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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Krishani Dhanji

Arts degrees to cost $50,000 until at least 2028 as measures to lower Australian university fees put on hold

Two women sit separately on stone steps beside an archway, each looking at their phones, while a third walks past
Under the Job-ready Graduates scheme, costs for science and maths courses were slashed to encourage students to take up Stem subjects, while fees for arts subjects rose sharply. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

The man tasked with reforming the controversial Job-ready Graduates (JRG) program says he will not recommend any interim measures to reduce the $50,000 cost of arts degrees, despite calling the scheme a failure.

Under the scheme introduced by the Morrison government, costs for science and maths courses were slashed to encourage students to take up Stem subjects, while arts and humanities fees rose sharply. The change led to university enrolments of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds falling in some arts subjects, with critics warning of a “segregated” higher education system.

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