Understanding your student contribution

Enrolled students 

Enrolled students can review subject costs in SOLS. Access your enrolment record, and click on the subject code. 

The Non Weighted Student Contribution Amounts will list the student contribution amount for the subject based on the relevant Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS Scheme) for when you commenced your course (for example Post-2010 or Post-2021) 

• Hint: to confirm your CSS Scheme go to SOLS - Fees - HELP Loan Option and scroll to the bottom. Your Current CSS Scheme will be listed for your course. 

Future students 

Future students can review student contribution amounts per subject.

1. Go to the UOW Handbook
2. Click VIEW THE NEW HANDBOOK button
3. Navigate to your course of interest on the UOW Handbook by Faculty or Study Area. Alternatively, search by subject code or course. Hint: if you search by subject go to straight to Step 6.
4. Go to the Course Structure section on this page and click Expand all
5. Click onto the subject code
6. Go to the menu on the right hand side under “Student Contribution amount” click Student Fee to view for that subject.
7. The Non Weighted Student Contribution Amounts will list the student contribution amount for the subject based on the relevant CSS Scheme for when students commenced the course (for example Post-2010 or Post-2021)

Note: For a flexible or prescribed program, clickable subject codes are generally listed inside course structure. For courses with majors or minors, you may need to click through to a major or minor before finding a clickable subject code.

Aside from tuition fees, and to contribute to providing student services and amenities, undergraduate students also need to pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), and depending on the subject, additional non-tuition costs (e.g. lab coats, stethoscopes, text books).

For eligible domestic students, tuition fees are made up of two parts:

1. an Australian Government contribution (for some courses, up to three quarters of the tuition fee is funded by the Australian Government)
2. a student contribution (which may be deferred and repaid later via a HECS-HELP loan).

Your student contribution amount depends on a number of factors:

• the Equivalent Full-time Study Load (EFTSL) of each subject you enrol in
• which year you commenced your course, and enrolled in each subject
• how the Australian Government sets funding for groups of subjects.

Fees per subject

For most UOW courses, one EFTSL (one year of full-time study) is 48 credit points.

This means that tuition fees are calculated per subject as follows:

1. The EFTSL of each enrolled subject is calculated. E.g. A 6 credit point subject will have an EFTSL value of 0.125.
2. The student contribution of the enrolled subject is calculated based on the year and group the subject belongs to. E.g. ACCY111 in 2024 belongs in Law, Business, Administration, Economics, Commerce; so it's maximum student contribution at one EFTSL is $16,323.
3. The amount for the subject is calculated by multiplying the subject EFTSL load by the full EFTSL student contribution. E.g. 0.125 (the subject EFTSL load for ACCY111 in 2024) x $16,323 (the maximum student contribution for ACCY111's subject group in 2024= $2,040.

Fees per course
The process is the same as calculating fees per subject, but is totalled up depending on the number, EFTSL value, year of enrolment and subject group of each enrolled subject.

The tuition fee information below shows the maximum student contribution amounts for one EFTSL per subject group that may be charged.

Tuition fees in 2024 (Post 2021 CSS Scheme) (commencing your course on or after 1 January 2021)

Each subject you enrol in at UOW is grouped according classifications set by the Australian Government. Some subjects may be grouped differently to other subjects in your course.

In 2020, the Australian Government announced changes to higher education funding ('Job-ready Graduates Package'). A key part of this change is a realignment of the way the Australian Government groups funding for units of study. This means that from 1 January 2021, if you are commencing a course on a Commonwealth Supported Place you will pay the new student contribution amounts as per the below table. The amounts are based on Equivalent Full-time Study Load (EFTSL) of 1.0 in 2024.

Tuition fees in 2024 (Post 2010 CSS Scheme) (continuing students who commenced their course prior to 1 January 2021)

The student contribution charges include ‘grandfathering arrangements’ if you commenced your course of study prior to 1 January 2021.

The table below outlines the grandfathered contribution amounts. Please note, not all students and disciplines are subject to grandfathering, see the Current Student Grandfathering Arrangements section below.

*Professional Pathway Psychology units of study are Behavioural Science units (with FOE codes starting with 0907) that contribute to a course of study that leads to a bachelor degree or honours degree in psychology with a course structure that makes it compulsory to study units relevant to professional registration as a psychologist by the Psychology Board of Australia, and the course of study represents a pathway to professional registration as a psychologist. More information.

**Professional Pathway Social Work units of study are Human Welfare Studies and Services units (with FOE codes starting with 0905) that contribute to courses of study that lead to a bachelor degree, honours degree or master’s degree in: social work accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers; youth work accredited by Youth Work Australia; counselling accredited by the Australian Counsellors Association and/or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia; and community work accredited by the Australian Community Workers Association. More information.

***Postgraduate Clinical Psychology units of study are in funding cluster 2 and are psychology units of study (FOE code 090701) that contribute to courses of study that are accredited for the purposes of professional registration by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and which lead to Endorsed Areas of Practice in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Counselling Psychology, Educational and Developmental Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, Sports Psychology and Community Psychology. More information.

The actual amounts will depend on the UOW subjects you enrol in, their credit point (CP) value, and the year you enrol and complete. See how to find your tuition fees above.

Changes to funding don't affect the HECS-HELP loans scheme. This means that students won't have immediate out-of-pocket costs for tuition at University. Eligible students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place will still be able to defer payment of their student contribution until their income reaches a repayment threshold.

Tuition fees in 2023 (Post 2021 CSS Scheme) (commencing your course on or after 1 January 2021)

Tuition fees in 2023 (Post 2010 CSS Scheme) (continuing students who commenced their course prior to 1 January 2021)

* Professional Pathway Psychology units of study are Behavioural Science units (with FOE codes starting with 0907) that contribute to a course of study that leads to a bachelor degree or honours degree in psychology with a course structure that makes it compulsory to study units relevant to professional registration as a psychologist by the Psychology Board of Australia, and the course of study represents a pathway to professional registration as a psychologist. More information. 

**Professional Pathway Social Work units of study are Human Welfare Studies and Services units (with FOE codes starting with 0905) that contribute to courses of study that lead to a bachelors degree, honours degree or masters degree in social work accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). More information. 

*** Postgraduate Clinical Psychology units of study are in funding cluster 2 and are psychology units of study (FOE code 090701) that contribute to courses of study that are accredited for the purposes of professional registration by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and which lead to Endorsed Areas of Practice in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Counselling Psychology, Educational and Developmental Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, Sports Psychology and Community Psychology. More information.

The student contribution charges include ‘grandfathering arrangements’ if you commenced your course of study prior to 1 January 2021.

If you currently hold a Commonwealth Supported Place and are continuing in the same course of study (commenced prior to 1 January 2021), from 2021 your student contribution amount will either remain the same as it would have been prior to these changes or will be lower, depending on your area of study. This means:

• If you are a continuing student studying subjects that will have a lower student contribution amount under the new arrangements you will pay the new lower student contribution amount.
• If you are a continuing student studying subjects in disciplines with increased student contribution amounts, you will continue paying the same amount as you would have, had these changes not been implemented (with existing rates being indexed by CPI each year).

Who is eligible for the grandfathering arrangement?

The Australian Government has (currently) advised that you may be eligible for a grandfathering arrangement under the Job Ready Graduates Package, if any of the following apply:

• you began your course (your ongoing program) with a UOW before the commencement day (1 January 2021) but you have not completed your ongoing course immediately before that day;
• you completed your course (your earlier program) with UOW before the commencement day (1 January 2021) and, on or after that day, you began your honours course with UOW that relates to the earlier course and that is leading to a higher education award that is an honours degree;
• you were undertaking, in 2020, an enabling course and, on or after the commencement day (1 January 2021), you began another course that is leading to a higher education award; and
• you were, at any time before the commencement day, a Commonwealth supported student in relation to course in the ongoing course, earlier course or enabling course (as the case may be); and
• you undertake a course as part of the ongoing program, honours program or later program (as the case may be) that has a census date that is on or after the commencement day (1 January 2021); and
• that unit of study is a grandfathered unit.

Who is NOT eligible for the grandfathering arrangement?

You will NOT be eligible for the grandfathering of tuition fees if any one of the following applies your enrolment from 1 January 2021;

• You commence a new course after 1 January 2021 (this includes course transferring). 
• You enrol into cross-institutional study at UOW.
• You are in a domestic fee paying program then apply for a transfer to a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in the same program, where the first census date in the CSP is after the commencement date of 1 January 2021. 
• You are in an international fee paying program then apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) in the same program, due to a residency change, where the first census date in the CSP is after the commencement date of 1 January 2021. 

The Australian Government's 'Job-ready Graduates Package' includes additional support for students in regional and remote areas, including the new Tertiary Access Payment and the guaranteed Commonwealth Supported Places for Indigenous students. Find out more about this funding support here.