Understanding your fees
Find out what fees you're required to pay and how they're calculated.
Your fees will vary depending on what type of student you are (e.g. domestic or international, undergraduate or graduate) and the course you are studying.
Some students are charged fees for individual subjects – these costs vary from subject to subject – while others are charged fees according to the annual fee of the course (degree) and their study load.
Use the menu to indicate the type of student you are, and you’ll receive relevant information on how your fees are calculated.
What type of student are you?
Legislative changes made by the Australian Government mean that from 1 January 2022 additional requirements apply to accessing Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) and HELP loans. Find out more.
Frequently asked questions
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How and when should I pay my fees?
See paying your fees.
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What is a census date?
Every subject has a census date. If you remain enrolled in a subject after the census date you will retain a fee charge for the subject. If you wish to withdraw from a subject you must do so by the subject census date for your fee charge to be cancelled. For more information see our FAQ on fee due dates.
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What is the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)?
The SSAF provides a significant increase in the level of funding available to student services and amenities. Eligible students can defer payment of the SSAF (similar to how Commonwealth Supported Place students can defer tuition fees via HECS-HELP), by applying for SA-HELP assistance.
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What is a Student Invoice?
- Your Student Invoice is issued regularly throughout the year via my.unimelb and only includes those fees due for payment within the invoicing period (usually within four to five weeks of issue)
- Late payment fees apply if you fail to pay a Mandatory fee (excluding SSAF) by your due date. Failure to pay tuition fees may lead to cancellation of enrolment. See the ask.unimelb FAQ on Overdue Fees Penalty.
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What is a Statement of Liability?
- Your Statement of Liability is an invoice on which you may pay your fees. It updates immediately for any enrolment changes and lists all your unpaid fees for a calendar year, due dates and the payment methods.
- You should view your Statement of Liability after enrolling in subjects to check your fees and note upcoming payment due dates.
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How can enrolment changes affect my fees?
Withdrawing from a subject or swapping out of a subject can impact your fees.
Before the census date
If you withdraw from or swap a subject before the census date for that subject, your fee liability for the withdrawn subject will be cancelled.
The amount you paid for the withdrawn subject will appear as a credit on your Fee Account Statement. This credit will be used to cover owing tuition fees for any other enrolled subjects. If you have no other fees due at the time of withdrawing from a subject, you can either apply to have the money refunded to your personal bank account, or you can leave the credit in your student account to pay future tuition fees. You can check the amount of credit you may have by using the Fee Account Statement.
After the census date
If you withdraw from or swap a subject after the census date for that subject, you will remain liable for the subject cost. Payments already made for the subject will not be refunded.
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How will the Australian Government’s Job-ready Graduates Package affect my CSP fees?
In October 2020 the Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 passed the Australian Parliament.
This meant from January 2021, student contribution amounts for Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) changed, and from 1 January 2022, additional eligibility requirements were introduced for accessing Commonwealth Supported Places and HELP loans.
Students commencing a course of study for the first time
From 1 January 2021, all students who are commencing a course of study on a Commonwealth Supported Place will pay the new student contribution amounts.
Students changing to a new course of study from 2021 onwards
If you are commencing a new course of study from 2021 onwards, you will pay the 2021 commencing student contribution amounts. This includes students who have completed an undergraduate degree in 2020 or earlier and are commencing a graduate course in 2021. It also includes students who are part way through a course but are changing to a different course, or students who are transferring from one institution to another.
There are a small number of exceptions to this, for example if you completed a course of study before 1 January 2021 and you go on to study a related honours course subsequently, the grandfathering arrangements will apply to you.
Need help with your fees?
Submit an online enquiry to Stop 1 and we'll get back to you within 10 business days.