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High uni costs widen regional gap

Fee deregulation and rising living costs could see a university education spiral to $500,000 by 2033, according to forecasts by The Australian Scholarships Group.

ASG chief executive John Velegrinis said the situation could cause the gap between rural and metropolitan education to grow wider.

"Most regional students do have to travel to university - they don't necessarily have the option of a university on their doorstep," he said.

"Living away from home over a six-year degree for medicine, for instance, would cost you $330,000 over that six years."

Mr Velegrinis said this, combined with forecast fees of $180,000 for three years of medicine, could raise the total cost to $500,000.

He said if fewer regional students went to university, it could have an impact on services, such as doctors, in regional towns and cities.

"The reality is regional students are generally more connected with their communities and their geographies, and therefore they are the most likely to be able and want to come back and contribute and add to that community," he said.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder local Kiara McCauley is in the final year of a double degree in neuroscience and pharmacology at the University of WA.

The 19-year-old said there were many challenges in being away from home.

"It's still quite difficult being 600km away from home, being quite young and not seeing my family," she said.

Ms McCauley said the financial barriers for regional students were already high.

"They are really struggling, so this is actually the final year they could support me," she said.

"If I didn't have a family who were in a position to support me to move to Perth, I wouldn't have gone to university."

Ms McCauley said she could not fathom how rising costs could be overcome for future students.

"It's quite expensive to go back home to Kalgoorlie, social activities to get a break from constant studying can be quite difficult, and finding a job in Perth for a university student can be quite difficult," she said.

"The idea that's it's getting more expensive, I don't understand how people are supposed to be able to afford it."

The reality is regional students are generally more connected with their communities and their geographies.

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  • John Velegrinis *