Contributions payable under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) are reviewed annually by the Australian Government. The university's fees are also periodically reviewed. Students enrolling in full-fee-paying undergraduate or postgraduate courses or as a single unit non-award student are ineligible for HECS.
The
scheme was introduced by the Australian Government in 1989 and requires
contributions to be made by students towards the cost of their higher education
studies. The amount to be contributed depends on the study load (units)
undertaken each semester, and is payable whether or not a pass in each unit is
achieved.
Most undergraduate students, some postgraduate students, and
cross-institutional students who are not enrolled as fee-paying students in the
award course being undertaken at their home institution are liable for payment
under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). HECS contributions
will not be required from:
Comprehensive HECS information will be provided with offer letters to students offered a Government-funded course place. You may select either the deferred payment option (in which case payment is deferred until your taxable income reaches an annually indexed threshold), including partial upfront payment or the full upfront payment option (in which case a 25 per cent discount may apply). Payment of a contribution under the upfront payment option will be required on a semester basis. HECS guidelines are updated annually and it is the student's responsibility to read and understand them. Further information can be obtained from http://www.hecs.gov.au.
If
withdrawal from a unit or course occurs by 31 March in the first semester,
or 31 August in the second semester, the unit or course will not attract a
HECS liability for the semester. These are referred to as 'census dates' as
they are the dates at which the Government calculates HECS liability. Where
summer-semester units are offered, the census date normally is the date on
which the student begins a course of study (where the study period is less than
six weeks long), or 14 days after course commencement (where the
summer-semester period is greater than six weeks).
More detailed information will be provided with offer letters, but may also be
obtained from Student Services Centre at the Gippsland campus. Read 'HECS: Your
Questions Answered 2002' for all information regarding HECS.
The standard annual contribution for 2002 is set out below. University fees are also reviewed periodically - see course information. The annual HECS course contribution for a standard full-time study load is set by the Australian Government in three study discipline bands:
All 'differential HECS rate' units of study are allocated a band, and total HECS payable is determined by each student's particular study program for each year. The Australian Government also sets a pre-1997 ´non-differential' rate that applies in certain circumstances.
Amenities are invoiced on a semester basis. Amenities fees for 2002 had not been finalised at the time of publication, however the following categories may apply. For the purpose of calculating amenities fees:
Most new off-campus distributed learning (distance education) students enrol as part-time students. As a guide, students in this category may expect the amenities fee to be at least $62.50 for the semester.
Students who are only enrolled at Monash University as cross-institutional studies students, with results to be credited to an award course at another institution, may produce evidence of payment of fees at their home institution as an alternative to payment of the amenities fee at Monash University.
Where unit/tuition fees are applicable to an undergraduate or postgraduate course, the fees payable will be described under the appropriate course heading within this handbook. Some courses may have both HECS and fee-paying places available. Amenities fees are payable for fee-paying postgraduate courses unless stated otherwise in your offer letter.
The Federal Government as introduced a loan scheme for postgraduate students in 2002. Further information can be obtained via the DETYA website at http://www.hecs.gov.au/pels.htm.
Upfront
HECS payments, single-unit fees and amenities fees are refundable until
31 March for first semester and 31 August for second semester.
Some postgraduate course/unit fees and single unit course fees may include a
non-refundable component, or a separate non-refundable administration fee.
Full details will be included in the 2002 Student Resource Guide
(available on the internet at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs).
The provision of an education course is generally GST-free. In particular, all recognised and government-accredited tertiary courses are GST-free. GST may, however, apply to a number of activities, services and courses that Monash University supplies to students. When the details regarding these activities that are subject to GST become available, they will be located at http://www.monash.edu.au/students.
Previous page | Next page | Section contents | Title and contents