Commonwealth supported

As a domestic student you could be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) where the Australian Government subsidies your fees and you pay the Student Contribution Amount. CSPs for eligible students are available in all undergraduate programs and some are available for postgraduate programs.

To be eligible for a CSP you must be either:

  • an Australian citizen who will complete some of your program of study in Australia
  • a New Zealand citizen who will be in Australia for the duration of your study
  • a permanent visa holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be in Australia for the duration of your study.

From January 2021, Commonwealth supported students must meet the conditions below throughout their program to maintain eligibility for Commonwealth assistance:

  • be assessed as academically suited to your chosen field of study
  • be a genuine student and engage with your study
  • limit their enrolment to 2.0 EFTSL worth of study per year unless assessed as academically suited to do so.

If you are a Commonwealth supported student, and you are commencing studies in a new program from 1 January 2022, you must also meet the condition below throughout the duration of your program to maintain your eligibility for Commonwealth assistance. You must:

  • have a satisfactory completion rate of 50% or more of your enrolled courses (assessed after eight courses are attempted) and maintain this completion rate for the duration of your program. Incomplete courses include those that are failed, as well as those dropped after the census date.

Read more about new eligibility requirements here.

You may be eligible for HECS-HELP assistance to pay your student contribution.

All Commonwealth supported students must complete an online Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP form for each program of study and read the Commonwealth supported places and HECS-HELP information booklet. The booklet is available from the Australian Government's Study Assist website.

Calculating your student contribution

How much student contribution you pay will depend on how many courses (subjects) you enrol in, the study load of the courses and the bands under which each course falls.  A course is the equivalent to a 'unit of study' in Government publications. Courses are grouped into bands by their field of education and each band has a different student contribution amount set by the Australian Government each year.  Not all courses in your program are necessarily in the same band so individual course costs may vary.

Your student contribution will be calculated based on the band and equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL) value of each course. The formula is: band amount x course EFTSL value
For example, NURBN 1012 is a Band 1 course with a 2022 maximum band amount of $3,985 and has an 0.125 EFTSL value $3,985 x 0.125 = $498 (rounded down to the nearest whole dollar)
Details of the EFTSL and band for each course is available on the subject information page.

Student contribution changes from 2021 onwards

The Australian Government made changes to student contribution bands as part of the Job-ready Graduates Package – higher education reforms. The package included changes to the student contribution for new students who commence study from 1 January 2021 and introduced grandfathering arrangements for students who commenced their program before 1 January 2021.

Grandfathered students will not be disadvantaged by the student contribution changes. If you are studying courses where the student contribution has decreased, you will be charged the decreased rates. If you are studying courses where the student contribution has increased, you will be charged the lower grandfathered rates.

Students who are not grandfathered, will be charged the new student contribution rates. Further information on the Job-ready Graduates Package – higher education reforms is available on the Study Assist website.

Continuing students commenced before 1 January 2021

2022 grandfathered student contribution amounts

Student Contribution
Band		 Disciplines in each band Student
Contribution
(1 EFTSL)		0.125 EFTSL
subject fee
Band 1 Agriculture, Clinical Psychology (postgraduate accredited program)**, Education, English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Nursing, Statistics $3,985 $498
GF Band 1 Communications, Professional Pathway Psychology**, Professional Pathway Social Work**, Society and Culture, Visual and Performing Arts $6,865 $858
Band 2 Allied Health, Built Environment, Computing, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Other Health, Pathology, Science, Surveying $8,021 $1,002
Band 3 Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science $11,401 $1,425
GF Band 3 Accounting, Administration, Commerce, Economics, Law $11,457 $1,432

** course band is determined by accredited program

You will be charged the grandfathered student contribution rates for your year of study if:

  • you were at any time before 1 Jan 2021, a Commonwealth supported student in relation to a course in your program; and
  • you commenced a program before 1 Jan 2021, and did not complete the program by the 31 Dec 2020; or
  • you completed a program on or before 31 December 2020 and, on or after the 1 Jan 2021 you commence the honours program that relates to the earlier program and leads to a higher education honours award; or
  • in 2020 you were undertaking an enabling program and, on or after 1 Jan 2021, you commence another program that is leading to a higher education award; or
  • in 2020 you were undertaking a higher education award undergraduate certificate program and, on or after 1 Jan 2021, you commence another higher qualification program that relates to the undergraduate certificate and is leading to a bachelor degree.

New student contribution bands from 1 January 2021

2022 new student contribution amounts

Student contribution band Disciplines in each band Student Contribution (1 EFTSL)0.125 EFTSL
subject fee
Band 1 Agriculture, Clinical Psychology (postgraduate accredited program)**, Education, English, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Nursing, Statistics $3,985 $498
Band 2 Allied Health, Built Environment, Computing, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Other Health, Pathology, Professional Pathway Psychology**, Professional Pathway Social Work**,  Surveying, Science, Visual and Performing Arts $8,021 $1,002
Band 3 Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Science $11,401 $1,425
Band 4 Administration, Accounting, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Law, Society and Culture $14,630 $1,828

** course band is determined by accredited program

** Accredited programs:

  • Professional Pathway Psychology
    • Bachelor of Psychological Science HY5
    • Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours HY8
  • Professional Pathway Social Work
    • Master of Social Work (Qualifying) HW9
    • Bachelor of Community and Human Services HC5
  • Postgraduate Clinical Psychology
    • Master of Psychology (Clinical) YL9