Downunder Grads

It's the start of the semester at one of Australia's top universities and 37,000 students are about to embark on their studies.

University is make or break time; a time that can change people forever. From free education in the 1980s to HECS fee debt and a large increase in full fee paying students, university education is now big, contentious, business. From how it's financed, to what degrees get funded, the free market has taken hold, and we're about to see the cost on and off campus.

Through a variety of stories this four-part series explores the contemporary Australian university experience, of both international and Australian students, from a range of different backgrounds.

Downunder Grads gives a special insight into the particular challenges facing this generation of students. Each character-driven story reveals the trials and triumphs of young people as they strive to make a life for themselves.