International student fees to rise 7%-11%

The tuition fees paid by most international students attending Otago Polytechnic for the first time next year will increase by an average of $1300 a year. 

• New polytechnic council meets

The polytechnic council yesterday approved fee increases of between 7% and 11% across more than 95 courses.

Most full-year courses will cost between $18,000 and $22,500.

The fees for two specialised half-year snowsport instruction courses will rise by 26%, to $18,950.

The increase was expected to bring in an extra $52,000, providing international enrolments were on target, marketing, communications and customer relations general manager Mike Waddell said in a report to the council.

A substantial decrease in fees for half-year foundation studies courses was approved, from $8500 this year to $6950.

Pricing was competitive among New Zealand tertiary institutions and some institutions had discounted foundation studies fees already this year to attract students, he said.

Otago Polytechnic's international fees were in the upper quartile for New Zealand polytechnics, Mr Waddell said.

While most other institutions had not yet discussed their 2011 fees, it was likely increases would be the norm.

Like those of other tertiary institutions, Otago's international student roll is slowly increasing again, after falling to a low of 138 in 2008.

This year's total was expected to be 161.

Price was a key driver in students' decisions to study in New Zealand, Mr Waddell said.

However, the global recession and the consistently high New Zealand exchange rate against the US dollar, the British pound and the euro was creating uncertainty in the market.

Otago expected to attract students by building on its relationships with individual institutions overseas.