HECS and Domestic Fees

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSA fee)

In October 2011, the Australian Parliament passed the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2010, allowing universities to charge a Student Services and Amenities fee (SSA fee) of up to $263 from 1 January 2012 (indexed annually thereafter) as an initiative to increase student support and services in Australian universities. The University of Sydney will be charging the fee from 1 January 2012. The fee will be calculated based on the student’ semester load (i.e. full time / part time status) and will be charged on a semester basis. There will be a new component of the HELP scheme, called SA-HELP, which will allow eligible students to defer the payment of their SSA fee. More information will be available on the University’s website when further advice is received from the Federal Government.

The University of Sydney is widely recognized for the range and depth of its co-curricular student services and amenities.

The Federal Government’s introduction of a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSA fee) from 1 January 2012 will enable the University to enhance its important support for these co-curricular student services and amenities on all of the University’s campuses.

The University has initiated extensive consultation with students, student organisations and representatives of service providers to identify priorities for future funding on services and amenities as well as areas for enhancement. These priorities have been identified as:
1. Orientation;
2. Advocacy and Information;
3. Health, Welfare andCareer;
4. Clubs and Societies and other student lead activities; and
5. Facilities

The introduction of a Student Services and Amenities Fee together with identified priorities for funding, will enable the University to further enhance the important co-curricular experiences that Sydney has to offer to all of its students.

The 2012 SSA fee charges:

There are strict guidelines that stipulate the collection and distribution of SSA fee. The proceeds from this fee can only be used for student services such as advocacy, food, childcare, legal, accommodation, sports and recreation etc. More information regarding these guidelines can be obtained from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.


Who is charged the SSA fee?

Most domestic and international (undergraduate and postgraduate) students are liable for the SSA fee at the University of Sydney. As the Bill was passed after the commencement of Sydney Summer School enrolments (session 42, 43 and 44) for 2012 all Sydney Summer School enrolments will be excluded from the SSA fee calculation for 2012 only, i.e. the Sydney Summer School units (unit of study enrolments in sessions 42, 43 and 44) will be excluded from the calculation of your full time / part time status for the semester.

Further, the following categories of students will also be excluded in 2012:
- Students (commencing and continuing) enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing Post Registration (Singapore) award program.
- International students attending the University of Sydney on a formal Exchange program from an overseas institution.
- International students commencing a new course of study in 2012 (this exclusion applies to calendar year 2012 only)
Please note: a commencing international student who, is not charged the SSA fee in 2012, obtains permanent residency and informs the University of this change on or before the SSA fee payable date, will become liable for the SSA fee from that semester onwards.

What is the “SSA fee payable date”?

Universities are required to set a date that the SSA fee is payable for the semester. This is the final date to pay upfront for the SSA fee for the semester or if eligible, submit a valid and complete Request for SA-HELP Assistance form.

The SSA fee payable dates for 2012:

February Semester

July Semester

What is SA-HELP?

SA-HELP is a loan program that is similar to HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP, which allows eligible students to defer the payment of their SSA fee. In order to be eligible for SA-HELP students must meet the following criteria:
- be either an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder residing in Australia; and
- be enrolled in a course of study (or a bridging course for overseas trained professional); and
- submit a valid SA HELP Assistance form with a TFN (or a Certificate of application for a TFN), on or before the SSA fee payable date.

Students not eligible for SA-HELP will be required to pay their SSA fee up front as per the due date on their invoice. Should a student’s eligibility criteria change making them eligible for SA-HELP prior to the SSA fee payable date, they will need to attend the Student Centre (Health Science students please attend Student Central) with proof of their citizenship.

SA HELP Assistance forms are available for students to collect at the Student Centre (or Student Central for Health Science students). Completed SA HELP Assistance forms can also submitted at the Student Centre or at Student Central for Health Science students.

Students opting for SA-HELP will be sent a Commonwealth Assistance Notice to their University of Sydney issued email address within 28 days of the SSA fee payable date confirming their SA-HELP debt for the semester. Any errors or issues detected on this notice must be addressed by the relevant dates.

Discontinuation of Enrolment

Students who withdraw from their course of study on or before the census date (i.e. from all units of study) will not be liable for the SSA fee. Therefore, if the SSA fee was paid upfront you will be eligible for a full refund; or if you opted to obtain a SA-HELP loan, you will no longer be liable.

Students who discontinue their enrolment after the census date or those who are prevented from successfully completing their enrolment due to circumstances beyond their control are able to apply for a remission of their HECS-HELP / FEE-HELP debt, or a refund of students contribution amounts or tuition fees paid up-front. However, the government has not provided any provisions for universities to remit SA-HELP debts. As such, students who discontinue their enrolment after the SSA FEE payable date, will be liable for their SSA fee and will not be refunded their SSA fee where paid upfront or remitted their SA-HELP debt if deferred.

FAQs (pdf) (updated 1 Feb 2012)

Contact details for further information:

Domestic Students
In-person:Student Centre, Level 3, Jane Foss Russell Building, Darlington.
Student Central (for Health Science students): Building A, Cumberland Campus
Phone: (02) 8627 8239
Email:

International Students
In-person:International Office, Level 4, Jane Foss Russell Building, Darlington.
Phone: (02) 8627 8346
Email:

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

Eligibility criteria apply to both the HECS-HELP and FEE-Help loans. For information about higher education in Australia visit the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Going to Uni website.

Commonwealth supported students

All domestic students commencing an undergraduate course of study at the University of Sydney are Commonwealth-supported students, 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.

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 Commonwealth supported place.

If you are an Australian citizen or hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa, 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).

Students eligible for and opting 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 dates. 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 Commowealth supported student cancelled.

All Commonwealth supported students are charged the SSA fee in 2012. This fee is in addition to the student contribution amount 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.

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

All undergraduate domestic fee paying students are charged the SSA fee in 2012. 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.

Postgraduate Domestic Fee paying 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 find out tuition fees applicable for your enrolment within a semester or a 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 (and credit point) value for units of study can be found in the unit of study database.

In addition to the postgraduate tuition fees, all domesitc students are charged the SSA fee in 2012 and students are required to pay this fee upfront or obtain a SA-HELP loan, if eligible, prior to the SSA fee payable date.

For example, a student is enrolled in the Master of Commerce. For Semester 1, the student is enrolled in 2 units of study 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 2011 course fee for a domestic Master of Commerce student is $23,520 for a load of 1 EFTSL (or $490 for 1 credit point). Therefore the fee the student is liable for is:
$23,520 x 0.250 = $5,880 (or $490 x 12 = $5,880)

The 2011 postgraduate domestic course fees are available as a pdf document or an excel spreadsheet.

(*) 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 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 the consumption of RTS entitlements at the previous university and may be required to pay tuition fees at this University.

All domestic postgraduate research students are charged the SSA fee in 2012 and will be required to pay this fee or obtain a SA-HELP loan, if eligible, on or before the SSA fee payable date.

Census Dates

The University is required to set a census date for each unit of study it offers. 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, and students requesting Commonwealth assistance can submit appropriate Commonwealth assistance forms, and their tax file number (TFN), if deferring their fees. After the census date for all teaching periods:

• 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; and
• Commonwealth supported students consume their student learning entitlement (SLE).

Census dates for sessions on offer at the University of Sydney in 2011.

HECS & Fees Associated Forms

• Cancellation or Reactivation of a Request for SA-HELP Assistance (pdf)
• Cancellation or Reactivation of a Request for FEE-HELP Assistance (pdf)
• Tax File Number Provision Form (pdf)
• Request for HECS or Domestic Fee Related Letters or Documents (pdf)
• Application for Refund/Re-Crediting under Special Circumstances (pdf)
• Application for Reassessment of Liability for Commonwealth Supported Students (pdf)

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.

HECS and Domestic Fees Office Contact Details

Domestic students can obtain further information by contacting:

HECS and Domestic Fees Office
Student Centre
Level 3, Jane Foss Russell Bldg, G02
University of Sydney

email:
phone: (02) 8627 8239
fax: (02) 8627 8285