Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

New rules restrict use of tertiary fees

Updated at 11:47 am on 9 December 2011

The Government has stopped tertiary institutions from using student service levies to pay for services it says are covered by their tuition fees and government funding.

Tertiary institutions charge student service levies of several hundred dollars a year per student in addition to tuition fees.

Big increases in the levies at some institutions in recent years have prompted the Government to regulate what they can be used for.

The new rules spell out that institutions can not use the levies to fund things like academic support for students and IT services.

The levies can be used to pay for advocacy and legal advice, counselling, and support for student clubs and societies.

The Government says the rules make the levies more transparent and might lead to decreases at some institutions.

However, a group of six big city polytechnics says they are too prescriptive.

Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand