Fees and Payments

Domestic Student Tuition Fees and Payments

A Domestic student is a student who is an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident or the holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

Tuition fee payment options for Domestic students include the following:

• Upfront payment of fees due at the start of a program or course.
• Payment of remaining fees as outlined in the tuition fee invoice issued each trimester, due by the first day of that trimester.
• FEE-HELP and VET Student Loan (for approved programs and eligible students only).

2022 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL FEE SCHEDULE

2023 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL FEE SCHEDULE

International Student Tuition Fees and Payments

An International Student is a holder of an International Student Visa. Tuition fee payment options for International students include the following:

• First trimester tuition fees should be paid at the time of lodging the student admission agreement. An eCoE will then be issued on receipt of the first instalment.
• Payment of remaining fees as outlined in the tuition fee invoice, issued each study period, is due by the first day of that study period.

2022 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL FEE SCHEDULE

2023 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL FEE SCHEDULE

• Enrolment Fee (one-off, international students only): $250
  A non-refundable enrolment fee is payable with all international student applications.

• Graduation (academic dress hire and ceremony tickets): See graduation page here.
• Textbooks: View the recommended textbook list and where to purchase them here.
• Library fees: View information on library fees here.

Alumni: Replacement of Documentation  

All graduating students will receive a Graduating Pack, which contains official documentation of their Statement of Attainment, Statement of Results and Testamur. This Graduation pack is either presented at a Graduation ceremony or sent to the students home address at no cost to the student as recognition of their remarkable achievement.

If a replacement is required after twelve (12) months of graduating the following cost will be incurred:

• Replacement Statement of Attainment: $30 per copy
• Replacement Statement of Results: $30 per copy
• Replacement Testamur: $30 per copy

Please email [email protected] with your request.

The Commonwealth Government’s VET Student Loans (VSL) scheme has replaced the VET FEE-HELP scheme for all students commencing their studies in a VET Diploma course in 2017 and after that.

What are VET Student Loans?

The VET Student Loans assists eligible students in approved higher-level (diploma and above) vocational education and training (VET) courses. There is a loan fee of 20% for full fee-paying students.

The program also features loan caps for course loans. This means if your fees are above the loan cap, you will need to pay the difference. Please note that loan caps are indexed annually under the VET Student Loans Act 2016.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible, you must either:

• be an Australian citizen, or
• hold an eligible permanent humanitarian visa and usually reside in Australia, or
• be a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV) holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder and meet the residency requirements

You must also:

• intend to undertake your course primarily in Australia
• meet the academic suitability requirements (this must be assessed by ACAP as academically suited to undertake the eligible course)
• not have exceeded your lifetime Commonwealth student loan limit

How do I apply?

You will need to read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet before applying for a VET Student Loan.

If you are eligible and would like to defer your fees through VET Student Loan, you need to complete the online form via the eCAF system before the census date. eCAF applications will be emailed to students once the enrolment process is complete and all eligibility documents provided.

If you wish to apply please contact and advise the Admissions Team via email [email protected].

VET Student Loan engagement and progression

Students with VET student loans are required to demonstrate continued engagement and participation in your course by periodically completing a progression form. If you do not complete the form and survey within the required time, you may be ineligible to continue accessing VET Student Loans to pay for the remainder of your course tuition fees.

Further information regarding the VET Student Loan engagement and progression process is available on the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website.

What is FEE-HELP?

FEE-HELP is a Commonwealth Government loan available to eligible students enrolled in ACAP’s Higher Education courses to help pay part or all of their tuition fees. A 20% loan fee (from 25% prior to 2022) applies to undergraduate courses that lead to the award of a higher education diploma, advanced diploma, associate degree or a bachelor degree (pass, honours, or graduate entry). The Australian Government has extended the FEE-HELP loan fee exemption to 31 December 2022. This means that the loan fee amounts will be removed from students’ combined HELP debt statements for any units with a census date in 2022. From January 1, 2023, the 20 % loan fee will apply to most students who pay for their undergraduate courses with a FEE-HELP loan.

Detailed information, the 2022 HELP factsheets and the HELP Booklets about accessing FEE-HELP are available at the Study Assist website.

Who is entitled to FEE-HELP?

To be entitled, students must be:

• an Australian citizen and study at least part of your course in Australia
• a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV) holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder and meet the residency requirements
• a permanent visa holder who is undertaking bridging study for overseas-trained professionals and will be a resident in Australia for the duration of the study
• enrolled in an eligible unit of study by the census date for that unit
• maintain a 50% Pass rate of their units
• have an available HELP balance

What is a lifetime loan limit?

The lifetime loan limit is the total amount you can incur in your lifetime under any Commonwealth student loan scheme, whether Higher Education FEE-HELP or a VET Student Loan. It is indexed each year in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For example, in 2022, the lifetime loan limit is $109,206 for most students.

You can check your HELP balance on myHELPbalance.

A student will commence repaying any FEE-HELP loan through the Australian Taxation Office once their income reaches the minimum threshold for compulsory repayment ($47,014 per annum 2021-2022). Click for more information on loan repayment.

How to apply for FEE-HELP?

To apply for FEE-HELP, you will need to read the FEE-HELP information booklet.  The booklet offers students information about each of the HELP loans under HELP Fact sheets.

If you are eligible and would like to defer your fees through FEE-HELP, you need to complete the online form via the eCAF system before the census date. eCAF applications will be emailed to students once the enrolment process is complete and all eligibility documents provided.

If you wish to apply, please contact and advise the Admissions Team via email [email protected].

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

The Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a reference number made up of ten numbers and letters and will stay with you for life.

If you are commencing your studies in 2021, you will need to provide your USI as part of your enrolment process. In addition, if you seek Commonwealth financial assistance (FEE-HELP), you must provide your USI on your electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF).

From 1 January 2023, all students must have a USI to graduate and receive their qualification or statement of attainment. This includes all students who started before 2021, as well as all international students studying onshore.

It is free and easy to create your USI. Please visit the Unique Student Identifier website to get your USI.

STUDENT FEE PAYMENT METHODS

A Provisional Invoice is available on the Student Portal under the Documentation – Financial. You can view your current balance on Invoices & Payment Options before you make a payment.

There are a few ways that students can pay their fees:

DOMESTIC MONEY TRANSFER

• Visa or MasterCard via Student Portal
• BPAY

INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER

• Wire transfer (through Convera).

ACAP is partnered with Convera to make it easy for international students to pay tuition fees online. Convera’s platform is trusted more than 700 education institutions worldwide to enable payments in 140+ currencies in over 200 countries and territories.

UPFRONT PAYMENT

ACAP accepts full or partial upfront payment of your trimester tuition fees by direct bank deposit, BPAY or credit card. The amount payable will be included on your invoice each term and must be paid in full before the commencement of each trimester.

Failure to pay tuition fees by the due date will impact your ability to continue to study. Also, any unpaid tuition fees may affect international students’ confirmation of enrolment (CoE) and student visa status with the Department of Home Affairs.

Please note you will not be eligible to graduate until you have completed all required course components (see course structure information provided on the ACAP website for your course) and have no outstanding debts with us.

Students can apply for a refund of upfront tuition fees and, or remission of FEE-HELP/VET Student Loan under special circumstances.

This application is only relevant to modules that have not been completed. You cannot apply for re-credit or refund under special circumstances if you have completed the module. Click here to find how to cancel your HELP debt under ‘special circumstances’.

It would help if you also familiarise yourself with ACAP’s Tuition Fee and Refund Policy and Re-crediting of HELP Balance Policy and Procedure.

Tuition Protection protects all domestic students at private higher education providers against default, whether the students pay their own fees up-front or use a HELP loan to pay for their studies. A default is where the provider closes, stops offering a course or unit of study, or fails to start a course or unit of study that has been paid for.

The Tuition Protection Service (TPS) assists students to continue their studies or receive a refund of their tuition fees or have their HELP balance re-credited if they used a HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loan to pay for their studies.

For information about higher education tuition protection refer to our Statement of Tuition Assurance – Higher Education.

Local students (i.e. not on a temporary entry visa) may be eligible for student income support from Centrelink. Centrelink is the official Australian Commonwealth Government agency that assesses income, administers payments and ensures adequate distribution of information on benefits, allowances and pension payments as per the Social Security Laws.

Centrelink Income Support Assistance programs for students include Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY. For further information, contact your local Centrelink.

ACAP encourages you to read more information about the Australian Government’s Tertiary Access Payment (TAP), Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships and Destination Australia Scholarships that you may be eligible for.

The SSAF funding model is designed to achieve maximum benefit for the most students. It allows ACAP to use the collective contributions to fund as many programs as possible to support different students with a variety of needs across the entire student cohort, such as:

• Counselling services
• Careers and leadership development and advice
• Health and wellbeing services and promotion
• Helping secure student accommodation
• International Support
• IT services
• Financial support
• Food and beverage provision at college events
• Orientation
• Student amenities
• Student advocacy and legal services
• Student communications
• Student services, support, activities and events
• Supporting sporting, recreational and cultural activities.

All enrolled ACAP students will pay the SSAF, however there are some exceptions:

• Students on scholarships
• Navitas staff
• Students who began studying before January 2012
• Students from VET and other non-award courses
• International students already studying at SAE who enrolled before 1 October 2023

Note: This exemption list may be amended in future trimesters.

The 2024 Student Services and Administration fee for ACAP is up to $326 for full-time students. The fee will be charged per trimester (or per intake for the GDLP) at:

• $108.00 for full-time students (FT = study load of 0.25 EFTSL and above)
• $81.00 for part-time students (PT = a study load below 0.25 EFTSL)

Liability for the SSAF is based on enrolled study load as at each census date.

The SSAF will be a compulsory charge for all students enrolled in a higher education course.

The payment date or the date that the debt is incurred for SSAF is on census date, however cannot be earlier than the last dates students are able to enrol in a course. Eligible students who wish to access SA-HELP must complete a ‘Request for SA-HELP’ ormm on or before the date payable. Contact Student Services for more information about accessing this form. SSAF can be invoiced before census date but liability is incurred as of census date.

The maximum annual SSAF that can be charged is determined by the Commonwealth Government. This is currently up to $326 for a full-time student. Students studying on a part time basis cannot be charged more than 75% of the maximum amount that the students studying on a full-time basis are charged. The fee may be indexed annually.

The SSAF can be paid via up front or by deferring the fee.

Option 1: Pay upfront

If you are a domestic student, we will send you an invoice each trimester that requires you to pay the fee by that trimester’s census date. If you’re an international student, you’ll need to pay your SSAF upfront, by that trimester’s commencement date, with a refund provided to any student who withdraws prior to census date.

Option 2: Defer your fees through SA-HELP

Eligible students who are enrolled in an award course may choose to defer part, or all, of their fees through SA-HELP. All other students must pay their fees upfront, directly to ACAP.

To defer the SSAF you need to complete a ‘Request for SA-HELP’ form. Students who use SA-HELP will be required to pay their SSAF debt through the tax system when they earn above the minimum threshold for compulsory repayment, in the same way that FEE HELP works. Forms are available from the Student Engagement team.

Remember, if you are eligible and are going to defer your SSAF, you need to do this before the required payment date.

When you haven’t paid or deferred your SSAF payment, you can expect to receive reminder notifications following the SSAF deadline at Census.

The SSAF is a compulsory charge – if you have not paid your Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) instalment invoice by the payment due date penalties will apply as outlined in the Tuition Fee and Refund Policy.