Sumone Onek
Member
EDIT: It was indeed the case of me missing something important that makes it a non-issue . The page I missed is buried in Study Assist. However, the page didn't show up in Google and isn't well publicised, so I guess this thread still has value in case someone else gets worried (though mods, feel free to delete or lock thread). See Student learning entitlement | StudyAssist to alleviate your fears.
One of the more important higher education changes taking effect in 2022 is the reintroduction of the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) that was previously introduced in 2005 and abolished in 2012. Quoted directly from the 2022 Commonwealth Supported Places and HECS-HELP Information booklet on pages 8-9:
“The Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) is the amount of study you can undertake in a CSP in your lifetime.
All students will start with 7 equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL) of Commonwealth supported study. This is your SLE amount, with 7 EFTSL equating to 7 years of full-time study. From 1 January 2022, as you undertake study as a Commonwealth supported student, your SLE balance will reduce by the EFTSL value of the units you undertake. Any study in a CSP with a census date before 1 January 2022 will not reduce your SLE amount.”
There are two important caveats to this rule which are mentioned on page 9:
“A person can receive additional SLE in EFTSL, when undertaking certain courses or when certain events occur.
A person can have their SLE amount recredited where special circumstances apply, or where their HELP balance is re-credited.”
Before we go any further, I want to draw your attention to the fact that “Any study in a CSP with a census date before 1 January 2022 will not reduce your SLE amount”, so it is possible that these changes may not affect you directly.
It is important to note that the document makes no mention about studying medicine in relation to SLE additions/re-credits, so we cannot assume that medical students are granted any. There are some older posts regarding the previous SLE on MSO and it appears that additional SLE was granted for graduate study medicine. Nevertheless, although they have the same name, we do not know if the current SLE will be identical.
The Group of Eight raised some very valid concerns regarding these changes back in November 2021:
“Given that a medical degree is typically 6 or 4 years in length – depending on whether it is an undergraduate or postgraduate course – and a science degree is 3 or 4 years, it is in the national interest that additional SLE criteria allow full Commonwealth support for the education of this student cohort.”
Based on my brief research, there has been no statements from the education department to directly address these concerns. The closest we have is an excerpt from the Australian Financial Review:
"...an education department spokesperson said longer degrees that take six or more years would be taken into account in the the SLE guidelines. He did not address the three year plus four year postgraduate model of medical education prevalent in Go8 universities."
We then have the following scenario. If a potential/past medical student has completed 7 or less EFTSL and wants to complete a degree which will put them over the 7 EFTSL, they may have to pay full fees for some or all their degree if no SLE additions/re-credits are given.
This will have profound financial implications in certain cases:
- Provisional and Graduate Entry Medicine – Individuals who choose 4+ year undergraduate degree may have to pay full fees.
- Further Study After Medicine – Individuals who pursuing further non-research study after medicine may have to pay full fees.
Further reading:
Search results for query: sle
Search results for query: student learning entitlement
https://www.studyassist.gov.au/site...ublications_2022_csp_booklet.pdf?v=1637039276
Go8 Submission to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment on the Draft Higher Education Support (Student Learning Entitlement) Guidelines 2021
4 November 2021Michael JonesAssistant DirectorHESA Modelling and Performance | Funding and Students Branch Higher Education DivisionAustralian Government Department of Education, Skills and EmploymentThe Group of Eight (Go8) welcomes the opportunity to make this submission to the consultation o
go8.edu.au
Time limit on degrees a solution in search of a problem
From next year students will be limited to seven years to finish their degrees, causing significant problems for medical students.
www.afr.com
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