Ms Walters was looking at health, while Ms Endacott wanted to know more about event management, but both soon realised that a communication degree best suited their skills and interests.

After majoring in public relations, both now work as consultants at Purser Corporate Communication.

"It offers such variety - no two days are the same in communication," Ms Endacott said.

"You learn so many viable skills that are so transferable and we can apply it into our own personal life as well."

Students who will start their studies from next year will face a different landscape, after Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan announced an overhaul of tertiary education funding.

Mr Tehan said the government will provide an additional 39,000 university places by 2023 and 100,000 by 2030.

"We will also incentivise students to make more job-relevant choices, that lead to more job-ready graduates, by reducing the student contribution in areas of expected employment growth and demand."

The student contribution for humanities and communications courses will more than double and fees for law and commerce will increase by 28 per cent.

These students will pay $14,500 a year - more than if studying dentistry, medicine or veterinary science.

Purser Corporate Communication managing director Meg Purser said the new cost would be prohibitive to many.

"They're going to be paying this off for decades, it's going to be prohibitive for a lot of talented young people," she said.

"None of us are earning billions in this field, it's not like these young graduates are going to come out and be earning $120,000 in their first year."

She said people with communications qualifications and critical thinking skills were invaluable in today's information overload, as well as to helping small businesses post COVID-19 share their stories.

Ms Endacott and Ms Walters said they wouldn't have been deterred by the higher fees, but Ms Walters said she would want to see more offered in the degree in exchange.

Former UON personality Dr Bernie Curran AM - who graduated with first class honours in classics and a PhD in Roman religion and politics - said he was concerned about the growing role of government in shaping university programs.

"This is narrowing the definition of education," he said.

"I don't like the idea of it becoming so specific, so strategic in predicting where there's going to be a growth in jobs. There are jobs that come into being that don't exist when you go into university."

He said students used university to grow and identify their strengths and they had the "right to make changes and choices as you go".

He said the humanities encouraged diversity and fostered lifelong skills.

UON Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO said UON was "working through the detail to determine the impact".

"COVID-19 has impacted an already changing employment market in our regions and we know that we have an important role to play to support our regions' long-term economic and social prosperity," he said.

"We welcome the increase in domestic undergraduate places and the focus on Indigenous education and support, but the significant funding changes will need to be unpacked and understood as they relate to UON and our regions."

NUSA's Tyler Bridges said universities shouldn't be "job factories", or treat students like "customers".

"Why does helping one group of people have to come at the expense of others?"