The Government incurs a cost of $300,000 to fund an overseas undergraduate student under its scholarship program, compared to $30,000 to $40,000 for a local university education. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro revealed this information during a Ministerial statement in Parliament on September 30, following a recent visit by the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Service (TSLS) delegation to Sydney and Canberra, Australia.
Mr. Radrodro emphasized that to ensure a return on this investment, the bonding period for overseas scholarship recipients is now set at 2.5 times the length of their study. He also announced that the Coalition Government has rolled out a new program this financial year aimed at enabling more Fijians to pursue PhD scholarships, thus enhancing Fiji’s human capital.
This new initiative, termed the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD Scholarship, allows universities to cover tuition fees, while the TSLS manages stipends, airfare, and other associated study costs. Consequently, Fijian taxpayers will save $300,000 in tuition for a four-year PhD program while securing high-quality graduates. The University of Newcastle has already joined this Cost Sharing Overseas PhD initiative.
The purpose of the delegation’s visit was to assess student wellbeing and welfare, as well as to engage directly with university executives and students to address issues raised by students or universities themselves.