In Summary

Swinburne University of Technology today released a comparison table to assist in the evaluation of four policy options that have been canvassed to moderate against excessive student fee increases from 2016.

Experts have predicted that the price of degrees will increase significantly from 2016.

The proposed flat fee of $16,000 per year announced by the University of Western Australia for 2016 represents an increase over 2014 prices ranging from +56 per cent (Bachelor of Commerce) to +166 per cent (Bachelor of Arts).

A number of mechanisms have been proposed to moderate likely fee increases from 2016.

Swinburne has proposed an annual student loan limit as one means of exerting downward pressure on price from 2016.

Other options that have been canvassed include an advisory committee, a pricing regulator and the establishment new maximum student contributions for higher education.

This comparison table presents how each of these four policy options would work and how strongly each would operate to produce downward pressure on prices set by higher education providers from 2016.

Download the comparison table.