Commonwealth Supported Places & HECS-HELP
You may be eligible for financial support
Complete your study with reduced fees through Commonwealth Assistance
Most undergraduate degrees and some postgraduate degrees offer Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) at UNSW that subsidise the cost of the degree. Find out what you need to know.
HECS-HELP information booklet
All applicants are required to read and understand the Commonwealth Supported Places and HECS-HELP information booklet (PDF), opens in a new window. It will help you be aware of your obligations as the recipient of assistance from the Commonwealth. Please be sure to read this, as it explains in detail your obligations and responsibilities under the contract.
Commonwealth supported fees
- About
- Eligibility
- Apply
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A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a domestic, subsidised higher education place. The Australian Government subsidises a portion of the tuition fee cost of your place. This subsidy results in you only paying the 'student contribution' amount for your units of study.
If you are not enrolled in a CSP, you are enrolled as a non-subsidised, domestic fee-paying student.
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A Commonwealth Supported Place at UNSW is generally much cheaper than a fee-paying place. Additionally, if you are eligible, you may have the option to defer your student contribution amount to a HECS-HELP loan so you do not have to pay anything upfront.
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Visit the Commonwealth Supported Fees page for the current UNSW student contribution amounts.
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You must meet the citizenship and residency requirements to access a CSP. In summary, you must be either:
- An Australian citizen who will undertake in Australia at least one unit of study contributing to your program (course of study)
- A New Zealand citizen or a permanent visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your courses (unit(s) of study)
- An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who will study the entire course while living in Australia
- A Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who will study the entire course while living in Australia.
Additionally, you must:
- Have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date of your course
- Have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) available
- Not undertake more than 2 years’ worth of higher education study within 12 months unless your provider has approved you to take on more.
If you are an international student and you are obtaining or have obtained permanent residency, you must notify the University by the census date. We will require you to submit evidence of the change prior to the census date of your enrolment.
Please note, changing your residency or citizenship status does not automatically entitle you to a CSP. You will be transferred to a domestic fee-paying place in the first instance and you must apply for a CSP via the University Admissions Centre, opens in a new window (UAC) for all undergraduate programs, or UNSW Apply Online for postgraduate programs.
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HECS-HELP allows you to defer your student contribution to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and pay it later to a certain limit. A valid Tax File Number (TFN) is needed to access any Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), opens in a new window schemes. If you do not have a TFN, please see these instructions on how to apply for a Tax File Number, opens in a new window.
To be eligible for HECS-HELP, you must apply for or have received an offer to a CSP, and you must be either:
- An Australian citizen and complete at least one (unit of study) course in Australia
- A permanent humanitarian visa holder, or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder, who will be a resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s)
- A Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who will be a resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s)
- A New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, or eligible former New Zealand SCV holder, who studies the entire course while living in Australia and who meets the long-term residency requirements as follows:
- You first began to be usually resident in Australia at least 10 years ago, and:
- Were a child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner when you first began to be usually resident in Australia
- At the time of applying for HECS-HELP, you have been in Australia for at least:
- A total of 8 out of the past 10 years
- A total of 18 months out of the last 2 years.
- You first began to be usually resident in Australia at least 10 years ago, and:
UNSW will ask you to verify your details and provide documentation to support your claim. You must give UNSW evidence that you first began residing in Australia as a minor at least 10 years before you apply for HECS-HELP by providing a movement record, opens in a new window. Ensure you have both your movement record and a current passport.
Being eligible does not guarantee that you will be offered a Commonwealth Supported Place in the course of your choice or at your chosen university. More details on Study Assist, opens in a new window.
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You must apply for a Commonwealth Supported Place via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), opens in a new window or via UNSW Apply Online.
If you are offered a Commonwealth Supported Place at UNSW, you will be required to complete the ‘Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP’ form on myUNSW as part of the online acceptance and enrolment process.
You must complete the form by the relevant census date of your enrolment.
The form will cover the entire duration of your study in the program for which you completed the form. If you change your program of study and your new program is eligible for Commonwealth support, you will be asked to complete a new 'Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP' form as part of the online acceptance process.
Failure to complete the form by the relevant census date will result in the cancellation of your enrolment as a Commonwealth supported student, placing you in a domestic full-fee paying spot.
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Applications for Commonwealth assistance (including applying for a CSP, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP or SA-HELP) cannot be accepted after the census date (or incurral date for SA-HELP) under any circumstances.
If your changed circumstances impacts your eligibility, you must notify the University immediately at fees@unsw.edu.au.
You must finalise your payment option by the census date of your enrolment by either:
Ensuring full payment of the student contribution is made by the census date
Providing your Tax File Number or Certificate of Application for your Tax File Number by the census date (if eligible to defer your student contribution).
If you are a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category Visa but you do not meet the long-term residency requirements, OR you are a holder of a permanent non-humanitarian visa, you must pay your student contribution amounts upfront on or before the census date, as you are not eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.
You need to provide your TFN if:
You are eligible and want to take out a HECS-HELP loan for all or part of your student contribution
You are paying your student contribution up-front but, as a safety net, you want to ensure that if you fail to make the payment on or before the census date you can still obtain a HECS-HELP loan.
If you have not paid your student contribution in full on or before the census date of the relevant teaching period and you have not provided your TFN, UNSW will be obligated to cancel your enrolment as a Commonwealth supported student.
Please note: Tuition for your studies will be shown as payable on your Fee Statement and NOT deferred to HECS-HELP until the census date for the enrolment has passed.
There can be multiple census dates within a term. Please refer to your Fee Statement for details. This does not mean you have to pay your student contribution upfront if you have enough balance to defer to HECS-HELP, it means the deferral will happen after the census date. Payments made after the census date will not be applied to your student contribution charges and will be applied to the fees for the following term unless a refund is requested.
NOTE: From 1 January 2020, there will be a combined HELP loan limit introduced.
Want to find out more about Commonwealth Supported Fees?
If you have any questions about studying at UNSW or your options for paying fees, contact us below. We're here to help.