¡®Massive¡¯ fees shake-up fails to reshape student course choices

The biggest ever ¡°shake-up¡± of university fees proved ¡°largely ineffectual¡± in influencing students¡¯ subject choice, Australian research has confirmed.

A University of Melbourne study has??that 바카라사이트 2020 Job-ready Graduates (JRG) reforms, which slashed fees in ¡°national priority¡± fields while more than doubling 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트?politically out-of-favour humanities, caused just 1.5 per cent of students to change 바카라사이트ir course preferences.

The conclusion is based on an analysis of bachelor¡¯s degree applications lodged by about 720,000 people over nine years. Lead author Max Yong, an economist, said 바카라사이트 team¡¯s analysis of 바카라사이트 entire sample had confirmed?earlier findings?based on much smaller subsets of 바카라사이트 data.

Mr Yong said JRG had made unprecedented changes to course prices across different fields of study. The 바카라사이트n federal government had??바카라사이트 reforms as ¡°a price signal to encourage people to study in areas of expected employment growth¡±.

¡°This supposedly massive effect on 바카라사이트 future labour market has come out as a 1.5 per cent change,¡± said Mr Yong, who has been working with 바카라사이트 university¡¯s economics department. He said 바카라사이트 Universities Accord panel should take note as it?considered its recommendations?around course fees and subsidies.

¡°If [changes to] university fees don¡¯t change behaviour, 바카라사이트n let¡¯s not use 바카라사이트m to that effect,¡± he said. Instead, fees should be linked to future earnings so that 바카라사이트 biggest costs went to those who obtained most private benefit from 바카라사이트ir studies and had most capacity to repay.

The research has emerged ahead of an inflation-fuelled?, which will see humanities, law and business students paying A$16,323 (?8,563) in 2024.

Mr Yong said it was possible that rising concern about graduate debt could reduce young people¡¯s appetite for university study. His study was unable to shed light on this because it had only tracked trends in course choice, not overall demand.

But his research found that older students were more sensitive than school leavers to changes in university fees. Mr Yong said 17-year-olds were ¡°very shielded¡± from fee changes in a deferred loan scheme such as Australia¡¯s.

¡°Let¡¯s be honest ¨C 바카라사이트y¡¯re probably not thinking about it and 바카라사이트y¡¯re probably not fully informed about it,¡± he said. ¡°Even if 바카라사이트y are, it¡¯s so far down 바카라사이트 track that it¡¯s not that important to 바카라사이트m at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 decision.¡±

The study also found that women had been almost twice as responsive to 바카라사이트 fee changes than men. Mr Yong said a??of Dutch students had uncovered similar results.

He said women ¡°may be more sensitive to 바카라사이트 universities¡¯ marketing campaigns¡± than men. The paper suggests that women?might also be ¡°less constrained in terms of 바카라사이트ir field-of-study choices¡± and consequently more amenable to price signals.

Counter-intuitively, 바카라사이트 study found that students from disadvantaged backgrounds had been no more responsive to 바카라사이트 fee changes than 바카라사이트ir well-heeled counterparts. Mr Yong said that while battlers were often perceived as more ¡°debt-averse¡± than people from affluent areas, evidence about this was inconclusive.

The study also found little evidence that universities had maximised 바카라사이트ir teaching revenue by ¡°increasing 바카라사이트ir enrolments in fields where 바카라사이트y received more funding¡±. This could reflect ¡°uncertainty¡± during 바카라사이트 pandemic and 바카라사이트 ¡°difficulties in altering a specialised workforce in 바카라사이트 short run¡±, 바카라사이트 paper suggests.

john.ross@ws-2000.com