Victoria University Council raises student fees
Victoria University of Wellington Council tonight (9 September 2004) voted to increase domestic tuition fees for 2005 by
an average 4.5 percent or $144 per year.
The debate continued for nearly three hours before the Council reached its final decision.
Chancellor Rosemary Barrington said this decision was reached reluctantly but was necessary to ensure the future quality
of teaching and research at Victoria University.
"The Council is concerned about the low level of public investment in the New Zealand universities and urges the
Government to increase its investment per student above the rate of inflation. The current level of public investment
per student is about half of that in Australia and a third of that in the United States on an equivalent purchasing
basis.
"Given the below inflation increase in Government tuition subsidy the Council felt it had no option but to increase
student tuition fees. "The University Council is continuing to explore additional ways of raising funding outside of
student fee increases which at this stage are necessary to maintain current levels of quality."