Fee Information
Fee information for domestic coursework students
Domestic fee paying students are responsible for meeting the costs of their study program. Fees will depend on your award, enrolment load, and college, and may include student contribution and tuition fees. Consider your fees and other regular expenses like text book purchases, travel, etc to calculate the ‘real costs’ of your study program.
Students are required to pay their tuition fees directly to the enrolled college or, if eligible, can access FEE-HELP to cover some or all of their tuition fees.
FEE-HELP
FEE-HELP is an Australian loan scheme that assists eligible full fee paying students pay their tuition fees at university and other higher education providers. Sydney College of Divinity is an approved higher education provider and our students may be eligible for a FEE-HELP loan to pay part or all of your tuition fees. A FEE-HELP loan does not cover costs like accommodation, laptops or text books.
You are advised to contact the registrar at your enrolled college for all information. The general process would require you to check your eligibility to get a FEE-HELP loan. If eligible, you will need a Tax File Number (TFN) and a Request for FEE-HELP assistance form, which the registrar will give you. Your form must be filled and submitted to the Registrar before the Census Date (or administrative date).
You can borrow up to the HELP limit to pay your tuition fees. For 2021, the HELP loan limit for most students will be $108,232. If you get a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your undergraduate course, you may have to pay a loan fee. The loan fee does not count towards your HELP limit. The HELP limit is currently a lifetime limit and includes all FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP and Vet Student Loans and any HECS-HELP loans incurred from 1 January 2020. Learn more about the 2020 loan limit changes.
Important notice – legislation changes that affect your HELP loan
For units of study from 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2021 inclusive, undergraduate FEE-HELP assisted students will be exempt from loan fees. This is to encourage students to commence or continue study during the COVID 19 pandemic.
From 1 July 2021, FEE-HELP loan fees for undergraduate fee-paying places at higher education providers will be reduced to 20 per cent (from 25 per cent). These changes apply to units of study with a census date on or after 1 July 2021.
Amendments were made in June 2020 to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA).
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- From 1 January 2021, it is compulsory for new students commencing in 2021 to apply for and obtain a Unique Student Identifier (USI) in order to be eligible for Commonwealth assistance (Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or HELP loan).
- The Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) will be gradually decommissioned and replaced by the USI.
For up-to-date information always visit www.studyassist.gov.au
Unpaid or overdue fees
If tuition fees are unpaid or overdue it may result in
- fines, where applicable
- not being able to enrol in further units
- not having access to exam results and transcripts
- cancellation of enrolment
- not being able to graduate
Withdrawal and Refunds
The Sydney College of Divinity Refund and Withdrawal Policy has been developed in accordance with Section 28 of the ESOS Act 2000 (as amended in 2007). The policy outlines the refund conditions and payments payable when either the student or Sydney College of Divinity defaults.
Tuition Assurance Requirements
Statement of Course Assurance
Sydney College of Divinity is a body corporate registered on the Australian Qualifications Framework in the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Under the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and the associated HEP Guidelines, Sydney College of Divinity is required to provide a tuition assurance arrangement for Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa who are enrolled in higher education courses it offers. This requirement is to protect students in the event that we cease to provide a course of study in which a student is enrolled.
In the event that Sydney College of Divinity ceases to provide a course of study in which a student is enrolled the student is entitled to either:
Course Assurance Option which is an offer of a place in a similar course of study with the Australian College of Theology (ACT) without any requirement to pay ACT any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units OR
Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option which is a refund of any up-front fee payments made by the student for any unit of study commenced but not completed as Sydney College of Divinity is no longer providing the course of study of which the unit forms a part.
Sydney College of Divinity has met the tuition assurance requirements of the HESA through its current membership of the Sydney College of Divinity Tuition Assurance Scheme (TAS).
For students using FEE-HELP, the Government has introduced new arrangements from 1 January 2018 that include exempting particular higher education providers from Tuition Assurance, subject to meeting certain conditions.
Students studying on an Australia Student Visa are covered by the Tuition Protection Service (TPS), an initiative of the Australian Government to assist international students whose education providers are unable to fully deliver their course of study. Sydney College of Divinity makes a compulsory payment to the Government to protect the interests of our international students.
Exclusions from Tuition Assurance
Eight awards accredited by TEQSA on 2 December 2013 are specialist awards for which there is no equivalent offered by any other Australian Higher Education Provider or University at this time. It is therefore not possible to arrange tuition assurance for these awards.
These awards are all delivered in their entirety in the Korean language and so designated in their titles:
- Master of Divinity (Korean)
- Master of Theology (Korean)
- Master of Arts (Korean)
- Graduate Diploma of Arts (Korean)
- Graduate Certificate in Arts (Korean)
- Bachelor of Theology (Honours) (Korean)
- Associate Degree of Christian Thought and Practice (Korean)
- Diploma of Christian Studies (Korean)