SHUT OUT: Soaring uni costs cuts Warwick students off

WARWICK graduates already struggling but as costs are set to 'rise by 23% in next decade' the pressure is only getting worse.

DREAM: University could soon become out of reach for some, with a hefty increase predicted over the next decade. Picture: Jacob Ammentorp Lund

FINANCIAL strain is limiting budding university students and it's feared further predicted rises could make tertiary education unattainable for young Warwick adults.

Warwick student Alexandra Dimitrios said the decision to study her pharmacy degree online was one of necessity, because she couldn't afford to study away from home.

The cost of obtaining a university degree is expected to rise by 29 per cent over the next decade for students who rent, taking into account expenses such as course fees, rent, transport, food, computers and extra-curricular activities.

Research from Australian Scholarships Group forecasts this rise would be limited to 23 per cent for students who live at home while studying.

Miss Dimitrios, 18, said she assessed cost-effective study options, but opted to study her pharmacy degree online and continue to work in Warwick because moving away would be too expensive.

"I just didn't see it to be possible because my parents can't do it for me and I can't support myself,” she said.

Miss Dimitrios said the thought of study costs rising was terrifying, because she planned to study medicine after completing her pharmacy degree.

"It worries me because I don't think I'll get to have as many experiences as other people have, I won't get to go overseas and go to different places,” she said.

"Costs rising might make some people think that they're better off getting a job, and it is a good idea as well, but it might reduce the amount (sic) of people in careers such as medicine or engineering.”

But there were upsides to studying from home, Miss Dimitrios said.

"It makes me upset because I wanted to see something different but I think it works out better because I can have my friends and do uni,” she said.

Costs of living away from home already add up quickly, as fellow graduate Tess King has discovered.

Living in Brisbane to study music technology, the 17-year-old is ceoliac and has to budget to be able to afford food that was often more expensive than mainstream varieties.

"I hadn't ever been in a situation where I've been really independent,” she said.

"I wasn't used to buying groceries or knowing the things I needed.

"Trying to budget and say I have $50 on groceries for a fortnight, that's been challenging.”

Miss King is being supported by her parents, but planned to find a job in the next trimester to start paying her own way.

For those without a family safety net and rising university costs, she said it might deter people from studying straight away.

"A lot of people from my grade were accepted and then deferred so a lot are working to get enough money to then go to uni,” she said.

Southern Downs Mayor Tracy Dobie said students from regional areas were faced with extra accommodation costs when moving away to study.

But with rising costs, Cr Dobie said there was an opportunity for universities to increase their presence in regional areas, including the Southern Downs.

"It's a burden on the individual students themselves and the cost of living in Brisbane or Toowoomba when there are facilities here that can be set up to allow people to study,” Cr Dobie said.

Cr Dobie said allowing students to pursue study from Warwick could help economic development and boost the number of people aged 18 to 35 in the region.

"The more that we can do to keep those young people in the region means there's activities or businesses that will service that larger number of people in our region,” Cr Dobie said.

Originally published as SHUT OUT: Soaring uni costs cuts Warwick students off