Student loans
HELP and VET Student Loans can help cover your study costs
Studying a tertiary course means you will incur a range of fees and expenses. These might include course costs, living away from home expenses, or paying for course materials or equipment.
The tertiary institutions and the Australian Government offer financial assistance to help students with the cost of study.
Important note
Changes to government legislation can affect the information on these pages. We take care to make sure that the information presented here is as accurate as possible.
TAFE SA courses
Course fees vary depending on the course you are studying. Rates can be affected by eligibility for government subsidies. Visit the TAFE SA website for more information about TAFE SA fees and payments.
Funding of higher education places
If you are a domestic student, your higher education provider will offer you either:
- A Commonwealth supported place
- A full-fee paying place
To be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place you must be:
- An Australian citizen, who will live and study in Australia for some of the course
- A New Zealand citizen, who will live and study in Australia for the whole course
- A permanent visa holder, who will live and study in Australia for the whole course
Most domestic undergraduate students in South Australia and the Northern Territory will be Commonwealth supported.
Commonwealth supported places are not available to international students.
Only some postgraduate courses are Commonwealth supported for domestic students. Most are on a full-fee paying basis. Use course search to check if your course is Commonwealth supported or fee-paying. If you are unsure, contact the university offering the course for more information.
Commonwealth supported students
The Australian Government subsidises Commonwealth supported places. This means the Government contributes part of the cost of your higher education. Students contribute the rest through their student contribution amount.
Each higher education provider sets its own student contribution amounts for each unit of study, within limits set by the Australian Government. Student contributions may vary between higher education providers and courses. For up-to-date information, check the institutions’ websites.
| New student contribution amounts in 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Funding Cluster | Fields | 2023 maximum student contribution amount (per EFTSL) |
| Funding cluster 1 | Law, accounting, administration, economics, commerce, communications, society and culture | $15,142 |
| Funding cluster 2 | Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics or Statistics | $4,124 |
| Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work | $8,301 | |
| Funding cluster 3 | Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages | $4,124 |
| Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies or Science | $8,301 | |
| Funding cluster 4 | Agriculture | $4,124 |
| Pathology | $8,301 | |
| Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science | $11,800 | |
Continuing students who commenced before 1 January 2021
If you are a continuing student (who commenced before 1 January 2021) studying units in disciplines with increased student contribution amounts, you will continue paying the same amount (indexed each year) as you would have. These 'grandfathered' students contributions for 2023 are shown below.
| Grandfathered student contribution bands In 2023 | |
|---|---|
| For a place in a unit of study included in this funding cluster | The 2023 maximum student contribution amount in respect of a grandfathered student (per EFTSL) |
| Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture | Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce $11,857 |
| Communications, Society and Culture $7,105 | |
| Education, Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work | Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics or Statistics $4,124 |
| Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment or Computing $8,301 | |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work $7,105 | |
| Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies Science | Nursing, Indigenous Language or Foreign Languages $4,124 |
| Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies or Science $8,301 | |
| Agriculture, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Pathology | Agriculture $4,124 |
| Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science $11,800 | |
| Pathology $8,301 | |
|
Course costs will depend on the individual subjects you choose in your course. Continuing students should check whether the unit is in a grandfathered discipline. Eligible students can defer payment of their student contribution with a HECS-HELP loan. More information on student contributions is available from Study Assist. |
|
Job-ready Graduates Package
Under the Job-ready Graduates Package, students studying in a Commonwealth supported place before 1 January 2021 will have their student contribution amounts 'grandfathered'. For study areas where student contributions have increased, a grandfathered student will have the 'old' rates applied. Student contribution amounts for current and prior years are available from Study Assist.
Fee-paying students
The Australian Government does not contribute to course costs for fee-paying students. These students pay a tuition fee.
Each higher education provider sets its own tuition fees for each course, so the tuition fees will vary between providers and courses. The Government sets a minimum for tuition fees. For domestic students, tuition fees will be equal to or more than the student contributions paid by Commonwealth supported students in the same course.