Public funding for college students in various countries

[mhendo]

In Australia, university was fully subsidized by the government from (IIRC) 1973 until (IIRC) 1987 or 1988.

Now, there is a system called the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). Under this system, a student doesn’t pay any fees up front, but accrues a debt to the government for his or her tuition. Once you graduate, and begin earning an income, your HECS debt is taken out of you pay through the taxation system. This is done in a progressive manner, so that if you earn below a certain threshold you don’t pay anything back, but as your income increases you pay back more. Once you pay back the HECS debt, that’s it. The debt does not attract interest, but does increase in line with inflation.

The amount of HECS debt you accrue depends on what degree you are doing. At the cheaper end are basic humanities and (i think) science degrees. Then, a step up, are slightly more expensive degrees like engineering, and at the top are the prestige degrees like law and medicine (both undergraduate degrees in Australia).

I did my undergraduate degree in the years 1995-1998, and my four-year BA degree left me with a debt of just about $A10,000. I believe that doing the same degree now would cost more, although i’m not sure how much.

For those who have the money, there is also an option to pay your fees up front rather than accruing a HECS debt. When i was in college, taking this route entitled you to a 25% discount on your tuition. If i had paid my fees up front each year, my degree would have cost me $7,500 instead of $10,000.

Needless to say, even at the “full” cost, education is cheap compared even to many American state universities, and very cheap compared to US private institutions.

Foreign students pay considerably more than Australian citizens, into the tens of thousands of dollars per year. Indeed many universities in Australia make considerable revenue from full-fee-paying international students, usually from Asia. My own undergraduate institution had many students from Taiwan, Malaysia, China, etc.

[kellner]

@Rusalka

Also, what about the Abitur? People from another country, even if in the EU won’t have that, and they also won’t have the same language skills.

Say I grew up in the U.S. and I’m an EU citizen, how would they know I was qualified to attend college there? Grades vary so much from school to school, what would be the point of comparison? I’m sure they don’t accept SAT scores…

For example, those are the requirements for US applicants from the list that Schnitte mentioned:

Admission requirements
United States of America
Before you can be admitted to a course of study at a German institution of higher education you have to take the Assessment Test. This requirement will apply as a rule.

(1) Direct admission to higher education for applicants who present the High School Diploma is possible under the following conditions:

a) High School Diploma (HSD) together with proof of having scored more than 1,300 points in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT);

b) High School Diploma (HSD) together with proof of having passed four Advanced Placement Exams (AP) in certain subjects while abroad;

c) High School Diploma (HSD) together with proof of having successfully completed two academic years of study (subject to certain conditions) and additionally proof of having junior standing (or alternatively of having completed 50% of the credits required for a Bachelor’s degree or for the Associate Degree in an academic programme);

d) High School Diploma (HSD) together with proof of having scored more than 1,150 points in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and proof of having successfully completed one academic year of study (subject to certain conditions).

In cases a) through d) the HSD must additionally meet the condition of having been awarded on the basis of 16 academic units completed in grades 9 through 12.

(2) Applicants seeking admission to higher education via the assessment test “Feststellungsprüfung” must meet the following conditions: High School Diploma (HSD), if they can prove that 16 academic units were completed in grades 9 through 12 and that they achieved a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CumGPA) of 3.0.

Without any context, the first paragraph is a bit unclear. There is a special aptitude test for foreign students that you have to take by default unless you meet additional requirements. If you meet the criteria under (1) you don’t have to take this additional test. As a rule, you also have to prove some knowledge of German but the details depend on your university and your program.

[Dunderman]

@Johnny L.A.

In 1982 I was talking to a former foreign exchange student in his native Sweden. He said that students didn’t have to pay in advance for university, but that they either had to work in public service for a number of years or repay the cost over 30 years or so. It’s been so long now, that I don’t remember exactly what he said.

It works like this (and I believe it worked the same in 1982 except for details): University courses are free, except for a very small amount paid each semester. I don’t remember the amount exactly, it’s a few hundred SEK which works out to somewhere in the region of $45. If you can support yourself during your studies, there are no other costs.

However, many students can not or choose not to support themselves while studying fulltime, and so take student grants and loans. The student grant, which doesn’t have to be repaid, is around SEK 2000 (~$300) a month, and the maximum student loan is an additional SEK 5000 a month. Student loans do have to be repaid, and unless I’m mistaken these days you have 25 years to do it. Under an older system you paid 4% of your salary until the loan was repaid and if it wasn’t repaid when you were retired, the government was out of the money.

The bit about working in public service sounds completely false, but I was five in 1982 so I can’t guaran-damn-tee it wasn’t the case. I doubt it though.

[Johnny_L.A]

Thanks for the details.

@Priceguy

The bit about working in public service sounds completely false, but I was five in 1982 so I can’t guaran-damn-tee it wasn’t the case. I doubt it though.

I was going with a quarter-century-old memory of a minor conversation, so you’re probably right.

[Cunctator]

@mhendo

In Australia, university was fully subsidized by the government from (IIRC) 1973 until (IIRC) 1987 or 1988.

Ah yes, the good old days. When I did my first degree (B Ec 1982-84) there were no tuition fees at all. I had to buy my textbooks and I had to pay the uni union fee but that was about it. I think the total cost of the degree was about $500.

@mhendo

For those who have the money, there is also an option to pay your fees up front rather than accruing a HECS debt. When i was in college, taking this route entitled you to a 25% discount on your tuition. If i had paid my fees up front each year, my degree would have cost me $7,500 instead of $10,000.

The discount for up-front payment has been cut back to 20%.

[Rusalka]

1300 on the SAT??? I think that’s the 99%, or at least it was back when I took the test.

[mhendo]

@Rusalka

1300 on the SAT??? I think that’s the 99%, or at least it was back when I took the test.

According to the chart on the SAT Wikipedia entry, 1300 is at about the 90th percentile.