The UNSW Fee Policy applies to all international students. For the definition of an international student click here.

 

International students wishing to accept an offer of admission to a program must pay a deposit fee to secure their place. Places in programs will be allocated in order of receipt of the deposit. The deposit for on-campus international students has been set at $4000 (2008 rate). The balance of tuition fees for the first session of the program is payable according to the payment guidelines on the fees statement issued after enrolment. External or offshore students and some government-sponsored students have different deposit requirements, as detailed in the offer letter.

On receipt of the deposit and, if appropriate, the health insurance payment (OSHC), the University will issue an Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (e-COE) for Overseas Students, which a student requires in order to apply for a student visa for travel to, and for temporary residence in Australia.

Requests to defer enrolment from one year to the next, or one session to the next, must be made in writing by the deadline stipulated in the offer letter. Not all programs permit deferment. Students not permitted to defer must lodge a new application for admission at the time appropriate for their intended commencement of the program. A student who defers will be liable for the tuition fees applicable in the year in which he/she will enrol.

Fees will be charged at the rate applicable to the particular year of enrolment. Fees are reviewed annually and may increase. For further information please read the section on Fee Bands

All students enrolling in fee-paying programs, including non-award enrolments, are liable to pay Student Activity Fees each semester at the published rates (see 'Student Activity Fees', for itemisation of fees charged). Student Activity Fees are additional to tuition fees and are separately identified on fee statements. Student Activity Fees are subject to annual review and may increase from one year to the next. These fees (with the exception of the Miscellaneous Activity Fee component) are subject to the Australian Government's Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is levied at 10%. Students enrolling in distance education programs are required to pay the Miscellaneous Activity Fee component only.

It is a requirement of the Australian Government that student visa holders are covered by medical insurance (Overseas Student Health Cover, OSHC) for the duration of their study in Australia. Students must ensure that they have made arrangements for their OSHC when accepting their offer of a place. OSHC can initially be paid for a minimum period of 12 months or for the duration of the student's program. Students who pay for a minimum of 12 months are responsible for renewing their health cover directly with Medibank Private (the University's current provider for medical insurance for international students), or other approved provider, when their initial cover expires. Medibank Private regularly reviews the OSHC charges and those quoted on the offer letter are subject to change. Students should be aware that the duration of cover might be shorter than anticipated, should an increase in the charge occur after the offer letter has been sent. Students on external/distance education programs not resident in Australia are not required to pay OSHC.

Tuition fees are calculated on a student's enrolment in specific courses. UNSW students enrolled in most programs have some flexibility in the courses they choose and, at times, these courses will be from outside their own faculty. Tuition fees are derived from the relative cost of providing each type of course and will be calculated on the basis of that year's current fee. Information on the tuition fees is provided in the offer letter. For information about calculating your tuition fees please see information in the tuition fee section

Students holding a student visa are required to undertake their studies on a full-time basis. UNSW defines a standard normal full-time enrolment as 24 units of credit (UOC) per session. A minimum load of 18 UOC will satisfy the full time requirement. However, if you enrol in the minimum full-time load, you will need to take additional courses in a future session to complete your program within the time frame specified on your visa. The University expects that students will undertake their studies on a full-time basis and complete the program in the minimum time.

Fees are calculated and payable on a semester basis. Tuition fees and Student Activity Fees are payable per session. Students must access their statements online. Students will be able to view their fee statement and payment options (Statement of Student Debt/Notice of Liability) online approximately 2 to 3 weeks before classes commence. Students should refer to this online statement (available at myUNSW) for payment deadlines and payment options.

 

Students who have an agreement with the University that their fees will be paid by a recognised sponsor (i.e. home government/institution) will be able to view a fees statement online indicating if any fees are required (i.e. fees which are not covered by their sponsor). If a student is not liable for any fees, the online statement simply serves as a confirmation of their enrolment. A separate invoice for fees will be sent to the sponsor after the Census Date of each semester.

 

Unless stipulated in the offer letter, all fee payments must be made in Australian dollars, and finalised by the University payment due date for each semester.

Failure to pay tuition fees and Student Activity Fees according to the payment guidelines may result in a student's enrolment being cancelled. If, with notice, a student's enrolment is cancelled for non-payment of fees and that student is subsequently permitted to have his/her enrolment reinstated, a $250 reinstatement fee will be levied. A student whose enrolment is cancelled, will retain her/his fee liability, so that re-enrolment in a subsequent year or session will not be permitted until such a time as the debt is either paid in full or an agreement is reached between the student and the Registrar and Deputy Principal on the method of repayment.

 

Students indebted to the University will not be issued with academic transcripts or any other official credentials and will not be permitted to graduate.

 

If a student obtains Australian permanent residency before enrolling in the program, or prior to the census date of the session of first enrolment in that program, the offer of a place (or the enrolment) as an international student will lapse. The student will then be considered for admission as a local student.

 

Students who are granted Australian permanent resident status after the census date of their first session of enrolment or after the census date of any subsequent session will be seen as having entered into a contract with the University to pay international fees for that session. Students undertaking summer session course/s will be liable for international tuition fees unless granted permanent residency prior to commencement of the course/s, if the course is of less than six weeks duration. If the course is of more than six weeks duration, permanent residency must have been granted within fourteen days of commencement of the course/s, otherwise the international tuition fee will be payable.

 

Please note that because of government controls on the number of local students that can be enrolled, students who obtain permanent residency may not qualify for a Commonwealth Supported place (HECS).

Students who are required to repeat courses will be charged the full cost to re-enrol in the course, based on the units of credit for that course at the time it is repeated

In certain cases students may be permitted by a Faculty to enrol in additional courses which cannot be counted towards award requirements. If permitted to do so, the student will need to apply for and be enrolled in a separate Non-Award program and charged at the international student rate according to the band fee for the course enrolled in. Further information is available from Student Central.

Graduate students who have completed all work, (ie, all research, laboratory, computational and field work) before the commencement of a semester, except for the preparation and submission of the thesis or project report, will be exempted from the fees for that session if the thesis or project report is submitted before the Census Dates. After these dates fees will be charged at the rate of 50% for the session in which the thesis or project report is submitted, provided the student has exceeded the minimum period of enrolment specified in the degree conditions.

Graduate students who are permitted to resubmit a thesis or project report and required to undertake a further period of study are liable for the full cost of the further study period.