The Australian Government’s Job-ready Graduates Package commenced on 1 January 2021.
As a result, fees changed for students who enrol in a new course of study or transfer to a new course of study with a Commonwealth supported place. The new student contribution rates are higher for some programs, and lower for others. The legislation 'grandfathered' most continuing students who commenced their course of study prior to 1 January 2021, so they could continue to pay the pre-2021 fees (indexed by CPI each year).
In addition to the significant changes to the cost of study, the Job-ready Graduates Package also introduced new completion rate requirements which required students to pass 50 per cent of the units they study to remain eligible for a Commonwealth supported place and HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP assistance. However, the Australian Government passed an amendment to the Higher Education Support Act 2003, effective 1 January 2024, to remove this completion rate requirement.
More information on the Job-ready Graduates Package can be found on the Government’s Job-ready Graduates website.
Prior to 2023, honours students were only grandfathered if they completed their pre-honours course of study in a CSP before 1 January 2021 and then commenced an eligible related honours degree.
Following changes to the Higher Education Support Act in 2023, CSP students doing honours are now grandfathered if they start a pre-honours course of study in a CSP before 1 January 2021, complete that course of study after 1 January 2021 and then start a related honours degree. For example, if you commenced a Bachelor of Arts prior to January 2021, complete this course and undertake honours through the related appended honours degree (the Bachelor of Arts (Honours)), you are eligible for the grandfathered rate.
Students who commenced a course with an integrated or embedded honours component before 1 January 2021 will continue to pay the pre-2021 fees for their honours component because this is part of a single course of study. For example, if you commenced in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies prior to 1 January 2021 and undertake the honours pathway through this degree, you wil pay the pre-2021 rate (indexed by CPI each year).
Students transferring to a different undergraduate degree to undertake honours are not usually grandfathered. See our information on transferring courses below.
The changes operate retrospectively, which means some students will retrospectively become grandfathered students. In this case, any student contribution amounts deferred to the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) or paid upfront may need to be re-credited or refunded. We will contact any impacted students from 2021, 2022 and 2023.
For more information about the changes, see the Higher Education Support Amendment (2022 Measures No. 1) Act 2023.
If you are a domestic student in a CSP and you are seeking a course transfer (including course upgrades, downgrades and some honours), you should be aware that this transfer will be treated as a new course enrolment.
This means you will be charged the new Job-ready Graduates Package fee rates for units in your new degree.
If you transfer to a new course to do honours, you may be charged the new fee rates for honours. For example, if you are in a single degree and transfer to the combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree, this will be considered a new course enrolment and will not be grandfathered. Find out more about honours fees.
If you are considering applying for a course transfer because you have concerns about your academic progress, please see our academic progression support page.
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