Towards US-style education

By Marina Cameron

If Howard's proposed HECS increases are passed, most Australian students will be facing fees higher than those charged at state universities in the United States.

A four-year course in the US costs each student an average of $3620 per year in fees. Under the proposed new charges in Australia, 75% of students (based on past enrolment patterns) would pay around $4960 in HECS and amenities fees at the middle HECS rate or $6160 at the higher HECS rate.

According to estimates from the National Union of Students and the US Chronicle of Higher Education published in the Australian, students here also pay more for books and equipment, and double the amount for accommodation. Indirect charges are also expected to increase here with government deregulation.

The logical extension of the user-pays principle is a US-style two-tier system of public and private universities (the latter charging on average $15,735 per year in fees), and up-front fees for all courses, paid through student loans with interest rates of up to 8.5%.

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