Costs and scholarships

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSA Fee)

In October 2011, the Australian Parliament passed the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill allowing higher education providers to charge a student services and amenities fee (SSA fee). The federal government sets the annual SA fee limit ($263 for 2012 indexed annually) that is common to all higher education providers. The proceeds from this fee can only be used by universities to support student services, amenities, advocacy, representation, and similar activities. The University of Sydney is charging the fee to students from 1 January 2012.

Eligible students will be able to obtain a loan from the government, known as SA-HELP, if required. In order to be eligible for SA-HELP, students must meet the following requirements:

• be either an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder residing in Australia
• be enrolled in a course of study
• submit a valid SA-HELP debt confirmation form with a TFN (or a certificate of application for a TFN), on or before the SSA fee payable date.

Those students who are not eligible for SA-HELP will need to pay the SSA fee on or before the SSA fee payable date.

You can find more information about the SSA fee and SA-help on the HECS and domestic fees website.

Course fees

If you are an international student, view the international course fees website.

As a domestic student of the University of Sydney, the government pays for a percentage of the cost of your course fees and you are responsible for the remainder. This is called a Commonwealth-supported place.

Some courses are more expensive to teach than others, so not all course fees are the same. Check out the table on the page about Commonwealth-supported places for more information.

Other costs to consider

Text books, materials and uniforms are additional charges that you need to consider, and you will also need to factor in your living costs.