Both the undergraduate degree (approximately 22,000 AUD) and the CPL MECIR course (approximately 70,000 to 80,000 AUD) can be done using FEE HELP (ie. the low interest government loan scheme). It is actually a requirement for students who wish to undertake the CPL MECIR to use FEE HELP, you are no longer able to self fund the flying training as the university ran into issues recovering their debt. If you have the means I would probably suggest an interstate university - they are probably all similar, but UniSA, whilst just upgrading the fleet and opening a new building at Parafield, is in a right mess.
Around 10 flying instructors have left in the last 18 months, and quite a few degree program lecturers have moved on as the organization did not treat them well enough - it is a shame as some of the lecturers had invaluable experience and knowledge. The new staff who run degree program have little, if any aviation industry experience and also know very little about the flying training side of the degree (hence the vagueness pointed out in the previous post).
The finance department is also a mess and nobody seems to know where your money goes and how much you have left to complete the flying training. The FEE FELP funds for the CPL MECIR are issued in 20,000 AUD blocks. Essentially you're told if you under run course hours, you don't get refunded anything - the University will pocket the FEE HELP funds and you will end up repaying the full amount (used or unused for your flying training). If you require some additional remedial training and OVER run the course hours, however, that's a different story, you need to make up the extra funds out of your own pocket. Great system. You won't, however, be able to find out the balance of your FEE HELP account anyway - as nobody seems to know. It is VERY poorly managed.
Instead of fixing the problems and setting up a transparent finance system with someone who knows the flying school's accounts, looking after valuable staff members with decades of industry experience to offer and worrying about ensuring current students have the resources they need to finish the course, management is spending all their effort on marketing programs to attract more students to a dysfunctional flying school.
In a nutshell, the flying school outgrew itself too it quickly with poor planning on coping with the influx of students now able to afford flying training through the FEE HELP scheme.
Unfortunately, for someone looking for an aviation degree, it's the only university in South Australia that offers such a course. Hopefully, given some time, management may realize the poor reputation they are developing for the school and act on fixing the place rather than trying to attract more revenue.
ID
Last edited by increasedescent; 28th Oct 2012 at 06:07.