Vice-Chancellor Renée Leon said high fuel prices are hurting students. Photo: Charles Sturt University.
Charles Sturt University (CSU) has distributed $120,000 worth of $100 fuel vouchers to 1,200 students to help offset the cost of travelling to compulsory on-campus intensive schools at its regional campuses.
The payments were made to eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students attending intensives at campuses in Wagga, Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Port Macquarie, where some courses require in-person attendance.
The initiative comes as students contend with rising fuel prices and broader cost-of-living pressures, with some required to travel significant distances to attend the mandatory sessions.
CSU Professor Renée Leon said fuel costs were affecting students who must travel for their studies.
“Recent fuel price pressures have placed a real burden on students who must travel to our regional campuses to attend intensive schools which are compulsory for their professional fields,” she said.
“This support is making a tangible difference for undergraduate and postgraduate students, easing some of the cost pressure allows students to prioritise their learning.”
The university said the vouchers were funded through Commonwealth Government needs-based funding.
Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (Pathology) student Aislin Denne, who lives in Albury and studies online, used the voucher to help cover the 130-kilometre commute to Wagga Wagga for an intensive school.
“The voucher helped take the stress out of the additional expenditure of intensive school for my partner and I this month,” she said.
“It’s beneficial for Charles Sturt to offer these vouchers and services for students because the cost of living remains quite high and university is a huge expense, so every little bit helps.
“Less time having to work and earn additional money allows for more time to commit to studying.”
Chellan Robinson, a Newcastle-based student studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management online, received a voucher to attend an intensive school at the Albury-Wodonga campus.
“Intensive schools are valuable for learning and play an important role in our learning pathway,” she said.
“However, they require travel, time off work and other additional expenses.
“I am a mature student who owns my own home, therefore I am not eligible for other intensive school grants. This small stipend helped me with the cost of attending the intensive school.”
