Other expenses

It’s rewarding to study what you love – but it can also be expensive. So that you can budget accordingly, here’s a list of other expenses you may have to pay on top of your tuition fees. 

Meet the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)

What is the SSAF?

The student services and amenities fee (SSAF) helps fund your non-academic services and amenities, including services such as:

• Student advocacy
• Campus amenities
• National clubs and societies

A full list of how we reinvest the SSAF back to you is available on this page.

How much is it?

2023 SSAF Schedule

Full-time students: $163 per half year ($326 annually)

Part-time students: $122 per half year ($244 annually)

Executive Education students: $45 per term of enrolment (maximum charge of $315 annually)

ACU Online students enrolled in 10 credit points or less: $60 flat rate per study period

ACU Online students enrolled in more than 10 credit points: $81 flat rate per study period

How do I pay it?

For domestic students, the SSAF will be charged along with your tuition fees and will be displayed on your tuition fee invoice.

For further information regarding tuition fee invoice dates, as well as payment due dates, visit the Enrolments and Fee dates page.

Can I defer the SSAF?

You could be eligible to apply for SSAF deferment through the SA-HELP scheme. 

Learn more about financing your studies

What if I’m an international student?

If you’re an overseas student paying a full international tuition fee, the SSAF will be included in your fees.

Do other universities charge the SSAF?

All Australian universities are able to charge a student services fee to help cover the costs of non-academic services and facilities.

We distribute the SSAF according to guidelines set by the Commonwealth Government.

Understand other expenses

Investing the SSAF in you 

How we invest the SSAF

We charge and administer the SSAF according to the Commonwealth Government’s legislation and guidelines. 

To read more about these guidelines, visit the Department of Education and Training’s SSAF website

How your voice is heard

It’s important to us that we consult our students on priorities for SSAF expenditure and its budget, and to be as transparent as we can.

This is done annually through a student survey, as well as elected student representatives from the ACU National Student Association and the ACU Postgraduate Association. We welcome feedback from other student groups too.

Keep an eye out for an announcement for the next student survey on your student portal. You can also reach out to your local student association representative.

Visit our student associations page for contact details 

Track how your money is spent

We post recent survey results on Student Connect for current students to read and provide feedback.

We also provide cost breakdowns below of how we are investing the SSAF back into our students, as well as details about funded facilities, services and activities.

Prioritising SSAF funds

Students’ top three priorities have been similar over the past few years. In the 2020-21 survey, the top priorities for SSAF spending were in areas related to:

• health and welfare
• employment and career advice
• food and drink.

In 2021-22, ACU students have advised the following is most important:

• health and welfare
• employment and career advice
• food and drink.

What we can spend the SSAF on

Development

• Helping students develop study skills outside their enrolled course

Services

• Childcare for children of students
• Student legal services
• Provision of food and drink to students on campus
• Student advocacy for matters arising under ACU’s rules
• Non-academic libraries and reading rooms

Activities

• Sports and recreation
• Debating
• Artistic activity
• Student clubs and societies
• Production and distribution of student media

Assistance and support

• Promoting student health and welfare
• Helping students secure accommodation
• Employment or career advice
• Financial advice
• Insurance advice
• Orientation information
• Matters arising under ACU’s rules
• International student support including welfare, accommodation and employment

Annual budgets

We propose a budget for the year ahead based on your feedback regarding the SSAF.

SSAF is spent on new and improved student services, activities, and facilities in the following categories:

• Student Participation: Student associations and clubs and societies on campus, including the ACU National Student Association (ACUNSA), the Campus Student Association, and the Postgraduate Association (ACUPGA). ACUNSA and ACUPGA are formally consulted on the SSAF budget. Other leadership groups on campus are also supported by SSAF separately under Health, Sport and Wellbeing, and Social and Cultural Activities.
• Student Services: Significant student programs and their staffing, including the Careers and Employability, Student Jobs on Campus, Student Advocacy, and student legal service. This also includes services such as the ACU App, medical services on some campuses, and the ACUXtra rewards program.
• Social and Cultural Activities: A range of student programs and events which enhance student life on campus such as oratory, drama, art, photography, choir, language classes, recreational reading and movies from the library, orientation activities across all campuses and online.
• Sporting Programs: Social and community sporting activities, sport clubs, gyms, major university sporting events, and the Elite Athlete and Performer Program.
• Infrastructure Projects: Capital such as campus amenities, and sporting and cultural facilities. Spending in this category is matched dollar-for-dollar by the university.

2021 SSAF Expenditures $6,698,492

Further breakdown of SSAF

Services

Social and cultural activities

Sport