When the feds cancelled demand driven student places they committed to funding universities for 2018 and 2019 at 2017 undergraduate student numbers, with growth places after that allocated according to a yet to be set formula. But the University of the Sunshine Coast (undoubtedly for the soundest of policy reasons) won an exemption, with 1200 new places already guaranteed for each of three years from 2020. This is to get USC’s new Petrie campus going.

Good for USC, but not apparently good enough. Sunshine Coast media are running stories that the government’s cap on funded places means few nursing places at USC’s Fraser Coast campus. The university says it is considering quotas for nursing places this second semester  and  for a free tertiary prep programme.

Different programmes to be sure but guess which government funding decision will be remembered.