Commonwealth Supported Places are places offered at university that are subsidised by the Commonwealth government. The amount charged for each Commonwealth Supported Place (student contribution) is determined by the tertiary provider in accordance with the units of study undertaken and is based on a range or band set by the Commonwealth Government. These places are only available to Australian citizens and holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa. Students that are not eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place are unable to defer their loan to the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS - HELP) scheme and must repay their course/tuition fees up front.
Students who receive an offer of Commonwealth Supported Place have two options to repay the Commonwealth Government for sponsoring their place either 1) to pay the total cost of the supported place up front or 2) to defer the payment of the total cost through the HECS - HELP scheme and repay the amount later. Discounts apply to minimum repayments of $500 or more through the HECS-HELP.
Domestic fee paying places are not subsidised by the Commonwealth government. Students that are enrolled in a domestic fee paying place must pay for the full amount of their studies upfront without a financial loan through the HECS HELP scheme. Domestic students may be eligible for some level assistance through the Commonwealth government FEE HELP scheme. The fees charged to the student depend on the university providing the course. Domestic fee paying places are only open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of an Australian permanent resident visa.
There are three ways that domestic fee paying students can pay for their course/tuition fees 1) payment of the full amount upfront 2) FEE HELP for the full amount of the tuition fee or 3) part payment of the full amount and FEE HELP for the balance.