Understanding your fees
- Overview
- Commonwealth supported places
- Domestic full fee paying
- International fees
- Higher degree by research
Commonwealth supported places
Most undergraduate domestic students are offered a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in their degree, which means that course fees are subsidised by the Australian Government and you pay the remainder as a ‘Student Contribution’.
To be eligible for a CSP currently you need to:
- be an Australian citizen residing in Australia for at least one unit of study, or
- be a permanent visa holder, eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder, pacific engagement visa holder (effective from 1 February 2024) or a New Zealand citizen, and residing in Australia for the duration of your unit/s of study.
You must also:
- have a USI if you are a new student commencing a program on or after 1 January 2021
- have submitted your eCAF and provided a Tax File Number (TFN) by the census date.
Eligibility criteria and legislation can change. To check the eligibility and understand residency and citizenship requirements you should always refer to the Government's Study Assist website.
Additional eligibility requirements from 2022
Student learning entitlement
From 1 January 2022, the Government implemented the Student learning Entitlement (SLE). This is the amount of study you can undertake in a Commonwealth supported place.
The SLE means students can undertake a maximum of 7 years of full-time subsidised study (7 Equivalent Full Time Student Load or EFTSL) in a Commonwealth supported place. This is calculated from 1 January 2022.
Find out more about how the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) works.
How to take up your CSP
All students offered a CSP need to complete the Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form during enrolment. You must submit this form to accept your CSP, even if you are not applying for HECS-HELP.
If you don’t submit this form before census, the University is obligated to cancel your Commonwealth supported place.
If you want to apply for HECS-HELP, you’ll need your Tax File Number (TFN) or 'Certificate of application for a TFN' ready to enter on your application.
How much do I pay?
Removal of discount for upfront payments
The Government recently passed legislation which removes the 10% discount for eligible CSP students enrolled in units of study with a census date after 1 January 2023.
We are currently working on updating our Student Financial Statements to reflect this change. If you still see a discounted amount on your statement, you should disregard this and pay the full student contribution amount.
More information can be found on the Study Assist website and in the 2023 HELP booklets.
Student contribution amounts
Student contribution amounts (the amount you pay towards your course) are set by the government and will depend on your area of study. The Government groups different areas of study into ‘bands’ and then sets a minimum and maximum amount that can be charged for each. The University then sets the student contribution amount for each band within this range.
In the student contribution table you can see the student contribution amount per EFTSL (full time study load) for each area of study. For most courses, one EFTSL = 48 credit points.
How much is each unit of study?
- Calculate the EFTSL of each unit - eg. a 6 credit point unit of study would be 6 divided by 48 (or 0.125 EFTSL).
- Multiply the unit EFTSL amount by the student contribution amount for the relevant band. For example, for a dentistry unit of study worth 6 credit points, multiply 0.125 EFTSL for that unit by the Band 3 student contribution of $13,241 to arrive at the student contribution amount of $1,655 for that unit of study.
If you’re taking units of study across multiple faculties, or enrolling in a double degree or combined degree you will likely need to use multiple student contribution bands to calculate your student contribution amounts.
Visit Study Assist for more information about your student contribution amount.
| Area of study | 2025 Student Contribution Amount (per EFTSL) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, Foreign Languages, Agriculture |
$4,627 |
| Band 2 Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology, Professional Pathway Social Work, Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies, Science, Pathology |
$9,314 |
Band 3 |
$13,241 |
| Band 4 Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture* |
$16,992 |
*excludes Professional Pathway Social Work, Professional Pathway Psychology and Postgraduate Clinical Psychology
| Area of study | 2025 Student Contribution Amount (per EFTSL) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 Education, Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Agriculture |
$4,627 |
| Band 2 (grandfathered) Humanities, Behavioural Science, Social Studies, Communications, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work |
$7,973 |
Band 2 |
$9,314 |
| Band 3 Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science |
$13,241 |
| Band 4 Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce |
$13,305 |
| Area of study | 2024 Student Contribution Amount (per EFTSL) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, Foreign Languages, Agriculture |
$4,445 |
| Band 2 Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology, Professional Pathway Social Work, Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies, Science, Pathology |
$8,948 |
Band 3 |
$12,720 |
| Band 4 Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture* |
$16,323 |
*excludes Professional Pathway Social Work, Professional Pathway Psychology and Postgraduate Clinical Psychology
| Area of study | 2024 Student Contribution Amount (per EFTSL) |
|---|---|
| Band 1 Education, Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Agriculture |
$4,445 |
| Band 2 (grandfathered) Humanities, Behavioural Science, Social Studies, Communications, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work |
$7,659 |
Band 2 |
$8,948 |
| Band 3 Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science |
$12,720 |
| Band 4 Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce |
$12,781 |
How do I pay?
If you’re enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place, you can choose to either pay your student contribution up front or if eligible, defer all or part of your contribution through a HECS-HELP loan. Each semester you have the opportunity to review your choice of payment option and change it if you are eligible.
For more information about payment, see paying your fees.
Can I get help paying my fees?
If you are an Australian citizen, permanent humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand Special Category Visa holder with a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) you may be eligible for HECS-HELP. If you are eligible, you can defer all or part of your student contribution via HECS-HELP, which you repay when your income reaches the minimum repayment threshold.
Last updated: 02 October 2024
