Understand your fees

HELP loans

You may be eligible to apply for a HELP loan or VET Student Loan to cover some or all of your tuition fees. 

If you are a domestic higher education student, you may also be eligible to apply for an SA-HELP loan to cover the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) 

Find out more on the HELP loan and VET Student Loan webpages.

Higher education students in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

Your fees are paid in part by the Australian Government. The remaining amount shown on your invoice is your student contribution.  

It's a government condition of your enrolment into a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)  that you pay your student contribution, or successfully apply for a HECS-HELP loan (if eligible) by the census date.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) 

On 1 January 2022, the Australian government introduced the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE).  

The Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) is the amount of study you can undertake in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in your lifetime. 

The SLE allows you to undertake 7 years (7 EFTSL) of full-time subsidised study in a Commonwealth Suported Place (CSP). Any course taken by you in a CSP that has a census date after 1 January 2022 will reduce your SLE balance by the EFTSL value of that course.   

Once you have used all available SLE, you will be transferred to a full-fee paying place for the remainder of your study. 

You can receive additional SLE in EFTSL, when undertaking certain courses or when certain events occur. 

You may have your SLE amount re-credited where special circumstances apply or where their HELP balance is re-credited.

How do I find out my SLE balance? 

You can check your SLE by logging in to MyHELP balance.

Once you reach your SLE limit, you are no longer entitled to undertake study in a CSP. 

SLE calculation example

Alex commenced a Bachelor of Science with a CSP, on 1 January 2021. The courses undertaken in 2021 did not reduce their SLE amount. 

In 2022, Alex enrols in a total of eight courses of study, four courses in each semester. As Alex is still enrolled in four courses after the Semester One 2022 census date passes, their SLE amount is reduced by 0.5 EFTSL. As Alex is still enrolled in the four courses after the Semester Two 2022 census date passes, their SLE amount is reduced by a further 0.5 EFTSL. 

Alex’s SLE amount at the end of the year will be: 

7 EFTSL - 1 EFTSL (0.5 EFTSL x 2 Semesters) = 6 EFTSL. 

This means Alex has 6 years left of Commonwealth supported study. 

More information about SLE

• Commonwealth Support Places and HECS-HELP booklet for students 
• Student Learning Entitlement website for students.   

The preferred method is online via Visa or Mastercard, but you can also pay using other methods including from an overseas bank account.

Higher education students in a Commonwealth Supported Place

Your fees are paid in part by the Australian Government. The remaining amount shown on your invoice is your student contribution. 

It's a government condition of your enrolment into a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) that you pay your student contribution or successfully apply for a HECS-HELP loan (if eligible) by the census date.

If you don't pay or secure your loan by the census date, RMIT is required under the Higher Education Support Act to cancel your enrolment until the next study period.

There is no extension to the due date for your fees in a CSP.

If your enrolment is cancelled for failing to pay your student contribution by the census date, you:

• will not be financially liable for the classes that are cancelled
• will have Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) deductions re-credited
• can re-enrol in your classes in the next study period (if available).

All other students

You must pay all fees by the due date on your invoice. If you don't pay your fees by the due date, you may:

• have restrictions placed on your student record
• have your enrolment cancelled
• become a University debtor 
• be referred to an external debt collection agency 
• become non-compliant with your student visa requirements
• lose your scholarship or international sponsorship.

The following information explains what these penalties mean.

Debtor restrictions 

When fees are not paid by the due date, we apply certain restrictions to your student record. These restrictions will mean that you can't enrol, add classes, obtain a transcript of results or a Statement of Academic Completion, receive an award, or view your academic history (results) in Enrolment Online. 

Cancellation of enrolment and debt collection 

If you have more than $500 of unpaid tuition fees in your account after the due date, RMIT may cancel your enrolment in all of your current programs.

If your enrolment is cancelled you will:

• be cancelled in all current programs even if you have paid (or have an approved HELP loan or VET Student Loan) for any other program/s that you're enrolled in
• need to reapply to the University if you wish to continue your studies in the cancelled program/s
• be required to pay the tuition fees for any course you've already received a grade for or that has already finished, as well as any materials or other fees e.g. Library fines.

 Any payments that you owe will be referred to a debt collection agency. These include:

• tuition fees of $500 or more for a course for which you have already received a grade, or if the course has finished
• tuition fees of $499.99 or less
• all materials and other fees

International student visas 

If you're an international student and your enrolment is cancelled, your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) will also be cancelled. If your eCoE is cancelled, you may be in breach of your visa conditions. 

You should contact the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) immediately to find out what action you need to take to ensure you remain legally in Australia. If you don't contact the DHA, your student visa may be cancelled. 

Scholarship and international sponsored students

It's your responsibility to ensure that the funds to cover your fees are paid into your student account before the due date for each charge. If they're not, your fees will become overdue and the penalties outlined above will apply.

Apprentices and trainees

If you become a university debtor, your enrolment will not be cancelled, but restrictions will be applied to your student record, and you will be referred to an external debt collection agency.

It is recommended that apprentices and trainees establish an employer sponsorship arrangement, so your employer is invoiced directly.

If you have received an fee invoice, and you believe you have a sponsorship arrangement in place, please email student.sponsorship@rmit.edu.au.

HELP loans and VET Student Loans

HELP loans and VET Student Loans cover tuition fees only. Administration and material fees are not covered by loans and need to be paid by the due date.

It's your responsibility to keep track of your combined HELP loan limit. Once you reach your HELP loan limit, you need to pay your remaining tuition fees by the due date.

If eligible, you can apply for a concession (discount) on fees for your government subsidised place in an RMIT vocational education program. 

You must apply before your class start date to access the concession fee rate. 

You're eligible for a fee concession if:

• you're enrolling in a certificate I-IV program, and
• hold a valid Commonwealth Health Care Card, or be named on the card as a dependant child/spouse, or hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card, or be named on the card as a dependant child/spouse, or hold a valid Veterans' Gold Card.

You're ineligible to apply for a fee concession if you:

• are enrolled in a diploma level program or above (including diploma, advanced diploma, vocational graduate certificate or vocational graduate diploma) unless you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student in a government subsidised place
• are enrolled in an Australian full-fee place or international full-fee place.