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Commonwealth Supported Places

What is a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)?

Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) at the University of Melbourne are available to eligible Australian and New Zealand citizens, Australian permanent residents and holders of permanent Humanitarian Visas in undergraduate and some graduate coursework courses. 

A Commonwealth Supported Place is an enrolment at the University of Melbourne which is subsidised by the Commonwealth Government.  A student enrolled in a CSP contributes to the tuition fee of their course by paying the relevant contribution amount up-front or in a deferred loan arrangement through the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP).

Student contribution amounts must be paid by the census date for each subject in which you enrol. However, Australian citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders are eligible to defer payment through HECS-HELP.  The amount you are charged is the sum of the student contribution amounts (for all subjects in which you enrol). Subjects have been grouped into discipline bands and the price of each subject depends on its discipline band and the proportion it represents of a normal full-time study load.

All students enrolling into a CSP are required to submit a 'Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP' form during online enrolment, regardless of their eligibility to defer payments via HECS-HELP.

For more information about Commonwealth supported places, including the discipline bands, calculating fees and information about HECS-HELP, please visit the following fees page on the Study website, or the Commonwealth Government's Study Assist website. For information on eligibility requirements for maintaining a Commonwealth Support Place, visit the Eligibility for Commonwealth Supported Places and HELP loans page.

FEE-FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) Commonwealth Supported Places

FEE-FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) places at the University of Melbourne are available to eligible Australian and New Zealand citizens, Australian permanent residents and permanent humanitarian visa holders in eligible enabling courses.

FFUR places are fully funded by the Commonwealth Government. A student enrolled in a FFUR place does not pay a contribution towards their tuition fees for their course, the Commonwealth pays the whole tuition fee to the University of Melbourne.

All students enrolling into a FFUR place are required to submit a 'FEE-FREE Uni Ready course electornic Commonwealth Assistance Form' (eCAF) during online enrolment. This form acknolwedges that students are receiving Commonwealth Assistance and are enrolled in a FEE-FREE Uni Ready Commonwealth Supported Place.

For more information about FFUR places, please visit the Commonwealth Government's Study Assist website.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE)

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) determines the amount of study you can do under a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). From 1 January 2022 all students received 7 EFTSL of SLE which is equavelent to seven years of full time study.

Enrolling into a FEE-FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) course does not affect your SLE entitlement.

Further information about SLE is available on the Study Assist website.

Students can check their SLE balance on the myHELPbalance website.