Commonwealth supported fees and payment options
If you are an undergraduate student enrolled in a degree or course of study (not single subjects) – you are most likely eligible to be Commonwealth supported.
To check what type of student you are, log into eStudent, click on the My Offers tab, then View next to your course. Your student type will be next to the Liability Category.
What does Commonwealth supported mean?
The Australian government will pay part of your subject fees directly to JCU and the remaining amount is paid by you - these amounts are known as student contribution amounts.
Australian citizens – you must undertake, in Australia, at least one unit of study contributing to your course of study.
Permanent visa holders (including Humanitarian) and New Zealand citizens – you must reside in Australia for the duration of your studies to be eligible for Commonwealth support.
Subject fee amounts (student contributions)
Your subject fee amounts (student contributions) are based on what band/subject discipline each of your subjects sits in and the credit point value of the subject.
For example, if you study a law subject (Band 3) within an Arts degree you would pay the Band 3 fee for that subject even though most of your Arts degree subjects are listed under Band 1.
See the subject fee amounts below to view your fees by year (24 credit points) and subject (3 credit points). Three credit points is the most common subject value, however you can view the credit point value for individual subjects here.
2016 subject fee amounts (student contributions)
Band | Subject disciplines | Students who commenced | Per subject (3cps) | Maximum amount per year (24cps) |
3 | Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Science | All students | $1,305 | $10,440 |
2 | Mathematics, Statistics, Computing, Built Environment, Other Health, Allied Health, Science, Engineering, Surveying, Agriculture | All students | $1,114 | $8,917 |
1 | Humanities, Behavioural Science, Clinical Psychology, Foreign Languages, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts | All students | $782 | $6,256 |
1 | Education*, Nursing* | On or after 1 January 2010 | $782 | $6,256 |
Transitional Arrangement | Education*, Nursing* | Prior to 1 January 2010 | $625 | $5,006 |
*Nursing and education subjects
If you commenced a Commonwealth supported course before 1 January 2010, and are undertaking nursing or education subjects, you may be eligible for Pre-2010 fees.
Email the following details to enrolmentstownsville@jcu.edu.au: your name and student ID, course title, year started, last active year of study, if you completed the course; and the name of the university.
For more information, see the Australian government's Information for Commonwealth supported students booklet.
Please note: The outcome of your transitional arrangements assessment may result in an increase or decrease in your student contribution amounts.
*Other conditions do apply
Payment options
Student contribution amounts must either be paid upfront or arrangements made for payment to be deferred (if eligible) by the payment due date for each study period.
Are you eligible to defer payment of your subject fees (student contributions)?
If you are:
- an Australian citizen, or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder, or
- a New Zealand citizen who meets certain criteria,
and you meet the residency requirements, you may be eligible to defer payment of your student contributions via HECS-HELP. See defer your fees.
New Zealand citizens (who do not meet certain criteria) and permanent residents are not eligible to defer payment or for the up-front payment discount.
Paying your subject fees (student contributions)
If you are an Australian citizen, humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand citizen (who meets certain criteria) and choose to pay all or some of your subject fees up-front (by the payment due date) you will receive a 10% discount for payment of $500 or more. Please note: the Government has abolished this discount for subjects with a census date on or after January 1 2017.
New Zealand citizens (who do not meet certain criteria) and permanent residents must pay your subject fees in full by the payment due date. See pay your fees.
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSA Fee)
You are also required to pay or defer payment of the SSA Fee.
If you are:
- an Australian citizen, or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder, or
- a New Zealand citizen who meets certain criteria,
and you meet residency requirements, you may be eligible to defer payment of your SSA Fee (either in full or by part-payment) by submitting an SA-HELP form.
New Zealand citizens (who do not meet certain criteria) and permanent residents must pay the SSA Fee up-front.
When are undergraduates not Commonwealth supported?
You are an undergraduate tuition fee paying student (not Commonwealth supported) when you:
are studying single subjects and not admitted to a full course (miscellaneous students); or
began your Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Dentistry or Veterinary Science course as an international student and your residency has changed, or
you have chosen not to be Commonwealth supported by the census date and you have requested in writing to Student Finance to pay domestic tuition fees for a subject(s) within 21 days after this date.
Refer to the undergraduate domestic tuition fee amounts for 2016 or 2015.
International students changing residency
If you commenced your course as an international student but your residency status has since changed to domestic, depending on what you are studying, you may be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place. For more information see fee information for international students.
Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)
Commonwealth supported students can access their CAN for each study period within 28 days of the census date. This notice details your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN), any fee payments you have made and your HELP debt balance for that study period. For more information, see Commonwealth Assistance Notices.