Tuition Fees for Domestic Postgraduate Coursework Students
What You Pay
Australian citizens or eligible Australian permanent residents studying a Postgraduate fee-paying coursework program must pay tuition fees for their courses. Students may pay their tuition fees upfront to the University or defer to the ATO via the FEE-HELP scheme.
If you are an Australian citizen or an eligible Australian permanent resident and are enrolling in a Postgraduate fee-paying coursework program, you are required to pay a tuition fee set by the University, for each course within the program.
You can pay this in two ways:
- Pay the fee up-front to the University.
- Apply for an interest free loan through the FEE-HELP Scheme (previously known as the Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme). The Government then pays your fee direct to the University and when you are earning $49,095 in the 2012-13 income year (this amount is indexed each year), you pay instalments back to the Government via the PAYG tax system.
You can find more information about the FEE-HELP Scheme from the Study Assist website.
Graduate programs offered as Commonwealth Supported Places
Some of the schools at the University of Newcastle are able to offer their Postgraduate students Commonwealth Supported Places, but these places may be limited and may be based on merit. This means that eligible students will be charged at the Commonwealth supported rate of student contribution (HECS) instead of as full fee paying students.
Information on the student contribution rates for:
How to Calculate Your Fee
Each degree program requires the completion of a number of units. To accumulate the necessary units, students enrol in courses according to the degree requirements for each program. Each course has a unit value and this is ten (10) for most courses at the University of Newcastle. A normal full-time study load is 80 units in any year or 40 units per semester/trimester.
Courses are grouped into a number of academic subject areas where the first four letter abbreviation at the beginning of the course code tells you its subject area.
List of academic subject areas (PDF 38KB)
To calculate your exact fee, you should check the requirements of your program in the relevant program ehandbook.
Then refer to the relevant Fees Schedule table where the subject areas are listed in groups.
2012 Domestic Postgraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 13KB) (including Non-Award)
2013 Domestic Postgraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 13KB) (including Non-Award)
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For example*, if in 2012 you were to undertake 3 courses in Mathematics (MATH), 2 courses in Philosophy (PHIL), 2 courses in History (HIST) and 1 course in Chemistry (CHEM) then you would calculate your fees as follows: MATH: 3 x 1540.00 = 4620.00 PHIL: 2 x 1255.00 = 2510.00 HIST: 2 x 1255.00 = 2510.00 CHEM: 1 x 1540.00 = 1540.00 TOTAL = $11180.00
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*The above example is taken from the Domestic Postgraduate Fees Schedule. It assumes all courses have a 10 unit value. If a course has a value other than 10, then the calculation needs to be weighted appropriately.
You can estimate costs for later years based on these rates. Student course fees are adjusted annually so it is recommended to ensure you refer to the correct Fees Schedule.
Indicative Program Fees
Students enrolled in some programs have flexibility in choosing courses. Program costs are calculated on the assumption of typical courses taken for a full-time load of 40 units per teaching period (semester or trimester). Actual charges will be calculated based on courses selected and the workload undertaken.
The fees listed in the indicative program fee table linked above are in Australian dollars (AUD) and are the average price of a program per year. They are approximate values only. The actual annual program fee may vary depending on course selection. This means that if two students enrol in the same program, but study different courses during the year, they may pay different annual program fees.
It is expected that course fees will rise in subsequent years and therefore programs which take more than 12 months to complete will be subject to the increased course fees.
Student Services and Amenities Fee
New legislation has been passed by the Commonwealth Government which will allow the University to charge all enrolled students a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
This fee is being phased in for all student cohorts for study in 2013 and International students will not be charged until 2013.
All students will be charged a Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF) to assist with the funding of non-academic student services and amenities at the University.
In 2013 the SSAF will be charged each semester to a maximum for the year of $273 (full time study) and $204 (partial fee).
More information regarding SSAF can be found at:
Abstudy, Austudy and Youth Allowance
Support schemes are available from the Australian Government to help you continue your studies. Specific criteria must be met to become eligible. Telephone a Centrelink Call Centre on 13 24 90 for more information or visit the Centrelink website.
If you have difficulties after lodging and application, our Student Support Officer may be able to assist you. Telephone (02) 4921 6466.
Remission of Debt in Special Circumstances
Students who are unable to continue with their studies due to Special Circumstances, and who withdraw after the Census Date, may be eligible for Remission of Debt in Special Circumstances.
More information can be found in the University's Refund and Student Indebtedness policies and on the Remission in Special Circumstances page.
