Commonwealth supported students
If you're a commonwealth supported student, your fees are partly subsidised by the Australian Government.
This means the Government pays a portion of your fees directly to VU and you don't have to repay this portion. You pay the remainder of the fees as a ‘student contribution’ amount.
In addition to your tuition fees, you will also be charged a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) are known as ‘Commonwealth supported students’.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a CSP you must be one of the following:
- an Australian citizen, who will complete some of your course of study while resident in Australia or
- a New Zealand citizen, who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study or
- a permanent visa holder, who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study or
- a holder of a Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192).
You must also:
- have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date (for new enrolments from 1 January 2021)
- have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement available (for new enrolments from 1 January 2022)
- meet the completion rate requirements (for new enrolments from 1 January 2022)
- not undertake more than two years' worth of higher education study in 12 months, unless VU has assessed you as capable of taking on a higher study load.
- enrol in each unit by the census date (some units may not be enrolled after the third week of commencement of the course, subject to College discretion)
- read the relevant edition of the 'HECS-HELP, Commonwealth supported places information' booklet
- submit a valid 'Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form' by the census date (or earlier administrative date)
- finalise payment arrangements for your student contributions by the census date.
Postgraduate students:
Please be aware that being eligible does not guarantee that you will be offered a CSP in your chosen course.
Find out more about CSP eligibility on the StudyAssist website
Apply for a commonwealth supported place
The Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) is an online form used by domestic students to apply for a commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan.
You must submit an eCAF for a CSP course to show how you will pay your student contribution – whether you pay up-front or defer your tuition fees with a loan.
Understand your course fees
Student contribution bands & amounts
Different study areas are grouped into 'bands' by the Government. The bands set the maximum student contribution amount that can be charged for units on a full-time study load.
The following student contribution amounts are for both undergraduate and post graduate CSP students.
Commencing student contribution amount per EFTSL in 2024
New commencing students will pay the following student contribution amounts (per 'equivalent full-time student load'; EFTSL) in 2024.
| Course funding band | Per year (fulltime) | Per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Clinical Psychology, Education, English, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Nursing, Statistics | $4,445 | $555 |
| Allied Health, Architecture, Built Environment, Computing, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Other Health, Pathology, Professional Pathway Psychology, Professional Pathway Social Work, Science, Surveying, Visual and Performing Arts | $8,948 | $1,118 |
| Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Science | $12,720 | $1,590 |
| Accounting, Administration, Behavioural Science, Commerce, Communications, Economics, Law, Society and Culture | $16,323 | $2,040 |
Calculate your course tuition fees
Use the fee schedules to calculate the cost of your course by adding together the amount listed for each of your units.
Use the following fee schedules to calculate the cost of your studies. Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) fees are subsidised by the government, reducing them to the amount listed for CSP fees.
2025 unit fees
Note: If you are enrolled in a Professional Pathway course (Psychology or Social Work), the 2023 and 2024 student contribution amount per year may vary if you select units of study outside your Field of Education. For example: You are enrolled in Bachelor of Psychology, psychology units are charged as per funding cluster Profession Pathway Psychology. Any electives or non-professional pathway units you select, such as business, social work, health etc, are charged at the normal CSP charge rate.
Getting help with your fees
Eligible students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) may be able to get help paying their student contribution through the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), administered by the Government.
There are several different HELP loans available to assist you with the cost of your course.
