AS DEMAND for courses at Victoria University’s St Albans campus soars, a student leader has voiced concerns about student poverty.

Vice-president of the university’s student union, Bianca Hellinan, said many of her friends and fellow students worked up to 40 hours per week in part-time jobs to make ends meet, despite attending classes for up to another 20 hours.

The news comes as figures released by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre show a 17 per cent overall increase in applications for courses at VU in St Albans.

Applications for the campus’s Bachelor of Education program jumped 86 per cent this year, while demand for nursing placements almost doubled.

Applications for arts courses, offered mainly at the VU St Albans and Footscray Park campuses, are up by 25 per cent and science submissions rose across the university by nearly 15 per cent.

Demand for the VU St Albans’ paramedics course, which Ms Hellinan is studying, is up by 25 per cent.

She said students who applied for university positions, especially in paramedics, nursing and teaching courses, needed to be aware that tertiary study can be very expensive.

The 21-year-old said the combined cost of books, travel, rent, HECS fees and living expenses had a “significant impact” on many of her classmates, even if they receive Centrelink income support.

She said some books for the paramedic course cost around $150 each, which was “a week’s rent” for many students.

The Federal Court recently issued a ruling which allowed a Noble Park ex-tertiary student to get a refund of more than $900 in educational expenses on her tax return, which is usually forbidden by law.

Victoria University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Stephen Weller welcomed the court’s decision and said the ruling “effectively” means that a majority of the university’s students will be a few hundred dollars better off each year.

Ms Hellinan called on the Federal Government and the Australian Tax Office to allow all students to claim their educational expenses as a tax deduction.