Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs)
What is a 'Commonwealth Supported Place' (CSP) and how do I pay for it?
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are subsidised by the Australian Government. To be eligible for a CSP, you need to meet the criteria, including being an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, or permanent visa holder.
In a CSP, your university fees are reduced. You can pay your student contribution (the remaining fees that you pay) upfront, or you may be eligible to defer your student contribution to HECS-HELP. With HECS-HELP you do not have to make repayments until you are working and earning more than the repayment threshold.
Deferring your CSP fees
- HECS-HELP: If eligible to defer your student contribution to HECS-HELP, complete an Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) with your Tax File Number before census date.
- SA-HELP: Note that the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is a separate fee and needs to be paid or deferred separately - see Deferring your SSAF.
- Partner institutions: If you are studying through a partner institution, e.g. OUA, you may have to complete an eCAF with the institution instead of in StudentOnLine.
Pay your CSP fees up front
- If you have a CSP you can still make up front payments to your student contribution or SSAF. Check your statement of account for payment options (including credit card, BPAY and bank transfer).
Full-fee places (not CSP)
Note that some places (especially in postgraduate coursework degrees) are only offered as full-fee. Full-fee places are not subsidised by the Australian Government, and can't be deferred to HECS. If eligible, you may be able to take out a FEE-HELP loan.
Please note that there is a combined limit to how much you can borrow under HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans. This is called your HELP loan limit. Any amount you borrow for any course using HECS-HELP (with a census date of 1 January 2020 onwards), FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans or VET FEE-HELP will contribute to your HELP loan balance until you have reached your HELP loan limit and cannot borrow any more. Please read about HELP loan limits to learn more.