Domestic Commonwealth Supported Students

In the Australian higher education system, Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and the holders of an Australian permanent visa are classed as 'domestic students'.  Only an approved Australian higher education provider can offer domestic students a Comonwealth supported place (formerly known as a HECS place).  Most undergraduate students are in Commonwealth supported places.  Other students undertake their higher education in fee paying places.

If you study in a Commonwealth supported place:

• the Commonwealth contributes to the cost of your courses
• you pay a Student Contribution towards the cost of your courses
• you may be eligible for HECS-HELP assistance to pay your student contribution.

All Commonwealth supported students must complete a Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP Form for each program of study.  A student must read the Information for Commonwealth Supported Students booklet before completing this form.  The booklet is available from Information Services, Hub Central or on the Commonwealth Government's Study Assist website.

Full details of Student Contributions and HECS-HELP are provided to you when you are made an offer of a place at the University, before you enrol. For further information, visit the Commonwealth Government’s Study Assist website.

Removal of Student Learning Entitlement

On 14 September 2011, the Australian Parliament passed legislation that will abolish SLE from 1 January 2012.  Under the provisions of the Bill, higher education students wil no longer have a limit placed on how much study they can undertake as a Commonwealth supported student.
Continuing students need not be concerned by any limits formerly placed on them by the operation of the SLE.  Students who have used up their allocation of SLE will now be able to re-enrol from 1 January 2012 to complete their studies in a Commonwealth supported place.  Those students who used up their SLE and have paid tuition fees for a fee paying place and/or received a FEE-HELP loan are not able to receive a remittance of those tuition fees or a reduction in their FEE-HELP debt.