ABSTRACT
The introduction of tuition fees paid directly by students in 2001 appeared to clarify the position of students as consumers of higher education (HE). However, the construction of the student-consumer was set in place prior to 2001, and does not emerge solely as a result of the payment of fees. The student consumer is also constructed through government policies; the broader marketisation of education at all levels; and broader social and political trends away from a Keynesian welfare state towards a neo-liberal marketised society. This positioning of students is presented in the popular media which (re)constructs the studentconsumer for a new generation.
