Monash Memo - articles - 24 October 2001

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Record numbers at postgraduate expo

Prospective students flocked to the Melbourne Town Hall for the 2001 Monash Postgraduate Information Expo last week.

In what was the most successful Monash postgraduate expo to date, official figures from the event were almost three times those of last year, with 977 coming through the doors to seek information about postgraduate programs.

Staff from across the seven faculties who attended the event, including Law, Education, Information Technology, Business and Economics, Arts, Engineering and Science, reported constant inquiries at their booths.

University Marketing coordinator and organiser Ms Duyen Vo said she believed the success of this year's event was due to a number of major format changes.

"The change in venue to the Melbourne Town Hall with its high level of passing trade proved to be a significant contributor to the success of the event, as were changes made to the timing of the event and the promotional campaign," Ms Vo said.

"We certainly hope the success of Expo 2001 will lead to all 10 faculties taking part next year."

Associate dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, Professor Sally Joy said the expo ran from noon to 7.30 pm so students who couldn't make it during their lunch-break were able to attend after work.

"One of the benefits of the expo was that it allowed students to look at different faculties and it provided them with a broader approach to what they want to study," she said.

Also attracting significant interest at this year's expo was the newly announced Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme (PELS), an interest-free loan facility for fee-paying students undertaking postgraduate coursework programs.

Given this new financial option, it is anticipated that the number of postgraduate inquiries will increase significantly, and staff should prepare for questions about PELS.

For further information about PELS, visit www.hecs.gov.au/pels.htm or call the PELS inquiry line on 1800 020 108.