The peak body for Australia’s universities says students are facing steep increases in the cost of everyday essentials, with rents, groceries, utilities and fuel all rising significantly since 2021.
According to Universities Australia analysis, student rents have increased by around 40% since 2021, while grocery prices have risen by 27%, utilities by 39% and fuel by 43%.
The pressure is also reflected in research published this year by the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success, which found that one in three university students surveyed were experiencing financial insecurity.
“Students are doing it tough and there are practical things the government can do right now to ease some of that pressure,” said Luke Sheehy, chief executive officer of Universities Australia.
The organisation is calling for every domestic university student to have access to a concession card while studying.
Concession cards can reduce the cost of essentials such as medicines, public transport and utility bills. While some domestic students are eligible for a Health Care Card through income support or other criteria, university enrolment itself does not guarantee access.
“Giving every domestic university student access to a concession card would help with the everyday costs that keep going up,” said Sheehy.
Universities Australia is also calling for international students to receive the same access to student public transport concessions as domestic students, regardless of which state or territory they study in.
Access to public transport discounts currently varies across Australia.
“And international students shouldn’t have to pay more than the student sitting next to them to catch the same bus or train to university,” said Sheehy.
“These changes won’t solve every cost-of-living pressure students face, but they would make a real difference… Opening the door to university is only half the job. Students need to be able to afford to stay once they get there,” he added.
“You can have two students sitting next to each other in the same lecture, paying the same rent, buying the same groceries and catching the same bus to campus… One gets the concession. The other doesn’t. That makes no sense when students are already counting every dollar.”
“If you’re a domestic university student, you should get the concession card… The same principle should apply to public transport for international students. They study in the same classrooms, live in the same communities and face the same rising costs.”
The calls come as the government faces pressure to improve access to higher education while also addressing the financial barriers that can prevent students from completing their studies.
Sheehy said making university more affordable was essential to Australia’s longer-term goal of increasing participation in higher education and developing the skilled workforce the country will need.
“For our nation to thrive in the future, we need more university graduates, and we know where much of that growth has to come from,” he said.
We need more students from low-income families, regional and remote communities, First Nations Australians and families where nobody has been to university before
Luke Sheehy, Universities Australia
“We need more students from low-income families, regional and remote communities, First Nations Australians and families where nobody has been to university before.”
“But asking more of those Australians to go to university means making sure they can afford to stay there. This isn’t separate from the equity challenge: it’s a big part of the equity challenge.”
