What do TAFE students pay?: a review of charging policies in Australian vocational education and training

This report maps the current policies on fees and charges in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in each state and territory of Australia. The study intended to identify the scope of these policies and the extent to which they are uniformly applied to institutes in receipt of public funding within each jurisdiction. The study also aimed to identify fee exemption policies and discuss the extent to which students receive exemptions. The report discusses the extent to which there are ‘hidden’ fees and charges that are not regulated by state and territory governments, such as...  [+] Show more

This report maps the current policies on fees and charges in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in each state and territory of Australia. The study intended to identify the scope of these policies and the extent to which they are uniformly applied to institutes in receipt of public funding within each jurisdiction. The study also aimed to identify fee exemption policies and discuss the extent to which students receive exemptions. The report discusses the extent to which there are ‘hidden’ fees and charges that are not regulated by state and territory governments, such as student fees for online delivery, amenities and services fees, materials fees, fees for assessment of recognition of prior learning (RPL) and charges to employers and enterprises. The study found that the lack of information about the current system of vocational education and training (VET) fees and charges makes it difficult to analyse the impact of fees and charges on student participation. There is no consistency in the costs of VET courses or in the fee regimes across Australia. The report suggests that if a nationally consistent policy for VET fees and charges is needed it should be developed from a set of agreed principles such as: maximising access to VET courses, particularly at the foundation level; the provision of a transparent and simple fee structure for students; and the maximising of access to VET courses for students from disadvantages social groups. As a final note the author suggests that given the increasing level of student movement between the VET and higher education sectors, it might be timely to consider ways of making VET fees and charges more consistent with the national fee regime for higher education.