HECS and Domestic Fees

What's new in 2013?
How do I pay my fees?
Do I need to provide my TFN?
How can I make a partial payment?
Centrelink payments for students
Commonwealth supported students
Undergraduate domestic fee paying students
Postgraduate coursework students
Postgraduate domestic research students
Census dates
Withdrawing or discontinuing study
Updating residency and citizenship details
HECS and Fees associated forms
Contact the HECS and Domestic Fees Office

Information contained on this page applies to domestic students only (i.e. Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and all Australian permanent resident visa holders). Information for international students can be found here.

Commencing undergraduate domestic students at the University of Sydney are offered Commonwealth supported places (CSPs). A CSP is subsidised by the Commonwealth government. Students may be required or choose to pay their student contribution upfront or, if eligible, take out a HECS-HELP loan.

Domestic postgraduate coursework students who enrol at the University of Sydney are either Commonwealth supported or domestic fee paying and are required to pay fees upfront, or if eligible, take out a HECS-HELP/FEE-HELP loan.

Currently, domestic students undertaking a higher degree by research are exempt from tuition fees under the RTS (Research Training Scheme), subject to time limits.

Most students attending the University are also liable for the Student Services and Amenities fee and are required to either pay the fee up-front or take out a SA-HELP loan, if eligible.

Eligibility criteria apply to HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and SA-HELP programs. For information about higher education in Australia visit the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education Study Assist website.

What's new in 2013?

Residency requirements for Australian citizens
Recent changes in Commonwealth legislation will affect commencing Commonwealth supported and Commonwealth assisted students from 2013.

From 1 January 2013, Australian citizens who are commencing a course of study in 2013 will be required to reside in Australia for at least one unit of study contributing the course of study to be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place or Commonwealth assistance (including HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and SA-HELP). Students undertaking a higher degree by research and requesting SA-HELP assistance will be required to reside in Australia for at least some of their course of study.

Commencing students will be required to declare if they will undertake in Australia at least one unit of study on their Commonwealth assistance form (ie. Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form/ Request for FEE-HELP/ SA-HELP assistance form). A student who is offered a Commonwealth supported place and will not undertake in Australia any units of study contributing to the course of study will not be able to enrol in a Commonwealth supported place and will be required to enrol as a domestic fee-paying student, paying the tuition fees upfront. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995.

End of grandfathering arrangements for pre-2008 students
As per the Higher Education Support Act 2003, the transitional arrangements for pre-2008 Commonwealth supported students ended on 31st December 2012. Pre-2008 students will no longer be charged band 2 rates for a unit of study in accounting, administration, economics and commerce. All students in these disciplines will be covered by the same band 3 maximum student contribution amount in the Higher Education Support Act 2003 from 1st January 2013.

Pre-2008 students continuing their studies in the same course of study in 2013 will now be reclassified as pre-2010 students. The various notices and financial statements produced by the University will classify the units of study in these disciplines as Band 5 units. Band 5 and Band 3 units of study are charged at the same rate at the University of Sydney ($9792 in 2013).

National priority bands
From 1 January 2013, mathematics, statistics and science units of study will no longer be classified as national priority units. These units of study will be classified in band 2 and there will be no transitional arrangements for continuing students. The various notices and financial statements produced by the University will classify the units of study in these disciplines as Band 6 units. Band 6 and Band 2 units of study are charged at the same rate at the University of Sydney ($8636 in 2013).

Transitional arrangements for education and nursing units of study for pre-2010 students (those Commonwealth supported students who commenced a degree prior to 1 January 2010 and are continuing in this degree or have transferred to another Commonwealth supported degree) will continue. Pre-2010 students will continue to be charged at national priority rates ($4694 per EFTSL*) for education and nursing units of study.

For more information on the student contribution rates for Commonwealth supported students, please see here.

(*) An EFTSL (Equivalent Full Time Student Load) is a measure of study load a student undertakes. One EFTSL is equivalent to 48 credit points at the University of Sydney and represents a standard annual full time load.

How do I pay my fees?

To prevent enrolment sanctions or cancellation of your enrolment, ensure to pay all outstanding fees by the payment due date as indicated on your invoice.

Re-enrolling students
If you are a continuing student who has successfully re-enrolled and you have elected or are required to pay your semester fees and/or SSA fee upfront, you will receive an invoice at your preferred correspondence address in mid to late January (with a payment due date of 19 February 2013) for your February semester enrolment, and mid August for your July semester enrolment (with a payment due date towards the end of August). Students only enrolled in semester two units of study will receive one invoice in mid August. A statement of fees can be viewed online through MyUni if you have misplaced your invoice or have made enrolment variations. A PDF statement of fees is available in the financial information section of Student Administration in MyUni.

Students enrolling in-person
If you are a commencing student or you are required to enrol in person, you will be able to view your financial liability online through MyUni shortly after your enrolment. If you are required or opt to pay your semester fees and/or SSA fee upfront, you will be issued with a Student Financial Statement in mid March for your February semester enrolment and mid August for your July semester enrolment. February semester fees will be due on 28 March 2013, and July semester fees will be due towards the end of August.

Students only enrolled in semester two units of study will receive one invoice in mid August. Students enrolling on, or after, 16 March 2013 for semester one will be issued an invoice on the Sunday following their enrolment, with a payment due date 14 days from the date of issue.

If you do not pay all your fees by the payment due date, as indicated on your invoice, your enrolment may be cancelled for non-payment of fees. If you intend to defer your fees to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and are eligible to do so, ensure you provide your tax file number on your Commonwealth assistance form or by completing a TFN provision form (available in the ‘HECS and Fees Associated Forms’ section below) and returning this to the Student Centre on or before the relevant census/payable dates.

Please note: if you are required to, or opt to pay your SSA fee upfront, this fee is due as per the payment due date indicated on the mailed invoice. The SSA fee payable date is not the payment date of this fee. Failure to pay the SSA fee in full by the payment due date may result in enrolment sanctions.

Do I need to provide my TFN?

If you are an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder and you intend to defer your student contribution, tuition fees or Student Services and Amenities fee to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), you MUST provide the University your tax file number (or Certificate of Application for a TFN issued by the ATO) on or before the relevant census/payable dates. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of your enrolment or other enrolment sanctions. TFN provision forms are available in the ‘HECS and Fees Associated Forms’ section below.

If you are an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place and you elect to pay your student contribution upfront, you are not required to supply your tax file number. However, if you do not pay your student contribution by the relevant census date and you have not provided the University with your tax file number in writing by this date, your enrolment will be cancelled as per the Higher Education Support Act 2003. All Commonwealth supported students eligible for HECS-HELP are advised to provide their Tax File Number to avoid cancellation of enrolment in this circumstance.

As per the Higher Education Support Act 2003, permanent resident visa holders (excluding permanent humanitarian visa holders) and New Zealand citizens are not eligible for HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP or SA-HELP assistance and are required to pay all semester fees upfront. These students should not provide their tax file number to the University.

How can I make a partial payment?

Partial payments are only accepted in person. Please note that as these payments are voluntary no invoices are sent. If you would like to make a partial payment towards your student contribution, tuition fees or Student Services and Amenities fee, and you are eligible to do so, please attend the Student Centre in the five business days leading up to the census date (22nd to 28th March and 26th to 30th August in 2013 for the two main census dates). Accepted payment methods are debit card, credit card (Visa or Mastercard), cheque or money order.

If you are unable to attend in person, a partial payment can be made on your behalf by a third party (in-person), however the University will not be able to provide any personal details to anyone other than the student without written permission. As such, please ensure to provide your student number (SID), your full name, the degree you are enrolled in and the amount of your partial payment to anyone making a payment on your behalf.

The minimum payment accepted for Commonwealth supported students is $500. Commonwealth supported students making a payment of $500 or more will receive a 10% discount on the amount that is paid. For example, if your student contribution is $2000 and you make a $500 partial payment:

$500 partial payment x 1.1111 = $555.55
$2000 total student contribution - $555.55 partial payment = $1444.45 deferred to the ATO

If you are making a partial payment, at least $1 of your fees must be deferred to the ATO. To calculate the maximum payment you can make in a semester, multiply your student contribution by 0.9 and minus $1. For example, if your student contribution for the semester is $2934:

$2934 x 0.9 = $2640.60 - $1 = $2639.60 maximum partial payment amount.

As per the Higher Education Support Act 2003, a discount is not available on partial payments towards a FEE-HELP or SA-HELP loan. A minimum partial payment of $1 is accepted for partial payments towards these loans. The reduced loan amount is reported to the ATO.

Payments received after the census date cannot be processed as partial payments by the University. If you wish to make a partial payment, ensure it is received by the University by the relevant census dates. If you are enrolled in any intensive sessions, please check the census dates.

Centrelink payments for students

If you would like more information on the payments you may be eligible for as a student, please see the Student Income Support Eligibility Information Tool.

Specific information regarding particular student support payments can be found on the Centrelink website.

Some postgraduate courses of study are approved courses for Centrelink purposes.

If you are required to provide a letter to Centrelink confirming your enrolment details, please complete the Request for HECS or Domestic Fee Related Related Documents and return this to the Student Centre by email, fax, post or in person.

Commonwealth supported students

All domestic students commencing an undergraduate course of study at the University of Sydney are Commonwealth supported, which means the federal government funds part of the costs while you pay a contribution amount. The student contribution amount is calculated at the unit of study level and is based on the student contribution bands and the weight of each unit of study.

As per the Higher Education Support Act 2003, all Commonwealth supported students MUST complete and submit a valid Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form on or before the relevant census date; failure to adhere to this legislative requirement will result in the cancellation of their enrolment in a Commonwealth supported place.

If you are an Australian citizen or hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa and reside in Australia, you are eligible for HECS-HELP (the federal government’s Higher Education Loan Program). This means you can choose to either pay your student contribution upfront with a 10 percent discount (‘HECS-HELP discount’), or defer all or part of your contribution to the Australian Taxation Office (HECS-HELP loan).

Eligible students who opt for a HECS-HELP loan MUST provide their tax file number (TFN) or a Certificate of Application for a TFN on or before the relevant census date. Students who do not provide their TFN or make the full payment of their student contribution for the semester, on or before the census date, will also have their enrolment as a Commonwealth supported student cancelled as per the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

If you are an Australian permanent resident visa holder (excluding permanent humanitarian visa holders) or a New Zealand citizen you are eligible for a Commonwealth supported place, however, you must pay your student contribution upfront, in full without any discounts, by the relevant census date.

All Commonwealth supported students are charged the Student Services and Amenities fee (SSA fee). This fee is in addition to the student contribution amount for the semester and students are required to either pay this fee upfront or, if eligible, obtain a SA-HELP loan prior to the SSA fee payable date. Please note that students who are required to or who opt to pay the SSA fee upfront must pay by the payment due date on the invoice, not by the SSA fee payable date. Enrolment sanctions may be applied if full payment of the fee is not received by the payment due date.

Undergraduate domestic fee paying students

As a result of changes introduced by the Federal Government in 2008 to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA), no commencing undergraduate domestic fee paying places have been offered since 1 January 2009. Under certain circumstances, eligible students may be offered a domestic fee paying place to continue their enrolment.

The calculation of fees is based on a cost per unit of study, for units of study undertaken as part of an undergraduate award course or a non-award program.

If you are an Australian citizen or hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa and reside in Australia, you are eligible for FEE-HELP assistance (the Commonwealth Government's Higher Education Loan Program). This means you can defer all or part of your course fees to the Australian Taxation Office (FEE-HELP loan). There is a limit of $100,000 indexed annually ($116,507 in 2013) for students studying a medicine, dentistry or veterinary science course that leads to provisional registration to practise in one of those fields, and $80,000 indexed annually ($93,204 in 2013) for all other students. There is a 25% loan fee for undergraduate courses of study, however this loan fee does not count towards the FEE-HELP loan limit.

All undergraduate domestic fee paying students are charged the SSA fee. This fee is in addition to the tuition fee for the semester and students are required to pay this fee upfront or obtain a SA-HELP loan, if eligible, prior to the SSA fee payable date. Please note that students who are required to or who opt to pay the SSA fee upfront must pay by the payment due date on the invoice, not by the SSA fee payable date. Enrolment sanctions may be applied if full payment of the fee is not received by the payment due date.

Postgraduate coursework students

Most postgraduate coursework courses offered at the University of Sydney are fee paying (i.e. non Commonwealth supported) and require the payment of tuition fees. A small number of courses are exclusively Commonwealth supported, while there are a few where a Commonwealth supported place can be obtained via direct applications to individual faculties. For information regarding postgraduate Commonwealth supported places, please contact the relevant school or faculty office.

Fees for postgraduate award courses are calculated at the course level. In order to determine the tuition fees applicable for your enrolment within a semester or year, the fee rate for the course should be multiplied by the EFTSL* (or credit point) value for the combined units of study undertaken within the period. The EFTSL (or credit point) value for units of study can be found in the unit of study database.

An example of an enrolment: for Semester 1, 2013, a student is enrolled in two units of study in the Master of Arts and each unit is worth 0.125 EFTSL (or 6 credit points), the student is therefore enrolled in a total load of 0.250 EFTSL (12 credit points). The 2013 course fee for a domestic Master of Arts student is $18,480 for a load of 1 EFTSL (or $385 for 1 credit point). Therefore the fee for the semester is:

$18480 x 0.250 = $4,620 (or $385 x 12 = $4,620).

Current postgraduate domestic course fees are available at Sydney Courses.

If you are an Australian citizen or hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa and reside in Australia, you are eligible for FEE-HELP assistance (the Commonwealth Government's Higher Education Loan Program). This means you can defer all or part of your course fees to the Australian Taxation Office (FEE-HELP loan). There is a limit of $100,000 indexed annually ($116,507 in 2013) for students studying a medicine, dentistry or veterinary science course that leads to provisional registration to practise in one of those fields, and $80,000 indexed annually ($93,204 in 2013) for all other students. There is no loan fee for using FEE-HELP in a postgraduate course of study.

Eligible students who opt for a FEE-HELP loan MUST provide their tax file number (TFN) or a Certificate of Application for a TFN on or before the relevant census dates. Students who do not provide their TFN on or before the census date will not be eligible for FEE-HELP and will be required to pay their fees upfront in full to the University.

In addition to the postgraduate tuition fees, most domestic postgraduate students are also charged the SSA fee and students are required to pay this fee upfront or obtain a SA-HELP loan, if eligible, prior to the SSA fee payable date. Please note that students who are required to or who opt to pay the SSA fee upfront must pay by the payment due date on the invoice, not by the SSA fee payable date. Enrolment sanctions may be applied if full payment of the fee is not received by the payment due date.

(*) An EFTSL (Equivalent Full Time Student Load) is a measure of study load a student undertakes. One EFTSL is equivalent to 48 credit points at the University of Sydney and represents a standard annual full time load. All course fee rates presented on the course database are for 1 EFTSL.

Postgraduate domestic research students

Domestic students undertaking a postgraduate research program at the University of Sydney, at a Masters or Doctorate level, are covered by the Research Training Scheme (RTS) and are exempt from the payment of tuition fees.

RTS students are entitled to a maximum of:

4 years of full time equivalent study for an eligible Doctorate degree by research, and
2 years of full time equivalent study for an eligible Masters degree by research

Those who transfer their research program from another university to the University of Sydney will be required to provide details regarding their consumption of RTS entitlements at their previous university and may be required to pay tuition fees at this University.
Students who commenced their degree as an international student and change to domestic status will be enrolled under RTS minus any EFTSL consumed as an international student. RTS entitlements are calculated from the course commencement date.

All domestic postgraduate research students are charged the SSA fee and will be required to pay this fee or obtain a SA-HELP loan, if eligible, on or before the SSA fee payable date. Please note that students who are required to or who opt to pay the SSA fee upfront must pay by the payment due date on the invoice, not by the SSA fee payable date. Enrolment sanctions may be applied if full payment of the fee is not received by the payment due date.

Census dates

As per the Higher Education Support Act 2003, all universities are required to set a census date for each unit of study offered. The census date is the last day to withdraw from a unit of study without financial or academic penalty. It is also the final day when Commonwealth supported students, as well as students requesting Commonwealth assistance, can submit appropriate Commonwealth assistance forms, including tax file numbers (TFN), if deferring their fees.

After the census date:

you become financially liable for any unit of study in which you are enrolled; and
you incur a HELP debt for any units for which you have taken out a HELP loan.

Census dates for sessions on offer at the University of Sydney in 2013.

Withdrawing or discontinuing study

Withdrawing from study
A student who formally ceases their enrolment in a course or unit/s of study on or before the relevant census date is considered to have “withdrawn” their enrolment. Those students who withdraw are not financially or academically liable for those units of study.

If you would like to withdraw from a unit of study or your course of study, you MUST inform your faculty in writing prior to the census date. If you do not notify your faculty in writing prior to the census date you will be financially liable from the unit/s or course of study. If you have paid your fees for a unit of study and have subsequently withdrawn from this, you may apply for a refund directly through the Fee Payment office.

Discontinuing study
A student who ceases their enrolment in a course or unit/s of study after the relevant census date is considered to have “discontinued” their studies. Those students who discontinue their enrolment are financially liable for the discontinued units of study.

You are financially liable for any units of study you are enrolled in after the census date. If you discontinue or fail to complete (ie. receive a grade of DNF, DF, AF or F) a unit of study after the census date due to special circumstances beyond your control, you may be eligible for a refund of your fees paid upfront to the University or a remission of your HELP debt. To apply for a refund or remission, please complete the Application for Refund/Re-Crediting in Special Circumstances form and return it to the Student Centre, along with original or certified independent supporting documents.

Please note that if you received a grade of DF, AF or F due to special circumstances beyond your control, you may apply to your faculty directly to have this grade changed to DNF. This is a separate procedure to applying for a refund or remission due to special circumstances.

IMPORTANT: Applications MUST be received within 12 months of the discontinuation date (if you received a grade of DNF or DF) or by the end of teaching period for the relevant semester (if you received a grade of AF or F). If the unit of study was taught by Sydney Summer/Winter school, please apply directly to Summer School.

Updating residency and citizenship details

If you were previously an international student and have now become a permanent resident of Australia or a New Zealand citizen, or were previously a permanent resident or New Zealand citizen and you are now an Australian citizen, you are required to inform the University of this change. Please complete the Change of Residency Status form and bring it to the Student Centre, along with original documents (passport or citizenship certificate and visa documents, as relevant).

Commencing students who have not yet enrolled should ensure their residency details are correct at the time of enrolment. All students are advised that the University is only able to amend records for a semester on or before the relevant census dates. Please ensure to bring your documents to the Student Centre without delay.

HECS & Fees associated Forms

List of University of Sydney Natural and Physical Sciences Courses

The list of University of Sydney Natural and Physical Sciences Courses for 2012 (pdf) is available.