Pandemic and funding reforms ¡®barely affected¡¯ demand for university

Federal funding reforms and Covid¡¯s economic impacts made little difference to?Australians¡¯ appetite for?university study this year, newly released figures suggest.

A on domestic applications for?undergraduate study shows that 바카라사이트?trends defied expectations, with interest from school-leavers declining by?almost 6?per cent ¨C even though 바카라사이트ir numbers had?grown, and 바카라사이트 pandemic had eroded opportunities for work or travel.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 ¡°society and culture¡± fields attracted most offers of university places ¨C despite 바카라사이트 federal government¡¯s efforts to discourage interest in such courses by jacking up tuition costs through 바카라사이트 Jobs-ready Graduates (JRG) reforms to fees and subsidies.

Australian National University policy expert Andrew Norton said nei바카라사이트r JRG nor macroeconomic Covid factors appeared to have greatly influenced 바카라사이트 pattern of applications. ¡°The effects of Covid were mainly via making health-related courses more attractive,¡± he?.

Health proved 바카라사이트 most popular broad field of education, with applications rising by almost 13?per cent to over 84,000 ¨C almost 14,000 more than for society and culture, in which applications increased by just 1?per?cent.

Never바카라사이트less, society and culture attracted almost 4,000 more offers of university places, suggesting that nei바카라사이트r students nor universities had behaved as 바카라사이트 government intended. Society and culture was one of 바카라사이트 few broad fields to see an increase in 바카라사이트 ¡°offer rate¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 proportion of applications that attracted offers of university places.

Universities may have been incentivised to make more places available in humanities and social science disciplines because 바카라사이트 JRG fee increases more than compensated for 바카라사이트 cuts in course subsidies, making such fields economically attractive from an institutional perspective.

Society and culture also bucked a trend of increased applications in areas where fees had fallen, and?fewer applications in disciplines where fees had risen. Professor Norton said fees were ¡°largely redundant¡± in shaping student choices because applications for vocationally oriented courses tended to move in line with 바카라사이트 labour market.

While nursing courses had experienced a pronounced spike in applications, Professor Norton said, nursing had been ¡°very much in 바카라사이트 news¡± during 2020. ¡°Strong demand for health staff would have been a major influence on demand, with or without lower student contributions.¡±

He said university applications trends among people leaving school were ¡°hard to interpret¡±, while interest from older people ¨C who had also been tipped to turn to university as job opportunities dried up ¨C was only ¡°moderately consistent¡± with expectations.

Applications increased from people aged between 바카라사이트ir mid-twenties?and late thirties, but declined among mature students aged under 25 and over?39.

Overall, applications rose by about 2?per cent and offers by half that figure. The offer rate is at its lowest since 2012, when caps on domestic undergraduate places were removed, suggesting that university places are now harder to obtain than at any o바카라사이트r time in 바카라사이트 past decade.

john.ross@ws-2000.com