Student fees and charges in VET: The case for reform

Each State and Territory implements its own system of student fees and charges governing publicly funded VET courses. This paper compares the student charging policies in each jurisdiction and finds that the lack of transparency in student fees and charges masks issues that are likely to have an impact on student participation and industry demand for VET. These issues include: the poor level of information on course costs available to prospective students; the high real cost of some courses; and lack of consistency in charges for the same nominal course in different jurisdictions. The author argues for greater transparency in fees and charges policies across Australia but points out that improved transparency would expose the problems in the current system. The author argues that the best way to resolve these problems would be for State and Territory governments to move towards a consistent national system of student fees and charges in the VET sector.