Fees and costs of university study

It's important to be fully informed on all the fees and costs associated with your child studying at university, as well as knowing what financial support is available.

Tuition Fees

Most school leavers at CSU are offered a Commonwealth Supported Place. This means that the government partially funds the student's fees, and the student pays the balance.

The student can either pay their fee contribution up front each session, receiving a 10% discount, or defer payment through the Australian taxation system, which is then repaid once a student's income reaches a certain threshold.

Some subjects are more expensive to teach than others. The cost of a course is comprises the cost of each subject. Subjects are broken into 'bands' and are priced accordingly.

Here are some estimates on what it would cost to study a session of each of these courses, based on a full-time study load of four subjects (based on 2011 figures):

More information on Commonwealth Support places, subject bands and calculating tuition fees

Accommodation

Your child may need to move away from home to attend university. There are a number of different options available, depending on whether they wish to live on campus or in private accommodation off campus.

More on Accommodation

Other expenses

Course- related items

Each course has certain items required for completion. These may include textbooks, stationery or art materials, lab coats or a First Aid Certificate or a laptop computer.

These items can be around $300-$500 per session depending on the textbooks required in each subject and whether these are available second-hand. Students are provided with further information on their course-related items and where to purchase these items on enrolment.

Work placements

Compulsory work placements form part of some courses. These may need to be undertaken at locations away from the University's cities and the student's hometown, and may therefore incur additional transport, food and accommodation expenses.

Transport

Although it is not necessary for university students to have a car, they will need to budget for the cost of travelling from their accommodation to the campus if they live off campus, and from university to home during breaks. Bus transport from town to all CSU campuses (except Orange) is available. Costs for one week are typically $10 at low usage and $30 at high usage.

Social life and personal expenses

While students are very good at having fun on a shoestring, they will need some money for sporting and social events, clothes, and other commitments that they may currently have (e.g. mobile phone).

Financial Assistance

Your child's degree is an investment in their future and there are various schemes, most notably HECS-HELP, to help you alleviate the upfront costs of their study.

The other thing to remember is that it is more affordable to live in a regional centre while studying when compared with bigger cities.

Youth Allowance and Government Assistance

Under current rules, students deemed to be financially independent of their family are eligible for Youth Allowance. Independence has been measured by working part-time for at least 15 hours a week for two years, or earning at least $19,500 in an 18-month period.

Students may have to work for a minimum of 30 hours a week for at least 18 months in any two-year period.

At CSU, we are committed to providing access and flexibility to applicants seeking to enrol. To that end, CSU has recently reviewed its Deferment Regulations to provide far greater access to deferment for applicants.

CSU continues to look at ways in which to support students returning to study. If this applies to your child, please give us a call to talk about your options on 1800 334 733.

More on Government Assistance available to students

Scholarships

CSU has an extensive range of scholarships available to students. Scholarship selection is not only based on academic achievement (merit). Other criteria can include motivation to succeed, commitment to school, university or community life, or residence in a particular area. They may include other criteria set by industry donors, or be aimed at students experiencing educational disadvantage or financial hardship.

More about scholarships

Part-time work

Our regional campus cities support a large retail and business environment with major department and grocery stores, plus a variety of smaller clothing and fast food outlets, all providing opportunities for part-time and casual work to supplement income. The University also has some employment options for students.

Special Assistance Loans Scheme

The Special Assistance Loans Scheme provides short term financial assistance to enable students to continue their studies. Loans may be approved for expenses like off campus accommodation, textbooks, study equipment and living expenses.

Where to go next:

• Student supportive services
• Accommodation
• Scholarships
• Fees and financial support