Costs & funding

Semester exchange

You will continue to pay tuition to VU while on exchange. If you are a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) student, fees are added to your HECS-HELP loan and charged at the domestic-student tuition-fee rate. You do not pay any tuition fees to your host university.

Study tours

When undertaking a study tour you will be enrolled into a VU unit and will incur the usual tuition fee (whether through a loan or paying upfront). Most study tours also have a fee for travel costs, accommodation and additional activities. This fee will need to be paid upfront before departure.

Short programs

Tuition fees for short programs vary. For those that are offered on a fee-paying basis by another institution, all fees are paid directly to that institution. If the program falls within an exchange agreement with VU, you will incur fees as you would when studying at VU (deferred or paid upfront). In both cases, there may also be fees for accommodation and non-academic program activities. Short programs generally do not provide group-flight options.

International student fees are paid to VU, charged at the VU international student fee rate.

This loan scheme offers a cash payment loan from the Australian Government that is added to your HECS-HELP debt. To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:

• Commonwealth-supported Australian citizen, or permanent humanitarian visa holder
• have completed eight units in your degree prior to studying overseas
• have at least one unit remaining in your degree upon returning from overseas.

Full eligibility criteria are outlined on the OS-HELP website.

The 2024 OS-HELP loan amounts are:

• non-Asian destinations: up to $7921
• Asian destinations: up to $9504
  • a supplementary loan for language study undertaken in preparation for your overseas study in Asia of up to $1263.

Students may receive one loan per six-month study period and can access a total of two OS‑HELP loans over their lifetime. A student's overseas study must take place within the relevant six-month study period of the OS-HELP loan.

If you currently receive Youth Allowance or Austudy you may be eligible to continue receiving payments while you study overseas.

You will need to provide evidence that you will be studying full-time on an approved overseas program that will be credited towards your degree. Victoria Abroad will provide a letter to assist.

The Australian Government administers the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship Program to give Australian undergraduate students the opportunity to live, work and study in the Indo-Pacific region for up to 19 months. 

The program provides students with funding to undertake semester-based study, language training and internship or mentorship in one of 40 participating Indo-Pacific locations. 

Internal expressions of interest open in April every year for overseas study in the subsequent year.

The University of Gothenburg Partner Scholarship is a financial contribution from the Axel Adler Foundation towards living expenses for incoming exchange students. Students from selected exchange partner universities (including VU) who plan to study on an exchange at the University of Gothenburg (GU), will have the opportunity to receive a scholarship. Both bachelor and master level students are eligible for the award. Victoria University has been awarded two recipients per academic year.

Each student can receive SEK 1000 per week for a maximum of nine months.

The Embassy of France in Australia supports university student mobility from Australia to France through the Nicolas Baudin Program, named for the French explorer and botanist who in 1802, at the same time as Matthew Flinders, charted the coast of New Holland (Australia).

The Travel Grant covers the cost of a return flight ticket between Australia and France (up to the value of €1450, or AUD$2500). As recipients of a French government grant, the Laureates are also exempt from paying the application fees associated with their student visa.

For information about the Baudin Grant, please visit the French Embassy website.