Cover image via theconversation.comStudents studying in Australian universities are set to face higher fees from January next year as part of a major overhaul of the country's higher education sector
Education Minister Simon Birmingham unveiled the changes on 1 May in Canberra.
According to [ABC](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-01/university-fees-to-rise-in-federal-government-education-shake-up/8487564), **fees will increase by 1.8 percent next year and continue rising to a total of 7.5 percent by 2021.**
This means the increase for a four-year degree in Australia will range from AUD2,000 (RM6,431) to AUD3,600 (RM11,500)
Image via Pinterest
As for students under the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), the maximum they will pay for a four-year degree is **AUD50,000 (RM160,352).**
The most expensive course – a six-year medical degree that brings substantial private benefits – will result in maximum student fees of **AUD75,000 (RM240,560)**, as reported by [The Australian](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/university-fees-set-to-rise-in-government-overhaul-of-tertiary-education/news-story/10bd6bd52021d6e7dc1115e50fbe55c6).
The Turnbull government will also lower the repayment threshold for student loans from AUD55,000 (RM176,300) to AUD42,000 (RM134,626)
Currently, students have to start paying back their HELP loans when their annual income after graduating reaches just under AUD55,000 (RM176,300). **The percentage they pay back then rises as their income rises.
The government will lower the repayment threshold to AUD42,000 (RM134,626) from July 2018, with a 1% repayment rate.**
