University of Auckland welcomes changes to loan borrowing
University of Auckland welcomes changes to loan borrowing for medical students
2 December 2015
University of Auckland welcomes changes to loan borrowing for medical students
The University of Auckland is pleased Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister, the Hon. Steven Joyce has reconsidered changes to student loan borrowing for long undergraduate programmes in medicine.
Associate Professor Warwick Bagg, Head of the Medical Programme at the University says: “This is a significant decision for students who have been impacted by this cap. The extension of student borrowing also has broader benefits as it ensures a pathway to a diverse group of students such as graduate-entry students, many of whom are Māori and Pacific students."
Under the cap, financial support was only available to students for seven years although some programmes such as medicine can take longer to complete, if student enter as graduates.
About 25 percent of students enter the medical programme as graduates; many have studied for at least three years prior to entry to the programme.
ENDS