Commonwealth supported students

Most of the students who study at the University of Sydney are Commonwealth supported. These students have most of the cost of their education paid by the government but must also contribute towards this cost themselves. Each student has a seven year full time period during which they can remain commonwealth supported. This seven year period is called their “learning entitlement”.

Some courses are more expensive to teach than others, so the amount students contribute depends on the courses and subjects students choose to study.

The table below outlines how much students enrolling for the first time at the University of Sydney in 2008 will have to contribute. In this table, areas of study have been split into four bands, the amount students pay depends on the banding of the subjects in which they enrol. Remember, in some degrees such as science, arts and economics the range of subjects offered can cross a number of bands, so the exact contribution will depend on the subjects chosen.

Commonwealth supported students who are Australian citizens or holders of a Permanent Humanitarian Visa can choose to pay their contributions upfront or to obtain a HECS-HELP loan from the Commonwealth. A HECS-HELP loan is repaid through the tax system once the student is working and their income reaches a threshold (currently $38,150). Students who choose to pay their student contribution upfront receive a 20 per cent discount. The student’s contribution is calculated twice a year (before each semester).

Students who do not receive an offer for a Commonwealth supported place in the course they are interested in, can apply for a domestic fee-paying place. UAI cut-offs tend to be slightly lower than for Commonwealth supported places. At the University of Sydney we tie the minimum cut-off for domestic fee-paying places in each course a to five UAI points below the cut-off for Commonwealth supported places for that course.