The Government's latest change to the student loans scheme will be highly beneficial to students from the polytechnic
sector according to the APSU Student Union.
Today the Government lifted the income threshold at which part-time students qualify for an interest free student loan
from $14,768 to $24,596.
"The polytechnic sector has the largest number of part-time students. Many of those students are on low incomes and
were discouraged from studying because of the previous government's punitive interest charging regime," says National
President David Penney.
"Earlier this year the APSU Student Union wrote to the Minister of Tertiary Education, Steve Maharey, urging him to
lift the threshold to $25,000 so part-time students in the polytechnic sector would not be penalised."
"I am delighted that the Government has been so responsive and moved to expand the eligibility criteria for interest
free loans."
"We encourage the Minister to keep up the momentum and now turn his attention to skyrocketing student fees if he is
serious about containing the growth of the student debt monster," concluded David Penney.
ends