News

Avondale College has received 20 federal government-funded teaching places in the latest top-up round of allocations to higher education providers.

This is in addition to the 468 Commonwealth supported, or HECS, places--more than at any other Christian college--currently available at Avondale.

The new allocation, announced by education, science and training minister Julie Bishop this past week, "shows the Commonwealth government recognises Avondale as one of the premier providers of Christian higher education," says president Dr John Cox. It also shows the benefit of offering accredited courses in an area of national priority.

According to a formula the government calls the "pipeline," the newly allocated places will increase during the first four years and then remain constant, unless the government allocates new places. This means Avondale's 20 new places will increase to 55 by 2011. It will give Avondale 567 places--354 in teaching and 213 in nursing--in 2008.

This means almost all Australian citizens accepted into nursing and about three quarters accepted into teaching courses at Avondale next year are likely to receive Commonwealth supported places.

Students receiving places can defer all or part of their tuition until they earn more than $38,148 per year. Australian students without a place can defer all of their tuition via FEE-HELP, which is available for all higher education courses at Avondale. This means eligible Australian students in most courses do not need to pay any tuition while studying at Avondale.

Christian higher education providers received 11 per cent of the 2300 new places allocated by the government in the top-up this year. They received six per cent of the 4600 places this past year.