Student Services and Amenities Fee

2021

Students studying under the 3+ Calendar:

• The Full-time fee is $104.30 per term
• The Part-time fee is $78.25 per term

Students studying under a non-standard program:

5331 Graduate Diploma of Psychology & 7419 Graduate Certificate in Child Development

• The fee is $52.15 per term

2021

• The Full-time fee is $156.50 per semester
• The Part-time fee is $117.35 per semester

2021

• The Full-time fee is $78.25 per term
• The Part-time fee is $58.65 per term

Your Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is not covered under HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP.

You can pay your SSAF up front, or if eligible, apply for SA-HELP to defer your SSAF each term, before the incurral date of the teaching period (the incurral date is the deadline by which you need to pay or defer your SSAF).

Check your eligibility to apply for SA-HELP here.

If you are eligible, you can apply for SA-HELP by signing on to myUNSW (My Student Profile tab > My Student Services > Financials > Commonwealth Govt. Forms).

You must apply before the incurral date of the relevant teaching period.

Yes, it's too late to apply for this teaching period as the deadline to apply is the incurral date of the relevant teaching period. 

To pay your outstanding SSAF amount, refer to Payment Options for instructions on how to make partial payment.

If you would like to defer your SSAF starting from next term, ensure that you apply for SA-HELP before the incurral date of the next teaching period . 

Yes. If you have successfully applied for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP to defer your student contribution (tuition), you can pay just your SSAF up front. 

In myUNSW (My Student Profile tab > My Student Services > Financials > Fee Statement & Payment Options), the total amount owing under My Current Balance will show the full amount of your student contribution (tuition) + SSAF combined.  

Once you have selected your preferred payment method via the Pay Now button, simply overwrite the total amount to be paid with the exact SSAF amount due.

Refer to Payment Options for further instructions on how to pay.

If you remain in the same degree program, you will not need to apply for SA-HELP again.

Once you have successfully applied for SA-HELP for your current program, your SSAF will be deferred to your SA-HELP loan after the incurral date each term, for the duration of your program.

Yes. If you changed your degree program (including switching between a double degree and single degree), you will need to reapply for any relevant HELP loans, including SA-HELP.

This is true regardless of the process through which you changed your program, e.g. Internal Program Transfer (IPT) or applications via UAC.

The SSAF amount you are charged per term depends on your study load for the term.

You may have been part-time in a previous term and are now full-time, which is why your SSAF is a different amount.

See the 2021 Student Services and Amenities Fee for your study load at the top of this page.

Yes. Your SSAF contributes to many services at UNSW that are not only campus-based, including the delivery of online learning, online student support services and much more.

Read more about what your SSAF contributes to. 

1. The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) fee was established through the Student Services and Amenities Bill 2011. The Bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

2. UNSW has determined that it will charge the Fee to all students with the following exceptions:

• Students enrolled in cross-institutional, PLuS Alliance, UNSW Online programs or exchange programs studying with UNSW (where UNSW is not the ‘home’ institution). Students on exchange or cross-institutional at another institution where their primary degree is with UNSW (the ‘home’ institution), will still be subject to the SSAF charges.
• All Defence-funded and non-Commonwealth supported students enrolled in a program at UNSW Canberra/ADFA.

Table 1 (below) provides more detail on liability.

3. The fee is levied on eligible students by the University as a contribution towards services and amenities for the whole student population. Unless explicitly exempted, all students are expected to contribute towards amenities and services. There is no provision to exempt students on the grounds of study or attendance mode (e.g. online or distance delivery; teaching hospital attendance), or that they might not personally use the services and amenities provided.

4. The SSAF maximum rate is published annually by The Department of Education & Training. Institutions can choose to charge up to that rate. The guidelines state that a student defined as part-time cannot be charged more than 75% of the maximum fee.

5. The fee is charged and payable on a term or semester basis, dependent on the student’s primary campus of study, study period model, career and study load (EFTSL).

To view the charges that may apply to you for a semester or term please refer to What you pay (above).

6. The incurral dates are set for each semester or term. All students are liable for the SSAF calculated based on their enrolment as at the incurral date for the semester or term. Incurral dates can be found on your Fee Statement each semester or term, or on this SA-HELP loan page.

7. Eligible students can elect to pay part of the full SSAF upfront to UNSW, or apply for a SA-HELP loan for the remainder or full value of the fee. If you choose to defer part or all of your fee, you are required to apply for a SA-HELP loan prior to the Incurral Date.

8. If you have elected to defer your SSAF you are still eligible to pay part or all of the liability up to the Incurral Date. After the Incurral Date has passed you can no longer make a SSAF payment to the University for that Semester or Term and must arrange payment to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) directly.

9. If you successfully apply for fee remission after the SSAF Incurral Date, you cannot have your SSAF refunded or remitted.

Table 1 - SSAF liability