No matter how much some might want to dress it up otherwise, students from the regions just don't have the same degree of access as those in the city.

That is for a whole range of reasons, but of course the distance to universities or TAFE colleges offering the courses that suit students' bent is at or near the top of the list.

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There is nothing surprising in that as it is a problem of the system that has persisted year-after-year, with little in the way of resolution.

It is true that the proliferation of online studies, best exemplified by Charles Sturt University, which has had a strong presence for many years, has gone some way to ease the gap.

But still there are many country students who might wish to but simply find it impossible to access tertiary education.

If you're a secondary student in Melbourne, the relative choice is almost limitless.

Universities and TAFEs abound, while public transport - in spite of what you would think given the constant whinging from Melburnians - adds to the reasons why pursuing further education is so within reach.

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For country kids, the thought of having to try to find somewhere to live then working out how to pay for it can be a logistical nightmare.

And it's not like the university days of old, or at least of 20 years ago, when a part-time job a few days a week was enough to pay the rent and bills with some left over for some fun.

The big smoke's property price explosion has put paid to that.

It is why the work being done by the Regional Education Expert Advisory Group to try to nut out a way to give country students financial help is so important.

Helping secondary students continue their education after high school is just so important to the economic and social lifeblood of all regional communities.

That's because, as group chair and ex-Victorian premier Denis Napthine says, it's about ensuring they get a "fair go".