Unions say suspended students will struggle

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Crackdowns by universities on poor performers could leave turfed-out students with no job prospects and no way to repay massive loans, student unions say.

Massey and Canterbury universities have already signalled they will toughen their approach to students who fail to meet academic expectations, and Otago University says it will do the same.

Massey University vice-chancellor Steve Maharey told The Dominion Post last week that financial pressure on universities meant there was no room for students who underperformed.

An Otago University spokeswoman said the university had also introduced stricter requirements for 2010 and would no longer accept students who had been suspended from other institutions.

Students who passed fewer than half of their courses for two years would be suspended. The university had previously waited for students to fail courses for three years before suspending them. The changes were designed to free up places for able students, the spokeswoman said.

The university's director of academic services, John Price, said 86 students received two-year suspensions last year for a lack of academic progress, compared with 106 the year before.

Victoria University deputy vice-chancellor Professor Penny Boumelha said exclusion was a last resort, with six students being excluded in the past three years. Last year, it suspended 128 students for two years, compared with 146 the year before, and 91 in 2007.

As universities were no longer funded according to the number of students who enrolled but had funding caps placed on them, Professor Boumelha said enrolments needed to be carefully managed.

Entry to some courses was already restricted and further restrictions could be applied in the future, she said.

Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association president Max Hardy said there had already been a "dramatic increase" in the number of students seeking help after being threatened with exclusion.

The problem was particularly apparent among first-year students who enrolled under parental pressure, but then did not discover until later where their strengths lay.

"They could be looking at a $12,000 student loan for that year. It's a significant amount of money to pay back if you don't have a degree."

Massey Albany Students' Association president Rawa Karetai said students had received no warning about standards being toughened.

The association was helping about 20 students appeal against exclusions and believed up to 1200 had been sent warning letters.

Massey Wellington Students' Association president Alex Lloyd said as more students were excluded on performance grounds, more would face problems paying off loans.

- © Fairfax NZ News