Fees for domestic undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students
We understand that fees and finances at University can be difficult and complicated to understand. Therefore, we hope this page will help you to answer all your questions about fees and finances at UniSA.
Tuition fees
Please note: If you are an international student or a research degree student, please do not refer to this information. Instead, please see the links below:
Need some help understanding finance language?
- What is BFS?
- What is HECS-HELP?
- What is FEE-HELP?
- What is a census date?
- What does Commonwealth supported mean?
- What is Commonwealth assistance?
- What is a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)?
- What is an Enrolment Confirmation Notice (ECN)?
- What is a Tax File Number?
Do you have a question about your invoice?
- How will I be invoiced?
- When will I receive an invoice?
- What are the payment due dates?
- How can I pay?
- When will my payment be processed?
- What will happen if I don't pay?
Do you have a question about your payments or your options?
- Why do my payments sometimes pay off a different fee to the one I intended to pay?
- Can I change my choice about whether to use HELP?
- I have elected to defer my student contribution through HECS-HELP but continue to be invoiced the upfront amount?
- What if I withdraw from or add courses to my enrolment?
Do you need information on any other fees at UniSA?
Need some further help?
Further information
What is BFS?
BFS stands for Bad Financial Standing. You are considered to be in BFS if you have any outstanding fees or charges. If this occurs, BFS is automatically applied to your student record. If you are in BFS you will be prevented from activities such as: graduating, re-enrolling, and obtaining your results or an academic transcript.
In order to have BFS removed all overdue fees and charges must be paid in full.
To avoid the inconvenience caused by the effects of BFS it is important to ensure that all fees and charges are paid in full by the appropriate due date.
What does Commonwealth supported mean?
Commonwealth supported means that you are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place. This means that the Commonwealth Government will contribute towards some of the payment of your program at University. You will need to contribute the rest and this is called your student contribution amount.
What is Commonwealth assistance?
Commonwealth assistance is the Federal Government loan schemes that assist students in paying for their studies, for example, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and OS-HELP.
What is a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)
After the census date for each Study Period that you are enrolled all Commonwealth Supported students will receive a CAN. Your CAN will be available to you online through 'myAcademic record' section in myUniSA.
Your CAN will show details of your enrolment at the census date including:
- Courses in which you are enrolled
- Student contribution amounts
- Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) usage
- HELP assistance
It is important to check all details on your CAN carefully. If there are any errors, please notify the University within 14 days of the issue date on the notice. Any errors will need to be reported to Campus Central using the following form: Application for Post Census Correction of Enrolment Errors (DOC 66KB).
What is an Enrolment Confirmation Notice (ECN)
After the census date for each Study Period that you are enrolled all non-Commonwealth supported students will receive an ECN. Your ECN will be available to you online through myUniSA.
Your ECN will show details of your enrolment at the census date including:
- Courses in which you are enrolled
- Tuition fees
It is important to check all details on your ECN carefully. If there are any errors, please notify the University within 14 days of the issue date on the notice. Any errors will need to be reported to Campus Central using the following form: Application for Post Census Correction of Enrolment Errors (DOC 66KB).
What is a Tax File Number?
A Tax File Number (TFN) is a unique number issued to you by the Australian Taxation Office. It works much the same as an ID number. You will need to have a TFN if you intend to apply for Commonwealth assistance (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP) and also if you wish to work in paid employment.
Please see the Learning and Teaching Unit website for a range of other frequently asked questions on Tax File Numbers, including how to apply.
How will I be invoiced?
You will be invoiced at least once during every Study Period that you are enrolled. Your invoice will be available online through the 'myFinances' section of myUniSA.
Your invoice will include the following information:
- Personal details and your student ID number
- Balance from previous tax invoice/statement
- Details of any new fees and charges
If you require an updated invoice please contact your local
Campus Central
office to request a new invoice to be available online.
Note: Hardcopy invoices will be posted to all UniSA non-e students (ie those students without internet/email access).
When will I receive an invoice?
Invoices are provided to all students online and can be found in the 'myFinances' section of myUniSA. When a new invoice is available you will be notified via your student email account. Therefore, please remember to regularly check your student email to monitor this.
What are the payment due dates?
Due dates for payments are set per Study Period. Please see the academic calendar for these dates. Payment due dates are also reflected on your invoice.
Occasionally payment due dates will fall on a non-business day (weekend or public holiday) which may limit the payment options available on the due date for electronic payments. Please note it is your responsibility to ensure that payments are made on, or before, the published due dates.
How can I pay?
You can pay via the following options:
- WebPay via myUniSA on the UniSA website
- BPay through your bank or financial institution
- Australia Post Bill Pay at any Australia Post Office
These options are also detailed on the bottom of your invoice.
Please note: tuition fees and student contribution amounts can not be paid via Campus Central.
When will my payment be processed?
Payments made by WebPay, BPay or Australia Post Bill Pay usually take 1-2 business days to be processed. Payments made by other methods, such as telegraphic transfer, may take longer to be recorded on your student account.
What will happen if I don't pay?
Commonwealth supported students
If you fail to pay your student contribution amount by the census date, the following outcomes will occur:
- If you are eligible for HECS-HELP and you HAVE provided your Tax File Number (TFN) via myEnrolment your student contribution amount will be deferred to HECS-HELP
- If you are eligible for HECS-HELP but HAVE NOT provided your Tax File Number (TFN) your enrolment will be cancelled
- If you are NOT eligible for HECS-HELP then your enrolment will be cancelled
Fee paying students
If you fail to pay your tuition fees or submit a form requesting FEE-HELP assistance (for eligible students) by the census date you will be placed in Bad Financial Standing (BFS).
The effects of BFS include preventing you from graduating, re-enrolling, or obtaining your results or an academic transcript. BFS will not be removed until all overdue fees and charges are paid in full.
Why do my payments sometimes pay off a different fee to the one I intended to pay?
If you have any outstanding debts owed to the University, any payments you make will be applied to the overdue debts that firstly appear in this order of priority:
- student contribution amounts/tuition fees
- University student loans
- any other fees
Therefore, this means that if you make a payment that is intended to pay off
your University student loan, but you have also got an outstanding debt of
tuition fees, the money you pay will firstly go towards the tuition fees.
Once this is paid off, your subsequent payments will then go towards your
student loan.
Can I change my choice about whether to use HELP?
If you are are eligible for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP you can alter your choice of whether or not to use these loan schemes at any time before the census date. You must ensure that you have finalised your choices regarding HELP before the census date because you will be unable to make changes after this deadline.
To change your payment option you will need to go to myEnrolment and complete a new Commonwealth Assistance Form (CAF).
I have elected to defer my student contribution through HECS-HELP but continue to be invoiced the upfront amount?
Eligible students who are accessing
HECS-HELP will be invoiced for the upfront student contribution amount for each Study Period.If you have elected to defer your fees using HECS-HELP, please ensure you have supplied a valid Tax File Number (TFN), and completed a Commonwealth Assistance Form (CAF) via myEnrolment.
If you have done this, your
student contribution amount will be deferred as of the census date.Please note: If you have elected to defer your fees through HECS-HELP, have not made an upfront payment of your student contribution, and have not provided a TFN by the census date, then your enrolment will be cancelled.
What if I withdraw from or add courses to my enrolment?
If you amend your enrolment (adding or dropping courses) before the census date your student contribution, or tuition fees, will be amended accordingly and you will be sent an updated invoice if there are any fees outstanding.
If you drop courses from your enrolment after the census date these courses will remain on your record with a 'withdraw' grade and student contribution or tuition fees will still apply. To see the final dates for withdraw grades please see the academic calendar.
It is your responsibility to be aware of the census dates for your enrolments and take these into account when dropping courses. You can find out the census dates for your course in myUniSA.
What other student fees and charges do I have to pay?
Depending on the courses you are studying, there may be other fees and charges you will need to pay during your study at University.
For example:
- equipment and materials
- readers and text books
- payments to increase your print quota
- payments to increase your internet quota
What fees can I pay at Campus Central?
Please refer to the Campus Central website for a full list of what you can pay at Campus Central, as well as a range of other services that they offer.
Please note: Library fines must be paid directly to the Library and tuition fees and student contribution fees cannot be paid at Campus Central. Please refer to the how can I pay section for information on how to pay your tuition fees and student contribution amount.
Where can I find further information?
Further information relating to student fees at UniSA can be found in the Student Fees policy.
Please see the Going to Uni website for further information for Commonwealth supported students.