The Australian Financial Review has placed the cost of the arts degree under the spotlight as part of their Best Universities Ranking Report for 2024.
In discussion with DASSH President Heather Zwicker, the article raises concerns that within months it will cost some Australian students more than $50,000 to do an arts degree.
Tom McIlroy writes “For generations, the humanities have helped train the country’s most creative and curious minds, even if generalist degrees are sometimes disparaged for lacking professional pathways.”
Heather points out that the Coalition’s Job-Ready Graduates policy, which saw degree costs for humanities soar from 2021 onwards has impacted a large number of non-traditional students.
“The bachelor of arts has traditionally been and continues to be a massive equity degree. When people haven’t come to university before, when they’re the first in their family, they often begin with arts, and we’re really proud of that.”
Education Minister Jason Clare told the paper in a statement Labor is planning to establish a new Australian Tertiary Education Commission to help set degree fees and fix the funding model for universities and hopes to provide more detail soon.
But as Western Sydney University Vice Chancellor George Williams points out in this article “Students cannot wait for a yet to be established Australian Tertiary Education Commission to potentially deal with the high cost of arts and humanities courses. We need to fix this unfinished business now.“