Title: Studying and Working: A national study of student finances and student engagement
Abstract: A key determinant of the new relationship between students and universities in Australia is the changing nature of higher education funding arrangements and the shift towards “user‐pays”. In 2007, the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) completed a commissioned national study, Australian University Student Finances 2006: Final Report of a National Survey of Students in Public Universities. Drawing on the project report, this article discusses selected findings relating to student expectations and engagement to present a worrying picture of financial duress and involvement in paid work and examines the possible effects on the quality of higher education.