Ouch that's awful. Here, most of us can get a government loan that covers the full cost of tuition (of course we have to pay for amenities and such). Being a loan, the idea is that we pay it back once we earn a certain amount. I think it's just over 50k per year now. If you're not eligible for a government supported place, generally there are also loans to cover half. And there's different repayment schemes to suit pretty much everyone. We actually have it pretty good here.

We've also got scholarships we can apply for. I actually got a few during my Uni degree, but they all went towards my study abroad overseas. xD

The TAFE course that I just did was funded under the Free TAFE scheme, so I actually didn't need to pay anything (otherwise that would have been an up front cost). I had to pay $175 for amenities, but I was able to get that refunded through my job employment agency. So really I only paid for the $60 coursebook. I'm glad, otherwise I wouldn't have had the funds to do the course this year.