to Melbourne’s Monash University to see how students feel about these potential new measures, and if there’s a monetary figure that would stop them from enrolling in a degree.

Thao Tran, 18, Bachelor of Communications, Monash University

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

Well, at the moment it’s about $6000. So, $10,000, I guess? I’m on HECS.

If the fees did go up, would it affect you, or would it just be adding more to your HECS?

Actually, I have a single mother who is raising – including me – four children. So, it pretty much sucks now that I’m paying $6000 for three years. If they raise it even higher, I don’t know how I’ll be able to pay off the debt.

My mum came here from Vietnam before I was born around 25 years ago. She started off just doing labour work just to build a life in Australia – it was just after the [Vietnam] war. And it’s like: we need the education! For future generations like me.

Preet Gill, 21, Accounting, Banking and Finance student at Monash University

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

Well, if it was more expensive, I’d be weighing up if I should be working full-time in an entry level position instead, and earning about $45,000 a year. It’s quite difficult getting jobs anyway, so if it’s more expensive, what’s the point? I might as well look for the short-term money.

In the degree that you’re doing, is it possible to get into that field without a degree?

No. The career that I have chosen, that I’ll be starting next year, I would have needed my degree.

Richard Lesa, 28, Masters in Information and Technology, Monash University (international student)

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

Well, when you get a degree, it helps you to get a job, and when you do get a job, you’ll be earning more than what the actual fees are, so [paying a lot of money] seems okay. In terms of caps, $10,000 a semester would be just right. At the moment, I’m paying $15,000 a semester.

So, you think it should go a bit lower then?

Yeah, I think it should go down.

If caps were higher, would that affect your decision to study in Australia?

Definitely. If it was cheaper elsewhere, you might as well go elsewhere.

Dave Morris, 24, Masters of International Business, Monash University

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

Well, with postgraduate you have to pay the whole thing upfront. It was $12,000 when I started. I got a scholarship, so I only have to pay $4000, and the uni pays $8000, so that was really convenient. I think if it went up to $15,000, I just wouldn’t pay it. Even $12,000 is a bit much.

So you think it should go in the other direction? That the government should be helping out more with uni fees?

For sure. Yeah. Because applying for these graduate jobs, I’m one of the few people that has a post graduate degree. I was lucky that I had some money saved up and I got a scholarship. A lot of people just can’t afford it. Even if they might want to do post grad, they just can’t.

Salaam Al-Marashli, 19, Bachelor of Architecture, Monash University

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

I think it’s $7000 or $8000 that I’m paying for this year, so borderline would be $15,000. That’s considering that’s on top of all the books and everything, and, in architecture, we have to buy a lot of materials for projects.

So the costs really add up?

Yeah, $15,000 could end up being $100,000 over five years with everything else you need as well.

Sabina Knox, 21, Bachelor of Arts (Human Rights) at Monash University

HJCKD: How much is too much to pay for a degree?

Well, because of HECS, you don’t really see the money, but as it is now if I looked at my actual bills that come in, I would probably think it’s too much as it is because universities should be free. I definitely don’t think it should be higher than it already is.

So you think that’s something Australia should implement, free universities?

Yes, we should go back to free university! 

Frances Vinall

Frances Vinall is a freelance culture and lifestyle journalist and a Monash University student. She spends most of her free time watching Parks And Recreation and eating cheese. Frances blogs at francesvinall and tweets at @fvinall.

Images: Frances Vinall