Massey Students Will Face A 10% Fee Rise

Students have just heard the Tertiary Education Commission has approved a whooping 10% increase in undergraduate fees for 2007 at Massey University. This means students will have to pay up to $700 more a year to get their degree.

“This TEC decision is an extreme disappointment,” said Paul Falloon, President of the Massey University Students’ Association, “The government has failed to properly fund the university and has left students to bare the brunt of years of under funding.”

Massey applied to the TEC for an exemption to the normal 5% cap on fee increases. “Clearly the Fee Maxima policy does not work, because it does nothing to address the lack of government investment in tertiary education” adds Mr Falloon.

Postgraduate fees are also set to increase with research fees going up 100% or $1500 and taught postgraduate fees by up to $500 as well.

“The government’s supposed concern over student debt levels is completely negated by allowing astronomical fee increases such as those seen in the 1990s,” Liz Hawes, President of Massey’s Extramural Students’ Society said “This result completely wipes out gains made through the Interest Free Student Loans policy.”

ENDS

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