Domestic fees

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.  

If you are a New Zealand citizen who is on a SCV and:

• first entered Australia as a dependent child aged under 18 years of age;
• have been ordinarily resident in Australia for the previous 10 years (that is, you have physically been present in Australia for at least eight out of the past  10 years) and 18 months out of the last two years by the time of the application for the loan
• are otherwise eligible for the loan

you will need to submit an ‘Addendum for eligible New Zealand Special Category Visa holder to request Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP form (1290A) – 1300A’. This can be requested through the HE Team. You must be residing within Australia whilst undertaking your studies and will be required to provide evidence that you have been living in Australia for the qualifying period mentioned above. If necessary, you can obtain copies of your international movement records from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection by lodging form 1359 (available at www.border.gov.au).

If you hold a New Zealand SCV but then apply for, and are granted, a permanent residency visa, your HELP eligibility would change to that of a permanent visa holder (non-humanitarian subclass).

Permanent visa holders (non-humanitarian subclass) are eligible for Commonwealth supported places but they are not eligible to access a HELP loan for tertiary study.

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:

• tuition fee
• Recognition of Prior Learning Fees (RPL).

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:

• full fee
• Recognition of Prior Learning Fees (RPL).

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 eligible 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.