Commenced their current program of study at UNSW, prior to 2021.
The costs in this section are grandfathered, this means costs are based on pre-2021 changes to funding.
The below table displays the UNSW tuition fee student contribution amounts per (EFTSL) Equivalent Full-Time Study Load. EFTSL is one year of full-time study, 48 units of credit, for a Commonwealth supported student.
2021 student contribution bands
| Amount per EFTSL
| Amount per 6 units of credit (0.125 EFTSL) |
| Band 4 grandfathered: Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce | $11,355 | $1,419 |
| Band 3: Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science | $11,300 | $1,412 |
| Band 2 grandfathered: Society and Culture, Communications, Visual and Performing Arts | $6,804 | $850 |
| Band 2: Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies or Science | $7,950 | $993 |
Band 2 grandfathered: Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work Applies only to compulsory units in Behavioural Science with an FOE code of 0907 or Human Welfare Studies and Services units with an FOE code of 0905 within the respective program, that contribute to professional registration or accreditation in the respective field with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). | $6,804 (cost subject to conditions) | $850 (cost subject to conditions) |
| Band 1: Education, Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics or Statistics, Nursing, Foreign Languages or Agriculture | $3,950 | $493 |
Note: Courses are charged based on relevant content which means, in some cases, the band amount may vary. Please refer to the UNSW Handbook for details. Please note, not all disciplines are subject to grandfathering, please see the 2021 Grandfathering Arrangements section below. Disciplines not listed as grandfathered in this table are charged at the 2021 Student contribution charges (commencing) rate to all students, continuing and commencing, as they have not increased beyond standard indexation and in some cases may be lower. |
In addition to tuition fees, UNSW will charge a Student Services & Amenities Fee
What are the grandfathering arrangements in 2021?
New student contribution amounts will take effect in the 2021 academic year, as per the above tables.
Grandfathering arrangements will be in place for students who would see an increase in their student contribution amounts. Under these arrangements, students who commenced their course of study (program) before 1 January 2021 facing increased student contribution amounts for a unit of study (course), will instead have their student contribution and Australian Government contribution amounts remain as they were under the previous arrangements (with existing rates being indexed by CPI each year).
If continuing students are enrolled in units of study (courses) that will see their student contribution amount lowered, their student contributions will be the lowered amount and the Australian Government contribution would be the new rate.
Who is eligible for the grandfathering arrangement?
The Australian Government has (currently) advised that a student may be eligible for a grandfathering arrangement under the Job Ready Graduates Package, if any of the following apply;
- you began your program (your ongoing program) with a UNSW before the commencement day (1 January 2021) but you have not completed your ongoing program immediately before that day;
- you completed your program (your earlier program) with UNSW before the commencement day (1 January 2021) and, on or after that day, you began your honours program with UNSW that relates to the earlier program and that is leading to a higher education award that is an honours degree;
- you were undertaking, in 2020, an enabling program and, on or after the commencement day (1 January 2021), you began another program that is leading to a higher education award; and
- you were, at any time before the commencement day, a Commonwealth supported student in relation to course in the ongoing program, earlier program or enabling program (as the case may be); and
- you undertake a course as part of the ongoing program, honours program or later program (as the case may be) that has a census date that is on or after the commencement day (1 January 2021); and
- that unit of study is a grandfathered unit.
Who is not eligible for the grandfathering arrangement?
- Any student who began their program (with a census date after the commencement day of 1 January 2021) where;
- you were not undertaking, in 2020, an enabling program; or
- you are not commencing an honours program (after the commencement day of 1 January 2021) with UNSW after completing a bachelor degree with UNSW in a related degree (before the commencement day of 1 January 2021).
- Any student who changes program after the commencement day of 1 January 2021. You must remain in your original program (where you began your studies prior to the commencement day of 1 January 2021) to remain eligible for the grandfathering arrangements;
- this includes moving from a dual/double/combined degree to a single degree. Any change to your program code due to a shift to or from single/dual/double/combined degrees will forfeit your eligibility for grandfathering of your tuition.
- Students in a domestic fee paying program that apply for a transfer to a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in the same program, where the first census date in their CSP is after the commencement date of 1 January 2021.
- Students in an international fee paying program that apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in the same program, due to a residency change, where the first census date in their CSP is after the commencement date of 1 January 2021.
UNSW defines the following legislative phrases;
| Course of Study | Program |
| Unit of Study | Course |
| Commencement Day | The effective date of the legislation, 1 January 2021. This will apply to any census date on or after 1 January 2021. |
