Australia's funding schemes in post-secondary education and disadvantaged students

Post-secondary education, considered in this article, comprises higher education and vocational education and training (VET). The Australian government provides grants to universities for about 60 per cent of the tuition costs with undergraduate students paying fees for the remainder but largely funded by income contingent loans. The publicly subsidised VET sector has been supported by government grants, with relatively very low fees and near zero fees for the less advantaged. In 2012, the Australian government removed caps on the number of bachelor degree places it will fund in higher education. Roughly similar open-ended schemes for many VET courses have been introduced by state governments. The article outlines the structure of post-secondary education, participation rates in total and for less advantaged students against the funding arrangements.