Applications to Pay Tuition Fees by Instalment

Where students are unable to pay their fees by the due date and they are in genuine financial hardship they may apply to pay tuition fees by instalment. To be considered for this option, you must meet the following criteria.

1. Must be a fee-paying student
   
   Only students who are in a fee-paying place with the University of Adelaide will be considered. This option is not available to the following student groups:
   • Commonwealth-supported students
   • Non-award students
   • students studying in Singapore or Hong Kong
   • students studying Gastronomy.


2. Must not be eligible for FEE-HELP
   
   Students who are Australian Citizens or holders of Permanent Humanitarian Visas, and who are enrolled in a fee-paying place at the University of Adelaide are eligible to apply for FEE-HELP assistance through the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP scheme. FEE-HELP allows students to borrow from the Commonwealth Government to cover some or all of their tuition. Students are then required to make repayments to the Commonwealth Government when their repayment income reaches the minimum repayment threshold.
   
   Students that are eligible for FEE-HELP assistance are not eligible to apply to pay by instalments.
   
   Further information on FEE-HELP is available at the Commonwealth Government's Going to Uni website.


3. Must have paid all previous terms fees
   
   In order to enrol students must have paid all of their outstanding tuition. Students who have been unable to do this may continue to have financial difficulties and this may jeopardise their chances of continued success in their program. An application to pay tuition fees by instalment will not be considered from a student who has previous terms fees outstanding.


4. Circumstances must be considered to be short term
   
   Students entering into a contract to pay their tuition fees by instalment must be able to demonstrate that they can pay their tuition by the end of the current semester, e.g. Semester 1 fees must be paid by the end of Semester 1. Students unable to demonstrate this will not be allowed to pay their tuition fees by instalment and should re-consider their financial position.
   
   International students should note that delays accessing funds from their home banking or financial institution is not a satisfactory reason to claim to be in genuine financial hardship. Student must make appropriate arrangements with any international credit provider in time to allow payments to be made by the relevant invoice due date.


5. Must lodge an application to Pay Tuition Fees by Instalment on or before the due date specified
   
   All applications must be lodged to the Student Centre on or before the closing dates. Any applications lodged after the due date may not be considered for assessment. Download the application form.

The Application

Students should carefully consider whether they are in genuine financial hardship, and whether they can provide adequate supporting documentation to support their case.

Genuine Financial Hardship

There are many reasons why students find themselves in financial hardship. Generally we will consider applications from students whose financial circumstances have changed with little or no warning and as a result they no longer have the financial capacity to pay their fees by the due date. Applications will not be considered where financial difficulties are expected to be ongoing.

Students who have negotiated a loan or financial guarantee in order to obtain a student visa to study here in Adelaide are expected to draw on these funds when their invoice is due. It is not acceptable to simply delay payment in order to minimise personal interest or loan repayments.

Supporting Documents

In support of your application you will need to provide:

• a Statutory Declaration outlining your financial situation and what has recently changed, and
• your most recent bank statements

Please note, any application without the above supporting documentation will not be accepted.

Extra supporting documentation is encouraged. You may also provide:

• your lease agreements
• a statement of support from your sponsor or person responsible for your tuition fees
• any other documents that support your application.

Submitting the Application

Please lodge your application with the Student Centre staff who will check over your application, ensuring the required documentation has been provided.

You can also mail your application to:

Student Finance
Student Administrative Services
The University of Adelaide SA 5005

Application Review and Approval Process

Student Finance will review your application.

If your application is incomplete or further information is required Student Finance will contact you to request further information. This may include an interview with a Student Finance officer.

If you have submitted all necessary documentation and your application is acceptable Student Finance will prepare a contract for you to sign. This contract is a binding legal document and you are required to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this contract. You must read and understand this document fully before signing. Do not sign this contract unless you understand it and agree to abide by all of the terms and conditions.

If your application is not approved Student Finance will contact you to advise you of the reasons your application was not approved.

Student Finance will contact you via your student email address within five working days of receiving your application.

If your application has not been approved and you would like to discuss the matter further, please contact Student Finance on 8303 5880.

Repayment

After signing a contract with Student Finance you will be required to commence making payments immediately and in accordance with the agreed terms.

Student Finance will monitor your repayments to ensure that you are meeting your agreed commitments. If you fail to meet the approved payment plan Student Finance will seek to have any future enrolment cancelled and will not allow you to re-enrol until all outstanding fees are paid.

Failure to meet the agreed commitments will also make you ineligible to apply to pay any future tuition fees by instalment.