Bill Dudley has two children who are gifted in graphic design and who have chosen to pursue their careers through the well-regarded CIT course. But one is paying $24,700 more than the other for exactly the same qualification.

Mr Dudley's daughter Juliette completed her two-year diploma in 2008, with the program costing $2226.84 minus a 50 per cent discount as a recipient of Youth Allowance so she paid only $1113.42.

Cut to this year and Mr Dudley's son Ian has started the same course. His fees are $22,440, with no concession available, and a 20 per cent charge to defer payments through the VET FEE-HELP system taking total costs to $26,928.

Mr Dudley said he had been astounded to see the rise in costs between his two children, questioning how much notice beginning students received when the fees jumped massively at the start of this year under a new cost-recovery policy.

"I really don't understand why we should be expected to face a tenfold increase in the cost of this course in the five years between my daughter finishing and my son starting the very same course," he said.

CIT pricing policies came under scrutiny by the Legislative Assembly estimates committee last week when CIT acting chief executive Jenny Dodd was asked to explain the rise for graphic design fees.

"We are transitioning from what has been government-subsidised funding into an access opportunity, enabling people to defer the fee payment and take a loan," Ms Dodd said.

She said CIT had to move to a cost recovery model for some qualifications because of funding cuts for vocational education and training courses by the federal and ACT governments.

This year increases took effect for students of graphic design and international hotel and resort management, with Ms Dodd confirming CIT's intention to extend the model across further courses.

The hotel management course fee has risen to $12,500, or $15,000 with the VET FEE-HELP loan fee.

Mr Dudley said CIT now charged the highest rates for graphic design of any TAFE in the country - with NSW TAFE fees for graphic design at $1720 but students receiving a concession paying just $100.

"Even a three-year degree course in graphic design at the University of Canberra is cheaper than CIT - costing approximately $5868 per year," Mr Dudley said.

In a letter to the opposition defending the rise, ACT Education Minister Joy Burch said "CIT accepts that universities are able to offer a degree at a more competitive price. This is because universities receive Commonwealth funding to subsidise the cost of delivery. CIT is not able to access Commonwealth-funded training places. CIT also acknowledges that some TAFEs are still offering the diploma of graphic design through subsidised training places.''

But she said TAFEs across Australia were increasingly moving to a fee-for-service model.

Mr Dudley said the move heralded "a new era of high debt for Australians unable to get a government-subsidised university place". He also questioned CIT's logic of ''doing students a favour by enabling them to undertake study in graphic design without paying any upfront fees''.

Mr Dudley said in his son's case, he would vastly prefer to pay the reduced amount his sister paid even if it meant paying upfront. He also questioned how much information was available to students enrolling this year as several of his son's classmates had expressed surprise at the new fees.

But Ms Dodd maintained that the new fee schedule had not had a negative impact on student numbers, which were up 30 per cent.

"We predicted that we may have a shrinking of student numbers, and that has not been the case. I think that, in a way, demand speaks for itself,'' she said.

Ms Burch said CIT was "responsible for its business decisions regarding the courses it offers and the associated fee structure".

Mr Dudley said: "It's outrageous that they have singled out the graphic design course to bear the brunt of this new cost recovery regime without proper community consultation or any real justification of why it is so much more expensive."