Degree costs and loans

How much will your university course cost and how will you pay for it? There are two types of places: Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), which is subsidised by the government, and full fee. Public universities offer CSPs to domestic undergraduate students, while private institutions tend to offer only full-fee places or a few CSP places in priority areas.

Tuition fees.

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

If you are a CSP student, the cost of your course is based on the discipline you study, which are grouped into four ‘funding clusters’.

View the 2024 CSP contribution range for each cluster per equivalent full-time student load (EFTSL) here.

The figures are applicable to students commencing study in the 2024 academic year. For more information, visit the Study Assist website

If your course includes subjects from a higher or lower cluster (and many do), those subjects will be charged at a different rate. Keep in mind that the rates are flexible, which means that not all universities charge the maximum. Try to get as much information as possible about course costs before you start. Please note that fees published here are indicative only.

Full-fee places

Private higher education providers offer full-fee places, with CSPs only available in certain priority fields, such as education and health. TAFE institutes may also charge full fees for higher education courses. Unlike CSPs, full-fee places are not capped and differ between institutions, so you will need to check with individual providers to determine fee structures.

To help cover these upfront tuition costs, an increasing number of private providers now offer deferred government loans.

Covering your tuition costs

There are several loan schemes to help students pay for tuition and other higher education costs. Through these loan schemes, students can defer the payment of these fees until their income reaches the minimum repayment threshold ($54,435 for the 2024—25 fiscal year). Payments are made through the taxation system, with employers deducting the required amount from your paycheck. Discounts may be available if you pay some or all your tuition fees or CSP contributions as you go.

HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP

CSP students have access to HECS-HELP, a government loan scheme that enables you to defer payment of your student contributions.

To help cover their full-fee tuition costs, students in approved courses at eligible higher education providers can access a similar government loan scheme called FEE-HELP. The main difference between FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP is that the course fees covered by FEE-HELP are not set within ranges stipulated by the government, but are decided at each institution’s discretion. With FEE-HELP, there is also a limit on how much students can borrow, which is indexed annually.

In 2024*, the maximum loan limit was $121,844 (or $174,998 for certain approved medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and aviation courses). Some courses cost more than these amounts. A loan fee of 20 per cent, which is not included in the FEE-HELP limit, applies to FEE-HELP loans taken out for most undergraduate courses.

Other loan schemes

Undergraduate students can also access the SA-HELP loan scheme to cover the annual student services and amenities fee, which was set at a maximum of $351 in 2024. OS-HELP assists undergraduate CSP students with the costs of an approved overseas study experience (up to a maximum of $7,921 for a six-month study period or $9,504 if studying in Asia).

All fee and loan information is correct as of August 2024. Visit the federal government’s Study Assist website for the latest information.