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26.1 – Domestic students
A provider must require domestic students to pay a tuition fee or student contribution amount for units of study unless the student has withdrawn before the census date or the student is an exempt student [part 11] [HESA section 169-15]. A provider cannot waive a unit of study’s tuition fee or student contribution amount for domestic students who are not exempt students.
26.2 – Overseas students
Overseas students must be charged as a minimum, a fee sufficient to recover the full cost of providing a course [HEP Guidelines chapter 6]. The fee must be no less than those shown for the relevant category of courses in the schedule of minimum indicative course fees (see the published indexed rates) unless:
- the course is provided wholly offshore and students will not at any stage enter Australia for study; or
- approval has been given by the department to charge less than the minimum indicative fee for a course
In both exceptions the provider must demonstrate to the department that the fee proposed will recover at least the full cost of providing the course [HEP Guidelines chapter 6].
In addition, a provider is not required to charge fees to overseas students who are:
- overseas students undertaking study in Australia as part of a formal exchange program [part 15]; or
- overseas students undertaking study in Australia towards a research master’s degree or a research doctoral degree who have been awarded a scholarship for that study on the basis of merit following a competitive application process [HEP Guidelines chapter 6]
A provider is prohibited from charging overseas student less than the minimum indicative fee (unless another exception applies) by using a scholarship other than the research master’s degree or a research doctoral degree type scholarships detailed above.