Tuition Fees for Domestic Research Higher Degree Students

• 2014 Fees Schedule 
• 2014 Program Fees 

This information applies to Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens who are enrolled in fee-paying research higher degree programs.

Students who are no longer eligible for support under the Research Training Scheme may be liable for the tuition cost for their program. Students may pay their fees upfront to the University or, of eligible, defer fees to the Australian Tax Office via the FEE-HELP scheme.

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)

Refer to the Office of Graduate Studies for Program structure.

Then refer to the relevant Fees Schedule table where the subject areas are listed in groups.

2012 Domestic Research Higher Degree Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB)

2013 Domestic Research Higher Degree Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB)

*The above example is taken from the Domestic Research Higher Degree 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.

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).

In 2014 SSAF will be charged each term of study to a maximum of $281 for the year  (full time study) and $210 (partial fee).

More information regarding SSAF can be found at:

Student Services and Amenities Fee and Study Assist