Welcome to Charles Darwin University

Getting started website

VET Student Information

Higher Education Student Guide 2006

2011 HESA Unit Fees

Uniprint Express

CDU enews

Higher Education Student Guide 2012

Fees and payments

After enrolling (and after fees have been assessed) you will receive an enrolment and fee advice (an official printout of your enrolment). Check your enrolment advice thoroughly. It is your responsibility to make sure all personal details are correct and that your course title and the units you are studying have been entered correctly.

All fees are due by census date of the relevant semester or study period of the unit you are studying, regardless of when the unit begins. You can make payment in person at any campus or centre, via BPay, credit card or cheque. View information about payment options >>

Go to top of page

HESA information

The information in the HESA section is onsistent with the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA). However, changes may be made to any provisions at any time with the consent of both Houses of Parliament.

All students are encouraged to:

Go to top of page

Student contribution ranges

What has been known as HECS places are now called Commonwealth-supported places. Higher education providers determine student contribution (or HECS) amounts for these places, within ranges set by the Australian Government.

Go to top of page

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE)

The SLE system will be abolished from 1 January 2012. The Higher Education Support Amendment (Demand Driven Funding System and Other Measures) Bill 2011 was passed by the Parliament on 14 September 2011.
Under the provisions of the Bill, eligible students will no longer have a limit placed on how much study they can undertake as a Commonwealth supported student. Students who have used up their allocation of SLE will now be able to re-enrol from 1 January 2012 to complete their studies as a Commonwealth supported student (or undertake further study in a Commonwealth supported place). Those students who used up their SLE and have paid tuition fees for a fee paying place and/or received a FEE-HELP loan are not able to receive a remittance of those fees or a reduction in their FEE-HELP debt.

Go to top of page

Eligibility for loans and discounts

The deferred payment arrangements and discount for up-front payments that existed under HECS until the end of 2004 still exist, but are now called HECS-HELP assistance. Australian citizens and holders of a permanent humanitarian visa are eligible for HECS-HELP. The discount for full, up-front payments or up-front payments of $500 or more has changed.
The Government has reviewed the subsidy and will be reducing the 20 per cent discount previously given to eligible students. From 1 January 2012, the HECS-HELP upfront payment discount will be 10 per cent.

Go to top of page

HECS debts

From 1 June 2006, if you have an accumulated HECS debt, it will become known as an accumulated HELP debt. Any HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP debts you incur from 1 January 2005 will be added together with your HECS debt to become one accumulated HELP debt on 1 June 2006.

Go to top of page

Bonus for voluntary repayments

Students who make a voluntary repayment of $500 or more will receive a bonus of 10 per cent. This means your account will be credited with an additional 10 per cent of your payment. The bonus is 10 per cent of the payment you make. Voluntary repayments are made directly to the Australian Taxation Office. Bankruptcy rules from 1 January 2005, HELP debts and accumulated HELP debts are not provable under the Bankruptcy Act 1966. A student will have to pay them as if he or she has not been declared bankrupt. HECS debt of a student will remain provable until it becomes part of his or her accumulated HELP debt on 1 June 2006.

Go to top of page

Tax File Number (TFN)

A student wishing to defer all or part of the fees to tax must supply a Tax File Number (TFN). A TFN is necessary if a student wants to authorise the university to defer all or part of the HECS contribution to tax and in case a student has chosen the up-front payment option but fails to make a payment by the relevant census date.

It is a requirement under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 that the enrolment be cancelled after the relevant census date if a student does not provide personal TFN where required.

If a student cannot provide a TFN he/she should immediately contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to obtain either a TFN or a certificate from the ATO to indicate that the student has applied for a TFN.

This certificate from the ATO can be submitted with the enrolment as an interim measure while the application for a TFN is being processed.

Note:  The ATO may take up to six weeks to allocate a new TFN.

Go to top of page

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

The CHESSN is a unique identifier that universities must use as of 2005 in communications with the Australian Government concerning a student who:

The CHESSN will remain linked to the student for the remainder of his/her academic life.

What is the CHESSN used for?

The CHESSN is used to manage the:

The CHESSN is limited in its use to monitoring Commonwealth assistance to higher education students, including the provision of data to the ATO.

How and when will I be notified about my CHESSN?

The CHESSN will be notified to students in the Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN), issued no later than within 28 days of the census date for relevant units.

The CHESSN will not be quoted on any other correspondence to students, e.g. fees and enrolment advices or offer letters or any written correspondence on student matters.

Students who withdraw from all units before their first census date will not be issued with a CAN, so will not receive notification of their CHESSN. CHESSN remains unconfirmed until the first time a student’s enrolment load and fees are reported to Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), and the university will ensure that all unconfirmed CHESSNs are purged from its student management system.

Go to top of page

Census dates

View census dates >>

Please be aware that it is the student's responsibility to:

  1. Notify the university in writing of any changes to their enrolment before the census date; and
  2. Complete payment of your fees, where applicable. Failure to do this will result in the university cancelling the enrolment.

What happens after each census date?

If you are a student who is eligible for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP assistance, and have supplied a TFN and not made a full up-front payment of the student contribution amount, then you will incur a HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP debt if you are enrolled in a unit of study after the census date. The university is required to defer your fees to tax and the ATO is advised of this debt.

Go to top of page

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

All students who incur a fee with the university in at least one unit of study for that semester or study period by the relevant census date for that unit, and have sought HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP for at least one unit of study will be sent a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) no later than 28 days after the relevant census date. The CAN is also sent to students who occupy a Commonwealth-supported place and are paying their fees up-front.

The CAN will include details about a student's enrolment, as follows: personal details, CHESSN number, deferred and/or up-front fee payment details, loan fees (if applicable), discounts, total debt, and the total amount by which the student's learning entitlement has been reduced, and EFTSL values for units.

What happens if the CAN is incorrect?

If the university, after issuing the CAN, believes that the information is incorrect, or has ceased to be correct, the university shall issue a new CAN to a student with the correct information.

When a student believes that the information on the CAN is incorrect, the student must, within 14 days of dispatch of the CAN, ask the university (via the Information Centre) in writing for the CAN to be corrected. Verbal requests are not considered. The request must specify the particular information he/she considers to be incorrect and the reasons why it is considered incorrect. Making the request does not affect the liability of the student to pay the contribution, nor the student’s entitlement to Commonwealth assistance.

The university will consider the request as soon as possible, and notify the student of its decision in writing. If the university finds that the information on the original CAN was incorrect, or ceased to be correct, the university will issue a new CAN to the student with the correct information. Student records will be corrected, and data sent to DEEWR accordingly.

Go to top of page

Fee exemption

All students pay fees unless exempt from payment by the CDU Council. The Council sets all fees on an annual basis. Fees are payable by semester, or by study period for the current year unless a written contract setting the fees with the university is in place (e.g. some international students have specific contracts).

Go to top of page

International student fees

Fees apply directly to an enrolment in a specific type of course. International students are liable for payment of full-fee course charges relevant to the year they are enrolled in. For more details of fees for international students go to W: www.cdu.edu.au/international.

Go to top of page

Student Amenities Fees

The Federal Government has recently passed legislation that enables universities to introduce a Student Services and Amenities Fee.
This legislation allows universities to charge students a fee up to a maximum of $263 per year from 2012 and indexed on an
annual basis.
The proceeds from the fee can only be used by universities to support student amenities, advocacy, representation, and similar activities. Please note that CDU will be charging the fee to students from 1 January 2012.
See Student Services and Amenities Fees 2012 for more information.

Go to top of page

Domestic student fees

Domestic students are all students who meet the following citizenship conditions:

Domestic students pay fees according to the units and course they choose to enrol in. View the detailed fee table on the HESA website.

Each unit has four fee levels depending on the category a student falls into. Categories are normally assigned at the time of enrolment.

Go to top of page

Categories of students and applicable fees

The categories of students are:

Go to top of page

2012 Commonwealth-supported student fees

Students must meet residency requirements to be considered Commonwealth-supported.
Unless students are assessed to be either a Pre-2010, pre- 2009 or Pre-2008 student, these fees are applicable to all Commonwealth-supported students starting an undergraduate course and selected postgraduate by coursework courses in 2012.
It also applies to continuing students who began before 2009 in a non-Natural and Physical Sciences (non-NPS) course of study, did not complete that course of study and, on or after 1 January 2009, transfer to a Natural and Physical Sciences (NPS) course of study. 

Go to top of page

Pre-2010 Commonwealth-supported student fees

Students must meet residency requirements to be considered Commonwealth-supported.
Unless students are assessed to be either a pre-2008 or pre-2009 student, these fees are applicable to all Commonwealth-supported students who began an undergraduate course and selected postgraduate by coursework programs in 2009.
The reduced maximum student contribution amount for units of study in mathematics, statistics and science applies to all students who began their course of study on or after 1 January 2009, regardless of the course of study. Arrangements exist for Commonwealth-supported students who began a course of study before 1 January 2010 and had not completed that course before that date.
A person is a pre-2010 student for a unit of study if the person started the course of study of which the unit forms a part before 1 January 2010 and was a Commonwealth-supported student in relation to a unit of study in that course and:

Go to top of page

Pre-2009 Commonwealth-supported student fees

Students must meet residency requirements to be considered Commonwealth-supported. Unless students are assessed to be a Pre-2008 student, these fees are applicable to all Commonwealth-supported students who began an undergraduate course and selected postgraduate by coursework programs in 2008.

Go to top of page

Pre-2008 Commonwealth-supported student fees

Students who, before 1 January 2008, began a course of study as ‘contributing’ students, are to be treated as pre-2008 HECS students if they have not discontinued their enrolment in the course since that commencement or completed the requirements for the course. Pre-2008 students retain this student status until 31 January 2012, after which date their fees will be the same as students starting a course in 2013.

Students are not taken to have discontinued their enrolment if they have:

Go to top of page

Full fee paying students

These are students who are:

NZ citizens and permanent residents (non-humanitarian visa holders) residing outside Australia while undertaking a unit of study within a course will be charged the FULL TUITION Rate (and are not eligible for any FEE-HELP Programs or a discount) - as by living overseas they are no longer considered a Commonwealth-Supported student.

Go to top of page

Additional information for unit fees and student categories

For specific details on fees for each unit visit W: www.cdu.edu.au/hesa/fees.html, E: hesahelp@cdu.edu.au or T: 1800 061 963 or 08 8946 7766.

Credit transfer

There is no charge for credit given through credit transfer.

Professional assessment

Students who, on the basis of their professional background, are seeking to be assessed as meeting the requirements of the unit, are required to enrol in the unit for which they are seeking the assessment and submit a HE113 Application for Exemption form (PDF 206.14KB) as soon as possible after enrolling in the unit for which they are seeking Professional Assessment (PA). Student charges apply as per any other unit enrolment. Approved students are issued with the grade of PA – Professional Assessment.

Miscellaneous enrolment charges

Students who enrol in individual units in a course that does not lead to an award will have their enrolments processed as miscellaneous enrolments and will be charged at relevant rates.

Service charge

A service charge will be applied for all transactions initiated by you and involving administration cost, time and/or effort, provided that the service is not a compulsory or essential component of a course or its assessment and award. The service charge is $30 in 2012.

Go to top of page

When will my fees be assessed?

Fees for enrolled students are assessed for individual semesters after the relevant fee assessment period has started. You can check fees using My Student Info after this date, and enrolment and fee advice are sent out to all enrolled students after this date.

Go to top of page

Why does the university have different fee assessment start dates?

The university offers unit choices over eight teaching periods:

Students do not need to make payment of fees for all teaching periods at once, but by the relevant census dates for each teaching period. Different fee assessment dates ensure that any fee payment you make is allocated to the correct teaching period and its census date. For example, if you wish to defer your fees for summer semester, but make a minimum payment of $500 up-front to take advantage of fee discounts, your payment will be set automatically against your Summer Semester debt. If fees were assessed for all teaching periods at once, your payment would be set against any future fee debts automatically and you may not be identified as being eligible for the fee discount.

Go to top of page

Can I determine which fees I want to pay first?

When you make payment of any amount, your DEEWR debts will be cleared first. For example, if you owe fees from other courses (VET /Higher Education) these will be cleared before current fees.

For those of you who are eligible to receive a 20 per cent discount on making up-front payment of fees, it is very important that you make payment of any outstanding fees and current tuition fees at the same time to ensure all fees are cleared. Students who have an outstanding balance are not eligible to receive the discount.

Go to top of page

Methods of payments

There are various methods by which fees can be paid, depending on the type of enrolment undertaken. Payments can be made by the following:
Online
Online payment can be made at http:www.payonline.cdu.edu.au.
BPay
Your Biller code and reference number is printed on the enrolment and fees advice for your convenience. You may use the telephone or the internet, to contact your financial institution to make payment from your nominated bank account to the university. You need to allow for at least three working days for this process.
Credit card/by phone
Credit card details can be directed to the cashier on T: 08 8946 7191 or 08 8946 7192. Information required is: student number, cardholder’s name, credit card number, expiry date of card and the CCV security code.
Visa Card, Master Card, Diners and American Express are accepted.
Payments in person
Cash, cheque or credit card are accepted at the cashier’s office located on the ground floor of Orange 1 at Casuarina campus,
the Administration Office at Palmerston campus and building 1 at Alice Springs campus.
EFTPOS
These facilities are available at Casuarina, Palmerston, and Alice Springs campuses.
Cheque payments
Cheques sent by mail should be directed to the cashier and accompanied by a copy of the appropriate enrolment and fees advice and you should include a contact number where you can be reached during business hours. (DO NOT SEND CASH through the post).

An Enrolment and Fees Advice will be sent to you via email after your enrolment has been processed and fees have been assessed for the relevant semester. You are encouraged to take advantage of checking your fees balance on ‘my student info’ at any time after fee assessment has taken place. Once you are enrolled and your fees have been assessed you will be sent a payment and fees advice. This is confirmation of your enrolment.
The enrolment and fees advice should be checked thoroughly for accuracy. Discrepancies should be resolved through the Information Centre before making your payment. If you posted your completed enrolment form to the university and have not received your enrolment and fees advice within two weeks of the fee assessment date for the relevant semester, or if you have any queries regarding your enrolment and fees advice, please contact the Information Centre for assistance. The enrolment and fees advice serves as an invoice for the purpose of notification of fees owing. No separate fees invoices are issued.
It is the responsibility of the student to advise the university in writing of any change of address. The student can also change the mailing address on-line in My Student Info to ensure accuracy of the address.
Note: Non-receipt of an invoice due to an incorrect mailing address does not clear a student debt.

Go to top of page

Refunds

A student must withdraw from a unit/course by completing the form HE102 Change of Enrolment (PDF 212.74KB) or HE104 Complete Cancellation Form/Intermission Form (PDF 194.26KB).

Refunds are not automatic. All students must apply for a refund. An application for a refund can be made by completing the form GEN 107 Request for Student Refund and submitting to the Cashier. Your application will be considered and, subject to approval, Student Services Cashiers will process the refund to you or a third party who has paid your fees. It is essential, therefore, that you advise the university of your current contact details. The refund will be processed within 30 days of the submitted refund request form.

Refunds can be processed directly into your nominated bank account through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Once the university has processed the refund, you should have access to these funds within two days. Under banking regulations, if a student has made a payment with a credit card any refund must be credited to the original card. Charles Darwin University will refund to the original credit card if the initial payment was via that credit card within the previous 12 months, otherwise the refund will be processed by Bank Transfer. It may take up to seven working days before the credit appears on your account due to bank processing practices.

Refunds of amounts that total less than $30 will be paid in cash if no further study is being undertaken (only available from Casuarina campus). If further study is being undertaken, no payment shall be made but a credit will be carried forward.

Go to top of page

What happens if I do not pay my fees by the census date?

Commonwealth-supported students

Upon receipt of an enrolment and fees advice you should immediately check the accuracy of the information contained on this document and read the instructions on the reverse side. There are penalties for non-payment of fees by the due date.

If you are eligible for and have chosen the up-front payment option on your request for Commonwealth-support and HECS-HELP, a reminder notice will be sent 28 days before the relevant census date advising you that payment of your tuition fees is required no later than one working day before the census date. 

If you have not paid your student contribution by the relevant census date but have provided your TFN, your debt will be deferred to the ATO. If you have not paid and have not provided your TFN, your enrolment will be cancelled within two working days after the census date. You will be notified in writing.

Students who have not paid all applicable non-unit related charges (i.e. non-tuition fees) will be advised that the Fees and Charges By-Laws will be applied, and that unless payment is received within 28 days, debt collection procedures may begin. The relevant sections of CDU Fees and Charges By-laws for non-payment of fees can be accessed at W: www.cdu.edu.au/governance/bylaws.html.

Non-Commonwealth supported students, holders of other permanent visas and New Zealand citizens (including full fee postgraduate students)

A reminder notice will be sent to you advising that payment is required within 28 days of the date of the ‘notice’. On the expiry of the above notice the enrolment of all students who have an outstanding debt will be cancelled and the student/s will be advised in writing. The relevant sections of CDU Fees and Charges By-laws for non-payment of fees can be accessed at W: www.cdu.edu.au/governance/bylaws.html.

Students who have not paid all applicable non-unit related charges (i.e. non-tuition fees) will be advised that the Fees and Charges By-Laws will be applied, and that unless payment is received within 28 days, debt collection procedures may begin.

Go to top of page

Withdrawal before census date - student fee implications

Fee options Implications
Up-front payments of Commonwealth-supported fees If you have selected the full, up-front payment option in respect of your Commonwealth-supported place liability, and have made payment of fees for that unit, the university will repay those amounts to you.
Up-front payment of domestic full tuition fees If you have selected the full, up-front payment option in respect of your liability, and have made payment of fees for that unit, the university will repay those amounts to you.    
Deferred payments of fees If you have selected the deferred payment option in respect of your liability, you will not incur a debt for the unit(s) you are withdrawing from. 

Go to top of page

Withdrawal after the census date - student fee implications

Students who withdraw from their studies after the census date may apply to have their Student Learning Entitlements (SLE) re-credited and/or their fees remitted in special circumstances.

Fee options Implications
Up-front payments of Commonwealth-supported fees If your SLE is re-credited, then your HECS-HELP debt for that unit is taken to be remitted and the University will refund the up-front payments of your contribution amount. 
Deferred payments of fees for Commonwealth- supported Students If your SLE is re-credited, then your HECS-HELP debt for that unit is remitted and the University will repay the Commonwealth any HECS-HELP assistance to which you were entitled.
Up-front payment of domestic full tuition fees The university has the discretion to refund any up-front payments to you in accordance with the University’s own rules.
Deferred payment of domestic full tuition fees If your FEE-HELP balance is re-credited, any FEE-HELP debt you acquired for that unit will be remitted and the University will repay any amounts of FEE-HELP assistance to the Commonwealth.

Go to top of page