What will my degree cost?

Greens have bashed out a really cool little web app to estimate how much student loans and the cost of study will cost under the new arrangements: http://www.whatwillmydegreecost.com.au/

I will pay at least $4000 more just in interest fees, hurray.

So let’s see…I’d maxed out the allowed student debt with my undergrad degree and two postgrad coursework degrees before I started my PhD (which I should complete before I this hits, so thankfully there’s no additional fees there). Going by what they’ve got here…over the course of my working life, the new interest load may potentially double the amount I’m paying back, taking it well into 6 figure territory.

Excuse me while I go bash my head against a wall.

Someone told me universities were recommending students considering starting uni now, take a gap year, or a holiday or something, and wait 'til the dust settles before even thinking about commencing study[citation needed].

An extra $10,000 for me. And 13 years to pay it off (used to be 11)

As far as I’m aware, starting uni now wouldn’t lock people into the current fees other than for those units they’ve already completed by the time these changes take hold. So I’m not sure where that idea has come from tserong.

sigh

While I can be glad that I finished my degree a couple years ago and paid upfront so have not the debt associated… I have three kids, one of whom is in year 10 atm and we hoped they would ALL go to uni.

This one issues alone would be enough for me to despise this government, but then there is ALL the rest.