Tuition fees

All universities charge tuition fees depending on what course you are studying and what subjects you choose to do within that course.

Commonwealth supported places

Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available to all commencing domestic students.

A CSP means the federal government pays most of your tuition fees. While you don’t need to pay back these fees, you do need to pay the remaining balance known as the student contribution.

Student contributions

It is important to remember that your student contribution is calculated by subject, not just by course.

Subjects are split into four bands: National Priority; Band 1; Band 2; and Band 3; each band varying in cost per subject.

For example, if you study a combined degree, you will pay according to which band each of your subjects belong to.

UTS: Student admin has more information on Commonwealth supported places.

Paying your tuition fees

Your options depend on if you are:

• An Australian citizen or on a humanitarian visa

  You are eligible for HECS-HELP, a federal government scheme.

• A New Zealand citizen or on a permanent resident visa

  You must pay your fees upfront and are not entitled to any discount.

HECS-HELP

If you are eligible for the HECS-HELP scheme you have the option to pay all or part of your student contribution using a HECS-HELP loan from the federal government. If you don’t want to incur a HECS-HELP debt, you can pay your student contribution upfront by the due date and receive a 10% discount.

Repaying your HECS-HELP loan

You will start repaying your HECS-HELP loan when your income gets above a certain amount. For the 2011-2012 tax year, the repayment threshold is $47,196.

The loan repayments can then automatically be deducted from your wages, just like tax, if you choose.

UTS: Student admin has more information on HECS-HELP and a fee calculator.