Students struggling financially.

Students struggling financially.
The Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (AVCC) has released a report into the status of Australian university student’s finances during 2006. The report is based on the national survey of students conducted recently in Australia’s 37 public universities.

The report found that generally university students are poorer than they were in the year 2000, and that this is adversely affecting their capacity to study effectively. The report stated that in 2006 on average students had a yearly expenditure that was a few hundred dollars greater than their income. The medium reported income during 2006 was $11,000 while the median expenditure was $11,320.

The survey also revealed that almost half of surveyed students found that paid work adversely affected their ability to study, over half the student and that approximately a quarter of undergraduates students reported that they regularly missed classes or other study commitments to attend paid employment.

The report states that students are struggling to complete university because of their financial situations. One student is quoted as saying;

“Financially, university is difficult. I don't buy books as I can't afford them. It
is always hard to buy food to eat. It is also hard to find a job, especially one
that fits in with my uni hours.”

One in eight students reported that they regularly go without food or other essentials because they lack the money to purchase them. The survey also revealed the vast majority of students who studied part time did so because of the financial burden that study placed upon their lives.


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