Financial support for domestic students
As a domestic student, you could be entitled to a range of support from the Australian Government to assist with the cost of your study.
Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
What is a CSP?
A Commonwealth Supported Place is a higher education place where the Australian Government subsidises your fees so that you only pay a portion through a student contribution amount.
CSP eligibility
To be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place, you must be one of the following:
- an Australian citizen who will undertake at least one unit of study contributing to your program of study while living in Australia, or
a New Zealand citizen living in Australia for the duration of your program, or
an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder living in Australia for the duration of your program, or
an Australian permanent resident living in Australia for the duration of your program, or
a Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder living in Australia for the duration of your program.
You also must have:
a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI), a reference number that creates an online record of your qualifications
- completed all the necessary steps to secure your CSP by the census date.
How do I request a CSP?
To secure a Commonwealth Supported Place, you must complete a request for Commonwealth assistance via an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) by the census date for each program of study you undertake. This form will be provided to you as part of the enrolment process, after you have accepted an offer of study.
Before you complete a request, please make sure you understand the conditions of having a CSP. You can visit the Study Assist website for more information.
You’ll also be provided with comprehensive information about CSPs, student contributions and government subsidies when you receive an offer to study at Adelaide University.
Payment
All Commonwealth Supported students are required to pay a student contribution for each course. You may be able to defer this contribution via HECS-HELP, otherwise it must be paid upfront.
HECS-HELP loans
A HECS-HELP loan allows students to borrow from the Australian Government to cover some or all of their student contribution. To be eligible for HECS-HELP, you must be studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place.
Students who receive HECS-HELP will have part of their entire student contribution amount paid to Adelaide University by the Australian Government, and a HECS-HELP debt recorded for them with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Students then become responsible for repaying this debt later through the Australian taxation system.
Throughout your degree, you are responsible for:
enrolling by census dates
checking your student email
reading notices and invoices
staying out of bad financial standing.
For more information on HECS-HELP loans, visit the Study Assist website.
Paying your student contribution
All Commonwealth Supported students will be issued an invoice for each study period in which they enrol.
Commonwealth Supported students must pay their student contribution in full by the invoice due date, by one of the following methods:
making an upfront payment in full
making a partial payment and obtaining a HECS-HELP loan for the remainder
taking out a HECS-HELP loan for the full amount of your student contribution.
2025 student contribution amounts
The amount of student contribution you’ll pay depends on how many courses you are enrolled in, the unit value of those courses and under which funding cluster your courses fall.
Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL) is the Australian Government’s measure of a student enrolment load. One EFTSL is equal to full-time study for one student for one year. If you’re not sure how to calculate how much Student Contribution you should be paying, visit the Study Assist website – you’ll find helpful resources, including detailed instructions and examples of how to calculate your Student Contribution.
2025 STUDENT CONTRIBUTION BANDS
| Funding Cluster | Part of funding cluster | Student Contribution amount per 1 EFTSL (24 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding Cluster 1 | Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture | $16,992 |
| Funding Cluster 2 | Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 2 | Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 3 | Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 3 | Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies or Science | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 4 | Agriculture | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 4 | Pathology | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 4 | Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science | $13,241 |
2025 Student Contribution bands for continuing students who commenced pre-2021
The Australian Government has made changes to student contribution bands in the last five years. If you are a continuing student who commenced your studies before 1 January 2021, you are considered a Grandfathered Student – that is, your student contribution has been ‘grandfathered’ and will remain at the pre-2021 rate (indexed annually).
What is a Grandfathered student?
You are considered a Grandfathered student if any of the following apply to you:
You commenced a program in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) before 1 January, 2021 and you enrolled in that program on or after 1 January 2021.
You are commencing an Honours program in 2025 or after, which relates to a program you commenced in a CSP before 1 January, 2021.
You undertook an enabling program in a CSP in 2020, and on or after 1 January, 2021, you commenced another program in a CSP that is leading to a higher education award.
- You undertook an undergraduate certificate in a CSP in 2020, and are commencing another program after 2021 related to the undergraduate certificate, which leads to a bachelor degree.
2025 STUDENT CONTRIBUTION BANDS (GRANDFATHERED)
| Funding Cluster (grandfathered) | Part of funding cluster (grandfathered) | Student Contribution amount per 1 EFTSL (24 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding Cluster 1 (grandfathered) | Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics or Commerce | $13,305 |
| Funding Cluster 1 (grandfathered) | Any other subpart of the Society and Culture part of the first funding cluster | $7,973 |
| Funding Cluster 1 (grandfathered) | The Social Studies or Behavioural Science subpart of the Society and Culture part of the new first funding cluster | $7,973 |
| Funding Cluster 1 (grandfathered) | Communications | $7,973 |
| Funding Cluster 2 (grandfathered) | Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics or Statistics | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 2 (grandfathered) | Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment or Computing | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 2 (grandfathered) | Visual and Performing Arts | $7,973 |
| Funding Cluster 2 (grandfathered) | Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work | $7,973 |
| Funding Cluster 3 (grandfathered) | Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 3 (grandfathered) | Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies or Science | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 4 (grandfathered) | Agriculture | $4,627 |
| Funding Cluster 4 (grandfathered) | Pathology | $9,314 |
| Funding Cluster 4 (grandfathered) | Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science | $13,241 |
