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Fee Remission in special circumstances

Can I get my fees or student contribution remitted if I withdrew late or failed a subject due to special circumstances?

For the latest information about fees as a result of COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 updates and advice for students.

Eligibility for Fee Remission in Special Circumstances is assessed in accordance with the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) 36-21 and 36-22.

You can apply for a remission of fees and/or reversal of HELP debt if you were unable to complete a subject’s requirements owing to special circumstances. Applications must be submitted within 12 months from the date of subject withdrawal or, if the subject was failed, within 12 months from the end of the study period in which the subject was undertaken.

If Fee Remission is granted for a failed subject, you will be considered for a grade change to withdrawn (WD) and advised accordingly of the outcome. Note that this will only apply to subjects with census dates after 1 January 2018. 

Eligibility Criteria

Special circumstances are defined as circumstances that:

  • are beyond your control in that they are not due to your action or inaction, either direct or indirect and are unusual or uncommon or abnormal
  • make their full impact on, or after, the census date, and
  • make it impracticable for you to complete the subject requirements

Your circumstances must have impacted you to the extent that you were unable to complete the subject requirements and must have occurred or worsened on or after the census date.

All of the above criteria must have been met in order to apply.

Application Time Limit

Commonwealth legislation requires Fee Remission applications to be submitted within 12 months of the date of subject withdrawal, or if the subject is failed, within 12 months from the end of the study period in which the subject was undertaken.

The Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) (HESA), 36-23 (b) provides for a waiver of the application period only on the ground that it would not be, or was not, possible for the application to be made before the end of that period.

Applications submitted outside the 12 month time limit will not be considered unless you can demonstrate, with evidence, that it was not possible for you to apply within this timeframe. Being unaware of fee remission is not accepted as a reason for not applying within the application period; information on fee remission is published on the University website and is accessible to all students.

Applications for a waiver of the 12 month time limit can be submitted via email to: sa-remission@unimelb.edu.au.

Supporting Documentation

Documentation must be supplied with your application.

It is essential that you provide independent supporting documentation to support your application. It is not sufficient to provide only a personal statement or statutory declaration.


Medical reasons

Print and complete the Fee Remission Special Medical Circumstances form. You will need to fill in page one and have your medical practitioner complete pages two and three of this form. Your application will be deemed invalid if you do not attach this completed form as supporting documentation.


Family/personal reasons

A statement from a doctor or counsellor stating:

  • The date your personal circumstances began or changed;
  • How your circumstances affected your ability to study; and
  • When it became apparent that you could not continue with your studies.

Employment-related reasons

A statement from your employer stating:

  • Your previous work hours and location;
  • Your current work hours and location; and
  • The reason for changed hours and location.

Course related reasons

A statement from your faculty stating:

  • That you have been disadvantaged by changed arrangements to your subject or course and that it was impossible for you to undertake alternative subjects or courses.

How to apply

Submit a Fee Remission application online:

If applying on MEDICAL grounds - you will need to print and complete the Fee Remission Special Medical Circumstances form. You will need to fill in page one and have your medical practitioner complete pages two and three of this form. Your application will be deemed invalid if you do not attach this completed form as supporting documentation.

Submit a Fee Remission application


We will endeavour to assess your application and provide you with an outcome within 60 days. 

However, please note we are currently experiencing a high volume of applications.  As a result, there may be a delay with the assessment of your application.  Be assured that we will endeavour to provide you with an outcome as soon as possible.

Support

Please email sa-remission@unimelb.edu.au if you have any questions or require further information about applying for Fee Remission.

About this answer

Last updated: July 23, 2020, 10:45 a.m.

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