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.

• 2012 Fees Schedule 
• 2012 Indicative Program Fees 

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 $47,196 in the 2011/2012 financial year; 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 Commonwealth Supported Students.

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.

• Undergraduate Handbook 
• Postgraduate Handbook

Then refer to the relevant 2012 Fees Schedule table where the subject areas are listed in groups.

• Domestic Undergraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 10KB)
• Domestic Fee Paying Undergraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 59KB) (including Non-Award) 
• Domestic Postgraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 13KB) (including Non-Award)
• Domestic Research Higher Degree Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB) 
• International Undergraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB) (including Non-Award) 
• International Postgraduate Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB) (including Non-Award)
• International Research Higher Degree Fees Schedule (PDF 16KB) 

*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. However, International Student course fees are adjusted regularly so it is recommend to ensure you refer to the correct Fees Schedule.

Indicative Program Fees 2012

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.

 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:

Under HECS-HELP

• HECS-HELP debt remission;
• A refund of an upfront payment of the student contribution (HECS-HELP).

Under FEE-HELP

• FEE-HELP balance re-credit;
• A refund of an upfront payment of tuition fee.

Full Fee Paying Students - Domestic and International

• A refund of an upfront payment of tuition fee.

More information can be found in the University's Refund and Student Indebtedness policies and on the Remission in Special Circumstances page.