Student Central

Domestic fees

  • Nationally recognised Higher Education qualifications include degrees at bachelor, master or doctorate levels, as well as diplomas, advanced diplomas, graduate diplomas and graduate diplomas accredited by a Higher Education accrediting authority.

    Unit fees are based on the Field of Education (FOE) code that is assigned to a unit; this is done by Charles Darwin University. FOE codes also belong to one of four fee bands which are assigned by the Federal Government every year.

    For more information about fee bands assigned to FOE's, please visit the Australian Government Study Assist page.

    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 portion 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:

    The 2020 fees are:

    band
    unit field of education
    10cp
    20cp
    40cp
    80cp
    1
    Behavioural science, social studies, clinical psychology, foreign languages, visual & performing arts, education, humanities, nursing
    $835
    $1,671
    $3,342
    $6,684
    2
    Agriculture, allied health, computing, built environment, other health, engineering, surveying, mathematics, statistics, science
    $1,190
    $2,381
    $4,763
    $9,527
    3
    Accounting, administration, economics, commerce, law, medicine
    $1,394
    $2,788
    $5,577
    $11,155
    4
    Pre-2010 education and nursing
    $668
    $1,337
    $2,674
    $5,348

     

    The 2019 Fees are:

    Band

    		Unit field of Education10 cp20 cp40 cp80 cp
    1Behavioural science, social studies, clinical psychology, foreign languages, visual & performing arts, education, humanities, nursing$821$1,642$3,283$6,566
    2Agriculture, allied health, computing, built environment, other health, engineering, surveying, mathematics, statistics, science$1,170$2,340$4,680$9,359
    3Accounting, administration, economics, commerce, law, medicine$1,370$2,740$5,479$10,958
    NPPre-2010 education and nursing$657$1,314$2,627$5,254

    cp = credit points
    NP national priority

    Full Fee paying student

    Domestic Higher Education students who are not in Commonwealth supported places are charged a tuition fee. 

    The tables below show the fees applicable to:

    • Students who are commencing or continuing studies in a fee-paying postgraduate by coursework course;
    • Students enrolling in a Miscellaneous Course (MISC); and
    • NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents (non-humanitarian visa holders) residing outside Australia whilst undertaking a unit which is not an in-country unit.

    The fees that a full fee paying student pays are:

    Unit field of education

    Full Fee Tuition
    (pre-2017) 80cp

    		Full Fee Tuition
    (pre    -2019) 80cp    		Full fee Tuition
    Accounting, administration, economics, commerce$21,760$23,960$26,760
    Agriculture$27,080$27,080$27,840
    Allied health$26,360$26,360$26,400
    Behavioural science, social studies$22,000$22,000$24,240
    Clinical psychology, foreign languages, visual & performing arts$22,240$22,240$22,240
    Computing, built environment, other health$24,080$24,080$26,760
    Education$20,240$20,240$20,880
    Engineering, surveying$26,520$26,520$28,800
    Humanities$20,320$20,320$22,160
    Law$24,160$24,160$26,960
    Mathematics, statistics$23,800$23,800$28,080
    Medicine$28,680$28,680$34,800
    Nursing$24,640$24,640$25,360
    Science$25,600$25,600$31,000

    cp = credit points

  • 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.  

  • HECS-HELP Loan

    HECS-HELP is a loan for eligible Commonwealth Supported students. In order to receive the loan you must complete a HECS-HELP assistance form by the census date.

    To be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan you need to be:

    • a commonwealth supported student
    • an Australian citizen or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

    As of the 1 January 2021, the Australian Government has reintroduced HECS-HELP Discount.  

    Am I eligible for the HECS‑HELP discount?
    To receive the HECS‑HELP discount, you must be eligible for HECS‑HELP assistance (Loan). Your higher education provider will assess your HECS‑HELP eligibility. The upfront discount applies to upfront payments of $500 or more.

    More information about HECS‑HELP eligibility is available on Study Assist.

    You will receive a discount of 10 per cent on the upfront payment you make. You may choose to pay some of your student contributions upfront and defer the rest with a HECS‑HELP loan. For example, if you make an upfront payment of $500, the Government will pay one‑ninth of $500 to your provider on top of your upfront payment of $500. You can then pay for the remainder of your student contribution amount with a HECS‑HELP loan.  Upfront payments must be made on or before the census date for the relevant study period. The upfront payment must be $500 or more.

    If you are eligible for HECS-HELP, you will be prompted to complete the form when enrolling via My Student Info. For further information, please read the HECS-HELP information booklet.

    HELP Loan Limits

    On 1 January 2020, the FEE-HELP loan limits became the HELP loan limits.  Any existing FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or VET student loans will count towards your HELP loan limit.  Any HECS-HELP borrowed from 1 January 2020 onwards will also count towards your HELP loan limit.

    On 1 January 2020, your FEE-HELP balance became your HELP balance.

    In 2020 the combined HELP loan limit is $106,319 for most students.

    The HELP Loan limit in 2021 is $108,232.00.

    Checking your HELP Loan Balance

    If you want to check your HELP balance you will require your CHESSN number, which is located in the top right hand corner of your CAN statement.  You can then access your details via your CDU portal.

    If you've used FEE-HELP before (and HECS-HELP after 1 January 2020), it's your responsibility to make sure you have enough HELP balance left for your new course.  You will be required to submit a CAN statement to our fees team, outlining all previous tuition fees deferred to FEE-HELP (and HECS-HELP deferred after 1 January 2020).

    Repaying your HELP debt

    You will need to start repaying your HELP debt when your income reaches a certain level, which in 2019-20 is $45, 881.  The amount you have to repay (commencing at a rate of 1%) is calculated by the tax office each year.  You should let your employer know you have a HELP debt and they can withhold money from your salary to cover your repayments.

    Graduates' rate of repayment increases as their annual income increases.  There is a 10% repayment rate for those with an income greater than $134, 573, so higher-income earners can repay their loans faster.

    Your HELP loan limit is not a lifetime limit.  Repayments made after 1 July 2019 towards your accumulated HELP debt will credit your HELP balance and be re-borrowed in the future, up to the current HELP limit.

    The repayment rates for 2019-20 are available on the Study Assist website.

  • 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 previous 10 years (that is, you have physically been present in Australia for at least eight of the past 10 years) and 18 months out fo the last two years by the time of the application loan
    • are otherwise eligible for the loan

    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.   You can obtain copies of your international movement records from the Depart of Home Affairs by lodging form 1359 (available at www.border.gov.au).  Please submit your international movement records to the Fees Team to be assessed.

    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:

    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 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.

  • If you have a HELP debt and reside or plan to go overseas for six 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.

  • The Australian Government has developed the below five videos about HELP (Higher Education Loan Program). Learn about the Government assistance available for eligible students to finance their tertiary study.

    Savvy student – know your census date
    Meredith - CSP/HECS-HELP
    Toby - OS-HELP
    Tina - Mature age
    eCAF Financial Literacy Video
    		 
    		 

     

Proposed fee changes 2021: On 19 June 2020, the Australian Government announced the Job-ready Graduates Package. Find out how this will affect you.

AskCDU

Find answers to frequently asked questions any time of the day or night.

AskCDU

Pay online

Pay your fees online, as well as events, short courses, accommodation and more.

Webpay

Student Portal

Login to the Student Portal to access My Student Info, Office 365, Student email, LogIT, the library and more.

Portal login