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?

Frequently asked questions

  • How and when should I pay my fees?

    See paying your fees.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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 means there will be changes to student contribution amounts for Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP).

    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 continuing in a course of study on a CSP in 2021

    If you currently hold a Commonwealth Supported Place and are continuing in the same course of study (commenced prior to 1 January 2021), from 2021 your student contribution amount will either remain the same as it would have been prior to these changes or will be lower, depending on your area of study. This means:

    • If you are a continuing student studying subjects that will have a lower student contribution amount under the new arrangements you will pay the new lower student contribution amount.
    • If you are a continuing student studying subjects in disciplines with increased student contribution amounts, you will continue paying the same amount as you would have, had these changes not been implemented (with existing rates being indexed by CPI each year).

    Students changing to a new course of study in 2021

    If you are commencing a new course of study in 2021, 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 in 2021, 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 after that day, the grandfathering arrangements will apply to you.

    For more information, visit the Department of Education, Skills and Employment's (DESE) Job Ready Graduates website, DESE information on 2021 allocation of units of study to funding clusters or Study Assist.