Final Year Fees-Free Goneburger; Cost-of-Living Crisis Remains

The government has moved to scrap final year fees-free, resulting in up to $12,000 of extra costs for future and current students. 

When announced by Labour in 2018 (then as first year fees-free), the policy had four major goals: to reduce financial barriers to education, support life-long learning, reduce learner debt, and increase participation. A 2024 Ministry of Education analysis found that out of the four goals, the policy had only reduced learner debt and recommended scrapping it altogether. 

National instead switched to a final year fees-free system in 2024, before subsequently removing it from 2026 onwards. 

Final year fees-free only went into effect on 1 Jan 2025, so those who graduated in 2025 or 2026 would have had their first year-free.

Undergraduates who started in 2025 haven’t had their final year yet. And therefore, won’t get the fees-free they were promised.

This leaves first and second-year students in 2026 at the short end of the stick with neither option accessible to them.

Therefore, many second years feel as if the rug has been pulled out from under them. 

“First year fees-free was definitely a big incentive for why I wanted to go to university in the first place,” said second-year student David Houghton. 

“When that changed to final year, I still thought it wasn’t so bad because final year courses are more expensive than first year, so I was getting a better deal. But now there’s just ridiculous debt.” Houghton said the change meant he was planning to only take three courses each trimester next year, rather than the four he had been intending on when final year fees-free was still in effect. 

“It’s not a great feeling, knowing our debt is going to be a lot higher than it could have been,” said Will Robinson, another second year student. 

“I’m at the point where I’ve got to really work a lot harder with my finances.”

Robinson said if he knew he would be paying for all three years, he would have worked to be much better funded coming into uni.

The move comes after the government allowed universities to increase course fees by up to 6% in 2025. In the previous six years prior, course fee increases had been limited to between 2 and 2.8%.

VUWSA Academic Vice-President Ethan Rogacion said removing fees free erected further financial barriers at a time where students were struggling. 

“It absolutely makes sense to review fees free, but the worst thing the government could do is cut it outright. Students are facing some really tough decisions about whether they go to university and study, or go straight into work.”

Compounding it all, most relevant parties appear to have been blindsided by the announcement. Spokespeople from both VUWSA and Te Herenga Waka confirmed neither had been consulted on the axing.

Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds did not answer questions asking what consultation the government had done deciding to remove the fees-free programme. 

VUWSA will be holding a rally for fees-free on the 20th of May at 12 p.m. in the Hub.