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Fees and Financial Assistance

Costs for students

Fees and costs associated with university study include tuition or course fees, amenities fees, and general expenses to cover books, materials and travel. Some students may also need to consider accommodation costs.

The cost of a book can vary from $10 to more than $100. ACU National has bookshops that supply all of the required texts. Current students will often advertise second-hand books on student noticeboards around campus at a reduced price.

Some courses may also have extra costs associated with them. These are usually courses that require students to use special materials for producing work, such as in visual arts degrees, or uniforms for clinical placements in a nursing course.

Paying for your studies

Places in all undergraduate courses at ACU National are Commonwealth-supported.

HELP loans

Eligible Commonwealth-supported students have access to deferred payment arrangements through the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP). The following table describes the HELP loans available to students.

HECS-HELP

A loan for your student contribution, where the Australian Government pays part or all of your student contribution to your provider on your behalf and a HECS-HELP debt is recorded for you with the Tax Office. You start repaying HECS-HELP when your income is above the minimum threshold for compulsory repayment.

Available to eligible Commonwealth-supported students to cover all or part of their student contribution amount.

OS-HELP

Available to assist eligible undergraduate Commonwealth-supported students to undertake some of their course of study overseas.

Please note that all students must complete and submit a Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP form to ACU National on or before the census date.

For more information go to:
www.goingtouni.gov.au/Main/Quickfind/PayingForYourStudiesHELPLoans

If you are enrolled in a Commonwealth-supported unit of study, you will generally be required to contribute to the cost of your education though a student contribution. The Australian Government also makes a contribution towards your education by paying an amount though the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS). This is called the Commonwealth contribution, and it is paid directly to your provider for your Commonwealth-supported place.

2009 Student contribution bands and ranges

STUDENT CONTRIBUTION BAND 2009 student contribution range per EFTSL
Band 3
Law, dentistry, medicine, veterinary science, accounting, administration, economics, commerce		 $0 – $8,677
Band 2
Computing, built environment, health, engineering, surveying, agriculture		 $0 – $7,412
Band 1
Humanities, behavioural science, social studies, foreign languages, visual and performing arts		 $0 – $5,201
National priorities
Education, nursing Mathematics, statistics and science		 $0 – $4,162

2009 Commonwealth contribution amounts per EFTSL
(Equivalent Full-time Student Load)

FUNDING CLUSTER 2009 Commonwealth contributions
Law, accounting, administration, economics, commerce $1,709
Humanities $4,743
Mathematics+, statistics+, behavioural science, social studies, education*, computing, built environment, other health $8,389
Clinical psychology, allied health, foreign languages, visual and performing arts $10,317
Nursing* $11,517
Engineering, science+, surveying $14,664
Dentistry, medicine, veterinary science, agriculture $18,610

+The Australian Government also provides an additional $3,250 per EFTSL (in 2009) for mathematics,
statistics and science units for students who are covered by the lower contribution amounts introduced in 2009.

*Funding cluster rates for nursing and education include amounts for nursing clinical placements and teacher practica.

Further Information

For more information see Fees and Charges Information 2009.