But even with a CSP, don't you have to ultimately pay the government back once you finish your degree? So in the end, will you be paying the same amount with a CSP as you would with an Australian Fee Place?
Like for Bachelor of Science, the government pays around 2/3s of the course price, and you pay 1/3, and then after completion of the course, you can either pay the government back in full, or get a deferral - but even then you'd still have to pay the government back in total, wouldn't you?
Nah, it is different for FFP. I'll try to explain it, and horrify you with how much you are getting screwed by it all.
Everything you mention applies to a CSP. 100% correct. It is different for a FFP. Nothing is subsidised for by the governement with a FFP.
With CSPs, the government will pay for a certain amount of your degree, and then their is a student contribution as well. In medicine for example, the actual cost of the degree is ~24k per year. The government subsidises around 2/3 of this, and the student contribution amount is something like 9-10k per year. You put this on a HECS loan, and only have to pay it back once you leave uni and are earning an income above some predetermined threshold. There is no interest on HECS, and you are allowed to complete up to 7 years of study under the scheme. It is however indexed for inflation.
Now, moving on to FFP. As I said before, nothing is subsidized by the government. All that they are willing to do is loan you up to ~110k to cover the costs of your study. I believe that this FEE-HELP loan is also interest free which is a plus, but don't quote me on it.
Now unis such as Melbourne come along and realize how much money they can make from this. They charge ~54k each year for an Australian Full Fee Place...but didn't I just say above that a med degree only costs about 24k per year? Yeah, well that is where you get screwed hardcore and are tipping in an extra 30k every year into Melbourne's coffers. Interestingly enough, I believe the number of these FFP spots available has increased recently...at the expense of CSP spots. So at the end of the day, the Melb website says that you can expect to pay around a total of ~230k over the duration of your MD in a FFP. The problem is, the government will only loan you ~110k. So you are left to come up with the other ~120k or so all on your own and upfront.
Not really an ideal situation...but as I have said previously, the uni loves it and is raking in the cash from it.