When you enrol in a course, it is a good idea to understand what enrolment fees are involved.
We can assist you in several ways if you are having problems paying the required fees.

TAFE fees

When you enrol, re-enrol or make an amendment to your enrolment, you will receive an invoice with the amount you are required to pay. You should make sure that your enrolment, fee and personal details are correct. You will need to meet various fee deadlines. Please be aware that if you don't meet these deadlines there may be an additional fee.

As a TAFE student, the fee you pay depends on:

• your citizenship status
• when you commence the course
• your age
• your prior qualifications
• the units and courses that you study

If you are a New Zealand citizen, you are eligible for government funded training as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.

Vocational education / further education (TAFE) courses fit into one of five course categories:

• Foundation (Basic general education, English language and preparatory courses, VCAL (foundation))
• Skills creation (Certificate I and II, VCE, VCAL (Intermediate and Senior))
• Apprenticeships and Traineeships (Any course taken as part of a training contract, at any level)
• Skills building (Certificate III and IV)
• Skills deepening (Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma)

The fee you pay is aligned to the course category. The following table demonstrates how government funded vocational education / further education (TAFE) fees are calculated:

2012 TAFE fees

Course category	Fee per student contact hour	Concession fee*	Maximum fee
Foundation	$1.08	$50	$500
Skills creation	$1.62	$105	$875
Skills building	$2.17	$187.50	$1,250
Skills deepening	$4.33	$100**	$2,750# $2,500##
Apprenticeships & Traineeships	$2.17	$187.50	$1,250
Fee Maintenance	$1.47	$59	$939

Student Services and Amenities Fee may also apply.

*You may be eligible for a reduced fee at the time of enrolment if you hold a valid concession card - check if your card is on the eligible concession card list. Make sure you present your concession card at the time of your enrolment. 

Concessions are available for eligible government funded Diploma and Advanced Diploma students who are under 25 years of age as at 1 January 2012. 
Concessions are not available for students who are studying a VET Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma course, except under Fee Maintenance.

**  For Diploma and Advanced Diploma level only

# For commencing students

## For continuing students

 To receive government funding to undertake a TAFE course in the Skills Deepening category or for all categories under Skills for Growth programs, you must meet further eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria includes citizenship status, age at time of enrolment and your prior study completed. If you are not eligible for government funding, you will need to pay the full-fee rate. To confirm if you are eligible to receive Government funding check the flowchart on page 29 of the Victoria University Student Guide 2012.

2012 Course Fee Listing for Government Subsidised Training.

You can look up your fees per hour in the TAFE fee table above by course or by unit of study.

VET FEE-HELP

VET FEE-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme for vocational education and training. It is available to eligible students to assist paying for all, or part, of their tuition fees when studying an eligible course at an approved VET provider. VET FEE-HELP is available for TAFE students studying at Diploma and above level.

For more information please see the VET FEE-HELP Handbook.

If you are eligible for assistance the Australian Government pays the amount of the loan direct to Victoria University. You are then required to repay your loan through the Australian taxation system once your repayment income is above the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment. Voluntary repayments may be made at any time, regardless of income.

There is a limit to the amount of VET FEE-HELP that you can receive and this is published by DEEWR on the VET FEE-HELP website.  As you use your VET FEE-HELP to pay for your tuition fees, the amount available to you is reduced. Once you have reached your limit you will not be able to use VET FEE-HELP to pay for your tuition fees.

You can find course fees for TAFE courses at Diploma level and above in the 2012 VET FEE-HELP Fee schedule.  This contains:

• the government funded fee rate per course/unit of study
• the minimum and maximum government funded fee rate per course/unit of study
• the full fee rate per course/unit of study
• delivery and location information
• unit of study start dates, end dates and relevant census dates

To find out about loans and financial assistance, please see Student loans and fee support. For more information and enquiries, please visit ASKVU.

Higher education fees

When you enrol, re-enrol or make an amendment to your enrolment, you will receive an invoice with the amount you are required to pay. You should check the invoice carefully to make sure that your enrolment, fee and personal details are correct. You will need to meet various fee deadlines. Please be aware that if you don't meet these deadlines there may be an additional fee.

As a higher education student, the fee you pay will depend on whether you are a local or international student and the units and courses that you study.

If you are an Australian resident, and you want to find out the unit fees for higher education subjects, please refer to our unit of study fees calculator .

Student Services and Amenities Fee

In October 2011, the Australian Parliament passed legislation to allow universities and other higher education providers to charge a compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). The fee will provide improved services and amenities (of a non-academic nature) to all Victoria University students.  These services include but are not limited to: sport and recreation, student facilities, orientation, health and welfare services.

Fees for 2012 are as follows:

Higher Education
Fees are based on a rate that is calculated per semester enrolment with an overall annual maximum fee cap.

Student Category	Semester 1, 2012	Annual Maximum Fee
Full-time domestic	$131	$262
Part-time domestic	$65	$130
Students studying off-campus	No charge	No charge
International students and full-fee students	No separate charge - fee is covered by tuition fees	No separate charge - fee is covered by tuition fees

TAFE VE/FE
Fees are based on a rate that is calculated depending on your enrolment load (number of hours you are enrolled),with an overall maximum fee cap.

Student Category	Annual Maximum Fee
Full-time government funded	$262
Part-time government funded studying between 50 and 540 hours per year	$130
Students studying their course with an enrolment load of less than 50 hours per year	No charge
Students studying off-campus (including Hoppers Crossing Internet and industry/workplace)	No charge
Eligible concession card holders	$64
International students, full-fee students and Fee for Service students	No separate charge - fee is covered by tuition fees
Students receiving Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for their whole course	No charge

More information regarding the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee including details regarding options to defer payment of the SSAF through SAHELP can be found at http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation

See also:

What if you cannot afford to pay the fee upfront? (Higher Education students only)

What will the Student Services and Amenities Fee be used for?

Census dates

The census date is the date on which your enrolment details must be finalised for each semester.

The census date is important because it is the deadline for:

• finalising your enrolment details
• completing and submitting a Request for Commonwealth Support form and FEE-HELP/HECS-HELP form (if applicable)
• paying for all or part of up-front contribution/tuition fees (if you want to pay up-front)
• providing your Tax File Number, if you have requested a FEE-HELP/HECS-HELP loan (if not already provided)

View the census dates:

• Census dates for 2011
• Census dates for 2012

Please note:  If you are a TAFE student studying at Certificate levels 1-4, census dates do not apply.

Fee extensions

If you are studying in Australia you can apply for a fee extension before the invoice due date. You might be eligible if you are applying for:

• Higher education full fee
• Higher education and Further education international students
• Further education government funded

To apply, complete the Fee extension application. This document includes further details on how to apply for a fee extension.

If you need more information contact financial services to see if you are eligible for assistance with your fees or a scholarship.

Withdrawing after census date

If you decide to withdraw from your course or a unit of study after census date, this can have serious financial and academic implications for you.

We may consider the situation if you can demonstrate special circumstances. Please see the definition of special circumstances for a list of such instances.

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

Each semester a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) will be available to Commonwealth assisted students online via MYVU Portal. 

Student guide

You are expected to read the Victoria University Student guide, which will provide you with lots of information and important dates.

• VU Student Guide 2012 (information for students enrolling or re-enrolling in 2012)

More information

ASKVU Find answers and ask questions
Phone  +61 3 9919 6100
Visit  Student Service Centres