The Fall and Rise of Postgraduate Commonwealth Supported Places

Domestic postgraduate students are saving money by enrolling in subsidised and price-capped Commonwealth supported places instead of full-fee places. For the first time since the late 1990s, most public university domestic postgraduate coursework places are Commonwealth supported. For universities, however, Commonwealth supported places typically deliver less revenue per student. Through interviews with university leaders and empirical analysis of enrolment trends, this paper examines why universities made these changes to postgraduate education.A key reason is that the Job-ready Graduates policy made it easier to move Commonwealth supported places between undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Reduced demand for undergraduate courses in 2022 and 2023 created capacity for more postgraduate Commonwealth supported students. University leaders preferred putting postgraduate Commonwealth supported places in courses with high social benefit but without high financial rewards. Enrolment data supported these statements, especially in teaching, nursing and social work. But the Commonwealth supported share of places has not increased in some allied health fields, possibly because Job-ready Graduates reduced funding rates. By contrast, price competition between universities has led to more Commonwealth supported and fewer full-fee places in postgraduate IT courses.