Fees and Charges

Payment of fees
Pre-2005 students
FEE-HELP
Full fee-paying students
Refunds

Your offer of admission letter states what fees you will be liable for:

• student contributions; or
• tuition fees - domestic; or
• tuition fees - international.

Fees and charges are payable as set out in the Cost per Course and Program Fee Tables, available from the Fees & Charges link at http://navigatecquni.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=299 or are available from Student Contact Centre on 13CQUni (13 27 86). 

The Registrar and Chief Compliance Officer shall specify dates by which an applicant or a student must complete elements of the admission or enrolment process. Fees listed in the schedule will be payable by an applicant or students where elements of the admission or enrolment process occur after the specified dates.

Student debtors and negative service indicators
A student debtor is defined as one who:

1. fails to pay any fine, fee, charge or debt due to CQUniversity, including the library;
2. fails to repay to the University a student loan in accordance with the terms of the loan agreement.

A Negative Service Indicator (NSI) restricts a student's access to various entitlements to which they would normally have access. The NSI becomes increasingly restrictive the longer the student's account balance remains overdue.

A schedule of NSIs, which the University will apply to student debtors until the student's account is returned to normal credit terms, is published in the Collections Policy located at http://policy.cqu.edu.au .

In any case in which by reason of special circumstances the charge to be paid, the time when a charge is payable, or any other matter necessary to be determined in order to enable the application of this rule to that case, is not specifically provided for in this rule, the Registrar and Chief Compliance Officer shall have the power and authority to decide any question necessary to be decided in order to determine the matter.

Payment of fees

Commonwealth supported students and HECS-HELP

You are eligible to be Commonwealth supported if you:

• enrol in the course on or before the census date and remain enrolled at the end of the census date;
• submit a Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form on or before the census date;
• meet the citizenship and residency requirements; and
• have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement to cover the course in which you are enrolling (SLE is not required for a Commonwealth supported enabling course).

Your letter of offer will advise if you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place.

Commonwealth supported students are required to contribute to the cost of their higher education through a student contribution. The Commonwealth Government contributes additional funds, direct to the University, for each Commonwealth supported student in a Commonwealth supported place.

Your student contribution will be calculated each term on the basis of your enrolment. Fee notices are made available to all students approximately 3 to 4 weeks prior to the commencement of each term via CQUcentral and the due date will be the term census date or earlier. Student contributions are paid either up-front or payment is deferred and the HECS-HELP debt is repaid later through the tax system. The options available for paying your student contribution will depend on your citizenship or residency status. If you are eligible, HECS-HELP assistance allows you to pay your student contribution amount through a discount for up front payments or through a HELP loan. Full information about how to pay your student contribution, including information about HECS-HELP, is contained in the Information for Commonwealth Supported Students booklet available at http://www.goingtouni.gov.au/ .

Pre-2005 students

All pre-2005 student arrangements ceased on 31 December 2008 regardless of whether a student had completed their program. Students who commenced their programs prior to 2005 are now subject to the student contribution ranges established from 1 January 2005 (indexed) and will not be eligible for a HELP loan unless they are an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa. 

Important change from 1 January 2008 (Pre-2008 students)

• commenced your program of study before 1 January 2008 and were a Commonwealth supported student for a course in that program; and
• did not complete the program before 31 December 2007, or if you did complete, it was:
• an enabling program undertaken in 2007; or
• a program related to a current honours program; and
• you are undertaking a course in accounting, administration, economics or commerce.
  

• commenced your program of study before 1 January 2010 and were a Commonwealth supported student for a course in that program; and

• did not complete the program before 31 December 2009, or if you did complete, it was:

• an enabling program undertaken in 2009; or

• a program related to a current honours program; and

• you are undertaking a course in education or nursing.
  

Important: please read the Fee-Help Information booklet at www.goingtouni.gov.au/ for full information on FEE-HELP

From 01 January 2005 FEE-HELP replaced:

• PELS (Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme); and
• BOTPLS (Bridging for Overseas-Trained Professional Loan Scheme).

FEE-HELP is a loan scheme that assists eligible students to pay their tuition fees. FEE-HELP can cover all or part of a student's tuition fees. Over their lifetime , a student may borrow through FEE-HELP an amount up to the FEE-HELP limit to pay their tuition fees. For the current limit please refer to Section 2.6 of the Fee-Help Information booklet available at www.goingtouni.gov.au.  A 20% loan fee applies to FEE-HELP loans for undergraduate study. The FEE-HELP limit does not include the loan fee.

You are entitled to FEE-HELP assistance for a unit of study if you:

• are undertaking study at an approved higher education provider;
• meet the citizenship or residency requirements;
• are enrolled in an eligible course on the census date;
• are not Commonwealth supported in relation to that course;
• meet the Tax File Number (TFN) requirements;
• have completed, signed and submitted, on or before the census date, a valid Request for FEE-HELP assistance form for the course or the program of which the course forms a part; and
• have not exceeded the FEE-HELP limit.

To be entitled to FEE-HELP, you must be:

• an Australian citizen; or
• the holder or a permanent humanitarian visa who will be a resident in Australia for the duration of the course; or
• the holder of a permanent visa who is undertaking bridging study for overseas-trained professionals and will be resident in Australia for the duration of the course.

Domestic full fee-paying students

CQUniversity offers places and postgraduate award programs to domestic students for a fee payable direct to the University.

The majority of students commencing postgraduate award programs are required to pay full fees direct to the University. The University offers a limited number of Commonwealth supported postgraduate programs. Students should check their letter of offer to confirm if they have been offered a fee paying or Commonwealth supported place.

Continuing postgraduate students who are currently enrolled on a Commonwealth supported basis will retain their Commonwealth supported place as long as they maintain their enrolment in that program. An articulated program will be on a full-fee paying basis (not Commonwealth supported).

All students enrolled at CQUniversity will have access to Fee Notices through CQUcentral advising the balance of their student account during each term. Failure to pay the tuition component of these fees may result in the cancellation of enrolment and/or the imposition of negative service indicators. Refer to CQUniversity Collections Policy. Note: the outstanding fees will remain a debt on the student's account. Enrolled students can check the balance of their account through CQUcentral approximately four weeks prior to the commencement of each term.

International full fee-paying students
CQUniversity offers places in undergraduate and postgraduate award programs to international students on a full fee-paying basis only, with fees payable directly to the University.

All international students enrolled at CQUniversity will have access to Fee Notices through CQUcentral advising the balance of their student account during each term. Failure to pay tuition fees each term may result in the cancellation of enrolment and the imposition of late fees and negative service indicators.

Cancellation of enrolment due to the non-payment of tuition fees will be reported to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and may result in the cancellation of your student visa.

International students requiring further information regarding course fees for full-fee-paying programs should contact the Student Business Centre or Campus Administration at the relevant campus. Students whose enrolment has been cancelled or who drop courses outside the dates advised to drop without financial penalty may still have outstanding financial obligations to CQUniversity (refer to CQUniversity Collections Policy (http://policy.cqu.edu.au).

Student Association Membership
An essential part of protecting your rights as a student comes from being a member of the CQUniversity Student Association (CQUSA).  Membership to the CQUSA is voluntary and free.  Students are no longer charged a compulsory services fee since the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) legislation on the 1st of July 2006.

The Student Association at CQUniversity is the representative body of the student community and exists to promote the interests and welfare of all students, irrespective of campus location or mode of study.

The Association also plays a vital part in student life when representing students at all levels, providing advice and information, guidance, welfare, support and mediation between student members and CQUniversity.

The nationally respected Academic, Advocacy and Support Staff offers student members confidential advice on a wide range of issues, including representation for academic appeals and assistance with program problems. 

Students are considered members of the CQUniversity Student Association once they have submitted a membership form and enrolment advice to the CQUniversity Student Association.

The more members that CQUSA has, the more effectively CQUSA can represent students.  Become a member and empower your Student Association to help you and your fellow students in your current and future academic goals.

For more information, contact the CQUniversity Student Association on + 61 7 4930 9212, email: association-enquiries@cqu.edu.au, or visit the CQUSA Campus Services Office at your campus or the CQUSA Website: www.association.cqu.edu.au.

Payment plans
Failure to meet the obligations of a payment plan may result in the cancellation of enrolment and the imposition of late fees and fees and negative service indicators.

Payment plans may only be offered in certain limited and restricted situations. Refer to CQUniversity's Collections Policy at http://policy.cqu.edu.au for policy details.

Third party contracts
Failure to meet the obligations of a third party contract may result in the cancellation of enrolment, the cancellation of the third party contract and the imposition of negative service indicators.

Student accounts via CQUcentral
Student account details for a term are available via CQUcentral to enrolled students approximately four weeks prior to the commencement of each term. Students should check account balances under the Finances section of CQUcentral when enrolment changes are made. 

Refunds
International students at the Australian International Campuses seeking to apply for refunds should contact their respective campus. All other students including domestic full fee-paying should contact the Student Business Centre or refer to the policy portal (http://policy.cqu.edu.au/ ).

Collections policy
Refer to http://policy.cqu.edu.au/ for policy details.