• Charles Sturt University welcomes the Federal Government new funding structure for universities and support for regional universities
• Fees for courses will change from 2021 to incentivise student choice of study in national priority areas
• Charles Sturt University has the highest graduate employment rate in Australia.

Charles Sturt University welcomes the announcement today by Federal Minister for Education the Hon. Dan Tehan regarding the new undergraduate course funding model and support for regional universities and students.

From 2021, the Federal Government will contribute increased funding to degrees in areas of employment demand, to encourage more graduates.

These degrees include nursing, medicine, dentistry, agriculture, veterinary science, teaching, information technology and allied health, which are areas of critical importance to Charles Sturt’s communities.

The Federal Government also announced further support for regional universities including:

• Growing regional university student places by 3.5 per cent per year;
• Introducing a new Tertiary Access Payment of $5,000 to support students from outer regional, remote and very remote areas who relocate to study a Certificate IV or higher, for at least one year. This was a key recommendation from the Napthine Regional, Rural and Remote Education Strategy;
• A new fund to provide $500 million a year to universities for programs that support Indigenous, regional and low SES students to get into university and to graduate;
• Support more Indigenous students from regional and remote areas to go to university by providing a guaranteed bachelor-level Commonwealth supported place at any public university;
• A $48.4 million research grants program to fund regional universities to partner with industry and other universities to boost their research capacity;
• $21 million to establish more Regional University Centres;
• Establish the role of Regional Education Commissioner to oversee the implementation of the Regional Education Strategy.

Minister Tehan said, “Universities must teach Australians the skills needed to succeed in the jobs of the future. We will also incentivise students to make more job-relevant choices that lead to more job-ready graduates, by reducing the student contribution in areas of expected employment growth and demand.”

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Germov, said while there appears to be a positive shift of policy to enhance support for regional universities, there are many complex features involved and therefore the full impact across all our courses and campuses will need to be modelled.

“Regional universities are vital anchor institutions in their communities, delivering skills and capabilities that are essential to successful and thriving regions,” Professor Germov said.

“Charles Sturt University has the highest graduate employment rate in the country and offers high-quality courses in the incentivised areas under the proposed new funding model.

“Educating people in the regions means people stay and work in the regions, delivering much-needed services to those communities.”