Polling also found only 3% of Australians think making a profit should be a primary purpose of universities - however more than half believe that it currently is a primary purpose.
Meanwhile, fewer than half of Australians believe educating students is currently a primary purpose of universities, despite 80% thinking it should be.
Key findings:
- Three out of four Australians (77%) think university degrees should cost $10,000 or less per year.
- About three in five Australians (58%) think university degrees should cost $5,000 or less per year.
- Less than one in 20 (3%) of Australians think that making a profit should be a primary purpose of universities, yet more than half (54%) believe that it currently is a primary purpose.
- Four in five (80%) Australians think that educating students should be a primary purpose of universities, yet 44% believe it is currently a primary purpose of universities.
"University fees are totally out of step with community expectations. Despite about three in five Australians believing degrees should cost $5,000 or less a year, most university degrees are more expensive than this. Highly popular degrees such as arts, commerce, and law now cost about $17,000 per year," said Jack Thrower, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute.
"High university fees are leading to mounting student debts, which are taking ever longer to pay off.
"The university sector's rolling scandals and ongoing governance crisis are causing it to lose the trust of the general public. Over half of Australians think that making a profit is a primary purpose for universities.
"To regain public trust, the sector needs to fix its governance, such as by making sure universities are overseen by those with the most at stake in their future: students and staff."
