CDU Students

Fees and payments

The most important component in determining the cost of your tuition is your residency status in Australia; domestic or international?

Domestic students

Domestic students are:

  • Australian citizens
  • New Zealand citizens (including a diplomatic or consular representative of New Zealand, a member of the staff of such a representative or the spouse or dependent relative of such a representative)
  • holders of an Australian permanent visa
  • holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

International students

An International student is someone who is not:

  • an Australia Citizen
  • a New Zealand Citizen
  • a person who has Australian permanent resident status
  • a person on a humanitarian visa.

International students must pay an annual tuition fee. Some study costs are not covered by tuition fees, for example, visa fees, health cover and other course costs such as materials and textbooks.

A full list of courses and fees is available at International Course Fees.

Higher Education Reform Package  

Update on the Australian Government reforms: 

  • The Government will not proceed with the proposal to increase student contributions by 7.5%. 2018 Rates. 
  • The Government will not proceed with previously proposed changes to extend access to the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) to all Australian permanent residents and all New Zealand citizens. Eligibility for access to a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) will remain as per the established legislation. This means that Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders and New Zealand Special Special Category Visa holders, who meet the long-term residency requirements will continue to be eligible for both a CSP and HELP loans.
  • The Government is introducing new repayment thresholds and rates from 1 July 2018 to improve the sustainability of the Higher Education Loan Program. Read more.      

Further details are available on the Department of Education and Training website and Study Assist. 

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Higher Education (HE)

Nationally recognised Higher Education qualifications include degrees at Bachelor, Master or Doctorate levels. Higher education qualifications also include Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Diplomas accredited by a Higher Education accrediting authority.

Units and fees 

Commonwealth Supported Student

A Commonwealth supported student is one who is enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). The Government subsidises a Commonwealth supported place by paying a majority of the fees directly to the provider, the student then pays the remainder of the fees through a 'student contribution'.

The fees that a commonwealth supported student pays are:

Full Fee paying student

Full fee paying students are those who pay all of their tuition fees. The Government does not pay any of their fees.

The fees that a full fee paying student pays are:

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

A Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) will be sent to your student email account no later than 28 days after each Census date.

You must check if the information in the CAN is correct. If you believe that the information is incorrect, you must inform the University in writing within 14 days of receiving the CAN so it can be investigated. Verbal requests will not be considered. The request must specify the particular information you consider to be incorrect and the reason why it is considered incorrect.

Study Assist contains further information on the CAN and what it is intended for.  

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Nationally recognised VET qualifications can range from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma and include Vocational Graduate Diplomas and Vocational Graduate Certificates that have been accredited by a VET accrediting authority.

NT Government supported student

An NT Government supported student is one who is both an NT resident and enrolled in an NT government subsidised place. The NT Government subsidises a place by paying part of the fees directly to the provider and the student pays the reminder of the fees through a student contribution known as the ‘tuition fee’.

The fees that an NT Government supported student pays are:

Full Fee paying student

Full fee paying students are those who pay all of their tuition fees.  The NT Government does not pay any of their fees directly to the provider.
The fees that a full fee paying student pay are:

VET Student Loans

Charles Darwin University is an approved VET Student Loans provider for Diploma and higher level courses.

VET Student Loans are part of the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) that aims to remove financial barriers to study. VET Student Loans are available to entitled students, regardless of age or financial position and can be used to pay all or part of their tuition fees. A student must be enrolled in a VET unit of study that forms part of a course leading to the award of a Diploma or higher with a VET Student Loans approved provider. Refer to the VET Student Loans page to access further information and eligibility requirements.

Methods of payment

Pay online - Visa, Master Card, Amex and PayPal

  • Student fee payments - Higher Education and VET;
  • Academic Transcripts
  • Parking fines and more...

B-Pay

Contact your bank or other participating financial institution; quote the biller code 49395 and your reference number - printed on the front of your invoice.

In person

  • Casuarina
  • Darwin Waterfront (EFTPOS only, no cash)
  • Alice Springs
  • Katherine Town
  • Katherine Rural
  • Nhulunbuy (no EFTPOS)
  • Tennant Creek (no EFTPOS). 

By phone

08 8946 7191 or freecall 1800 061963

Make payment by phone via Master Card, Visa Card, Diners or American Express.

Centrepay

Centrelink has developed Centrepay. Centrepay is a free direct bill paying service offered to customers who are receiving Centrelink payments and enrolled in a VET course. Requirements for this service are that your fees are over $100 and to be paid by the end of the semester. Special arrangements can be made, if you have more than one year of course fees outstanding. If you wish to access Centrepay contact the cashiers.

By mail

Cheques/money orders should be made payable to 'Charles Darwin University' and mailed to:

Cashier Office
Charles Darwin University
Darwin, NT 0909

On the back of the cheque or money order, ensure you include:

  • Your name
  • Return address
  • Business hours contact number
  • Student number or invoice number. 

Financial difficulty

Where financial difficulty is encountered, payment by instalment plan is available for VET and full-fee paying students owing fees greater than $100 (per semester). Please contact the Cashiers Office for more information.

Student refunds

To request a student refund please complete the Student Refund eForm.

Refunds can be processed directly into your nominated bank account through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Charles Darwin University will refund to the original credit card if the initial payment was within the previous 12 months, otherwise the refund will be processed by Bank Transfer. It may take up to 7 working days before the credit appears on your account due to bank processing practices.

Refunds are not given in cash unless the refund is less than AUD$30.00 and this service is only available from the Casuarina campus.

For information regarding student refunds please refer to the following Policy and Procedures:

Payment and balance

Your student fee account is available at MyStudentInfo. To view your details select, 'My Fees Balance', to pay outstanding fees select 'My Payments Online' or see the 'Methods of payment' panel above for further information on payment methods.

Overseas Debt

If you have a HELP debt and reside or plan to go overseas for 6 months or more, you must make repayments on your HECS-HELP debt when required. You can monitor your HECS-HELP debt and find out more through your myGov account. 

For details about the overseas repayment obligations please visit the Study Assist website.