Student Contribution – refers to the amount paid by students in a Commonwealth Supported Place at University. Both Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents are eligible for Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). Australian Citizens that hold Commonweath Supported Places are also eligible for Hecs-Help, that is, the option to defer their payments until the end of their degree (or until they earn over a certain threshold) or pay upfront and receive a 20% discount.
A ‘Tuition fee’ is generally paid by international students or those students that are in a domestic Fee-paying place. These are much higher than CSP rates as they are not supplemented by the government.
In some circumstances, Universities may lower the UAI for domestic-fee paying places. Other universities, such as UWS, only offer Commonwealth supported places (except for their medicine course).
For further information, contact the Department of Education, Science and Training enquiry line on 1800 020 108 or visit
www.goingtouni.gov.au
