Fee categories
Unique Student Identifier (USI)
Students who commenced their course of study or transferred to a new course after January 1, 2021 must supply their Unique Student Identifier (USI) to La Trobe before the first census date for their course. Failure to do so may result in you having to pay full fees for your course.
When you receive an offer to study at La Trobe University, you will be allocated a fee category that determines what type of tuition fee you will pay and how you can pay them.
There are three different fee categories:
- Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
- Full fee
- International full fee
| Fee category | What does this mean for me? | What do I need to do? |
|---|---|---|
Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) | Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are subsidised by the Australian Government. In a CSP, your university fees are reduced. You can pay your student contribution (the remaining fees that you pay) upfront, or you may be eligible to defer your student contribution to HECS-HELP. | Submit a ‘Request for Commonwealth Assistance HECS-HELP’ eCAF to agree to the terms and conditions of your CSP place. If you are eligible to defer your student contribution (tuition fees) you will be able to nominate if you will defer all or just some of your student contribution. Ensure you have enrolled in at least one subject in your first teaching period before you submit this form. |
Full fee | Full-fee places are not subsidised by the Australian Government. | You must pay your fees upfront before the payment due date. If eligible, you may be able to take out a FEE-HELP loan. |
| International full fee | You are an International student. | Refer to International course fees web page for more detailed information. |
In addition to your tuition fees, you may also be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
If you are required to pay the SSAF it will appear on your Statement of Account and you must pay by the payment due date. If eligible, you may be able to take out a SA-HELP loan.
Domestic student fees
For more information about domestic student fees, including student contribution bands for fields of education, see Domestic student fees.
HELP Loan Limits
The Australian Government sets a combined limit for how much you can borrow under HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET-FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans. This is called your HELP loan limit. Any amount you borrow under HECS-HELP (with a census date of 1 January 2020 onwards), FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans or VET FEE-HELP will contribute to your combined HELP loan balance until you have reached your HELP loan limit.
It's your responsibility to keep track of your combined HELP loan limit. If you’ve already reached your combined HELP loan limit and are enrolled in subjects for a teaching period, you’ll be required to pay the outstanding balance of any remaining tuition fees to the University by the due date. If you don’t pay your remaining fees, your enrolment will be cancelled after the census date for failing to meet the payment requirements.
To check your HELP loan limit:
- Find out your current HELP loan limit and how much of your HELP balance you have left to borrow by visiting the Australian Government's myHELP balance portal
- Log in using your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) and date of birth
- Refer to your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) for information about the relevant study period and your CHESSN
- Check your enrolment by matching the unit codes in your combined HELP loans history tab against the information in your Commonwealth Assistance Notice.
For more information visit the Australian Government Study Assist website.
Student Learning Entitlement
For information about the lifetime Student Learning Entitlement which is the amount of study you can undertake in a CSP in your lifetime, see: