Election 2004 | Day 4| $100,000+ Uni Degrees

This was reported yesterday, but I've only gotten this blog now so I'll write about it. Mmm, money talks, especially when you're Liberal.

PM fails $100,000 degree test
Samantha Maiden
The Australian, September 01, 2004

STUDENTS will be charged more than $100,000 for university degrees in almost 50 courses from next year, despite John Howard's pre-election promise that it would never happen.

Mark Latham has accused the Prime Minister of misleading the Australian people and has promised to ban the full-fee degrees. But vice-chancellors and business groups warned yesterday that the Labor leader's plan could leave universities worse off.

The Howard Government's $100,000 degrees are available to students who miss out on marks but can afford to "pay their own way", increasing the total number of places available at universities.

On first appearance, you'd assume old Johnny Boy was planning to drive up HECS fees yet again to ridiculous heights, but this isn't the case, although odds are they'll probably jump within the next year.

What it means is that the standard ways of getting into university still apply, but people that didn't get the marks, yet can afford an ungodly sum of money can gain entrance, regardless of how stupid they are. Is this right?

Should ordinary students have to work their arse off for two years to get a decent UAI/TER, or try and boost their chances through a STAT/RET test, a bridging course through TAFE, folios for early acceptance or subject themselves to all sorts of other intelligence tests to get in while rich fuckers can idle on in thanks to daddy's wallet?