Universities have warned that job cuts leading to thousands of academics and professional staff being sacked are likely to continue unless the federal government urgently reforms the way degree costs are calculated.

High school seniors weighing up degree choices this year are being warned that enrolling in humanities degrees will now leave them with a debt close to $55,000.

Those costs are rising because of controversial Morrison-era changes to university funding, called Job Ready Graduates (JRG), which raised the costs of some degrees and lowered others.

"It's devastating. That is more than a house deposit nowadays. It's actually quite disheartening," Year 12 student Tori Henderson said.

" I'm trying to opt for something that I'm actually going to enjoy, but it's going to cost me so

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