Government’s changes to university fees might make you second-guess your career

For young university and high school students, the government’s recent changes to university fees could cause a dramatic shift in career thinking and planning. The changes are a combination of market economics and social engineering, designed to encourage students to pursue cheaper degrees that the government believes will be more economically valuable for the economy in the future.

Maths students rejoice

If you’re considering a career in maths or agriculture, then the government’s changes will be welcome news to you. Agricultural and mathematics degrees are forecasted to decrease by a whopping 62%.

Science and health share in the good news

Maths and ag students won’t be the only ones happy with the new announcements. The Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, has also announced that science, health, environmental science, IT, engineering and architecture degrees will also fall by around 20% in the proposed plan. It’s forecasted that lowering the cost of some degrees could increase the number of university placements by up to 39 000 within three years.

No change for med students

Medicine and dental students can expect no changes to their fee costs in accordance with the new plan. The same can also be said about veterinary science degrees.

The losers

Unfortunately, some of the most popular degrees have taken a massive hit in terms of affordability. Costs for law and commerce degrees will reportedly rise by about 28%, while humanities have been hit the hardest with a whopping 113% increase. If you were thinking of pursuing a law degree or an arts degree, it might be time to re-think that decision.