Arts degrees to cost $50,000 until at least 2028 as measures to lower Australian university fees put on hold
Barney Glover, head of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, has said he will not recommend interim measures to reduce the $50,000 cost of arts degrees, despite calling the Job-ready Graduates scheme a failure.
The newly appointed head of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec), Barney Glover, has stated that he will not propose any temporary measures to lower the $50,000 price tag for arts degrees, even though he has previously described the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) program as a failure.
Introduced by the Morrison government, the JRG scheme slashed fees for science and maths courses to encourage students into STEM fields, while sharply increasing costs for arts and humanities. Critics have warned of a “segregated” higher education system, with enrolments from lower socioeconomic backgrounds declining in some arts subjects.
Glover told Guardian Australia he would provide advice to the government on degree funding in the second half of next year. “I absolutely appreciate the frustration of people who’d like to see immediate action on Job-ready Graduates,” he said, but added that his mandate is to gather compelling evidence for change given the pressure on education investment.
George Williams, vice-chancellor of Western Sydney University, expressed concern that humanities costs would remain high until at least 2028. He urged an urgent fix to prevent students from paying unfair fees and taking on unreasonable debt.
Data analysis by Innovative Research Universities released in February revealed that JRG led to a decline in commonwealth funding. In 2024, the commonwealth provided $1.2 billion less in funding than under pre-JRG settings, while base funding for universities was $813 million lower despite increased student contributions.
Glover also warned that the international student boom is over and universities must diversify their revenue sources. He noted that international student numbers have flattened after years of rapid growth, due to government caps. From 2027, Atec will allocate international student numbers across universities.
The Western Australia auditor general flagged risks from universities’ heavy reliance on international student income, classifying all state universities as medium to high risk for exposure to overseas revenue.
