18. Student services and amenities fee

On this page:

18.1 - What is the student services and amenities fee?

The student services and amenities fee or SSAF is a fee that providers can charge their students for student services and amenities of a non-academic nature, such as sporting and recreational activities, employment and career advice, childcare, financial advice and food services. Providers may charge full-time students a fee of up to $365 in 2025 [HESA subsection 19‑37(5)(e)]. This amount will be indexed annually and published on the department’s Funding Clusters and Indexed Rates webpage.

18.2 - Who can be charged a student services and amenities fee?

Any person who is enrolled or seeking to enrol with a provider may be charged a SSAF, regardless of whether the student chooses to use any of the services and amenities funded by the fee [HESA subsection 19-37(5)]. However, only those students who meet the eligibility criteria can access a SA-HELP loan to assist them to pay for all or part of the fee.

18.3 - Who will the fee apply to?

A provider may charge different amounts for particular categories of students, including a zero amount. Categories of students can be determined on any basis including mode of attendance, type of course or equity status. For example, a provider may choose not to charge external students a fee, as they may not attend classes at a campus and may not access any of the services or amenities on offer. If a provider charges the fee to external/online students, the provider must have services available for those students (i.e. online services).

18.4 - Arrangements for part-time students

The SSAF amount for students enrolled with a provider on a part-time basis must not be more than 75 per cent of the maximum amount charged to students enrolled with that provider on a full-time basis [Administration Guidelines section 7]. For the purposes of section 7 of the Administration Guidelines, the term 'part-time basis' means a study load of less than 75 per cent of the normal full-time student load for the period to which the fee relates. For example, if a full-time student is charged a maximum SSAF of $365 in 2025, part-time students can only be charged up to a maximum of $273.75 in 2025. Providers cannot round this amount up as this would exceed the 75 per cent rule.

18.5 - Charging international students a student services and amenities fee

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) does not prohibit providers from charging international students enrolled, or seeking to enrol with the provider, a SSAF under HESA [HESA subsection 19‑37(5)].

Under the ESOS legislative framework, providers may charge international students enrolling with them a SSAF, as long as the written agreement between the provider and the student contains a clause specifying the fee and/or allowing the provider to vary the student’s fee during their enrolment.

If the written agreement between the provider and the international student does not include this clause, the provider may not charge a SSAF for the duration of the agreement [ESOS Act section 47B; National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 Standard 3].

Providers must ensure compliance with any other applicable aspects of the ESOS legislative framework, including the ESOS Act and the National Code, when advising students in their written agreement about tuition fees and any other fees the provider charges.

18.6 - Determining the date that the fee is payable

Providers must determine a date payable for the SSAF. This date cannot be earlier than the last day on which a student is able to enrol with the provider in a course of study. Eligible students who wish to access SA‑HELP assistance must submit a SA-HELP electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF), otherwise known as the Request for SA-HELP assistance form, on or before the date payable.

18.7 - Payment of the student services and amenities fee

Students may pay their SSAF upfront. Eligible students who are unable to pay upfront may request a SA-HELP loan [part 33.1]. These students may choose to pay some of the fee upfront and access a SA-HELP loan for the remainder or may access a SA-HELP loan for the full amount of the fee. The amount of SA-HELP accessed by the student will be added to the student’s accumulated HELP debt. Eligible students will be able to use SA-HELP even if they do not wish to access any other HELP scheme.

18.8 - Refund of the fee

Providers are expected to develop their own policies in relation to the refund of any SSAF paid upfront.

A SA-HELP debt can only be remitted in limited circumstances [part 33.8]. Providers are expected to advise students who have incurred a SA-HELP debt that even if they receive a refund of their student contribution amount or tuition fee due to special circumstances, the student will still have a SA-HELP debt recorded with the ATO.

18.9 - Variations to the fee or the day on which the fee is payable

Once a provider has published its SSAF information for the period, it can vary the information only in accordance with the requirements in Part 2 of the Administration Guidelines. The amount of the fee and/or the date on which the fee is payable may be varied if:

  • new circumstances arise that did not apply when the fee, or the day the fee was payable, was determined; or
  • to correct an administrative error.

A provider must notify the department of its intention to vary its published SSAF information in writing to SSAF@education.gov.au at least five working days before making the variation.

If the variation will disadvantage a student seeking to enrol or enrolled with the provider, then the variation can only be made up to two months before the commencement of the course [Administration Guidelines section 9]. Variations that disadvantage students include, but are not limited to, increasing the SSAF or changing the date to which the fee is payable to an earlier date.

The provider must publish the varied fee or date payable no later than two weeks after making the variation [Administration Guidelines section 11].

18.10 - Goods and services tax requirements

The ATO provides advice on whether GST is payable on a SSAF. If a provider is unsure whether the fee attracts a GST liability, the provider should obtain advice directly from the ATO. For further information on how to apply for a private ruling, see the ATO website.

Where the GST is payable, the fee must be GST-inclusive [Administration Guidelines section 6].

18.11 - Publishing requirements

If a provider charges a SSAF, the provider must publish:

  • the amount of the fee;
  • the date that the fee is payable;
  • the period to which the fee relates; and
  • a description of the category of persons required to pay the fee to allow a person to determine whether the fee applies to them.

A provider must publish this information by:

  • 1 April for a SSAF that is payable between 1 July and 31 December of the same year
  • 1 October for a SSAF that is payable between 1 January and 30 June of the subsequent year

A provider must also publish their completed SSAF Allocation Report within six months of their annual reporting period (either by 30 June or 31 December, whichever is applicable).

18.12 – Minimum allocation requirements

From 1 January 2025, a provider who charges a SSAF must allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of their SSAF revenue for the calendar year to one or more student-led organisation. SSAF revenue must be allocated to one or more student-led organisation before the end of the calendar year in which the SSAF revenue was collected by the provider.

An organisation is a student-led organisation if:

  • the majority of the persons constituting the governing body are either or both:
    • students enrolled in a course of study with the provider during the calendar year;
    • students who have been enrolled in a course of study with the provider during any of the three (3) immediately preceding calendar years;
  • the majority of the persons constituting the governing body have been democratically elected by students enrolled in a course of study with the provider when the student votes in the election; and
  • the organisation satisfies the requirements specified in the Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy Guidelines (SSARA Guidelines).

Part 3, section 20 of the SSARA Guidelines requires that providers be satisfied that:

  • a student-led organisation has appropriate governance arrangements, including that:
    • the governing body of the organisation makes decisions independently from the provider;
    • the organisation keeps and publishes annual audited accounts that record the organisation’s income and expenditure, including in relation to transactions between the provider and the organisation;
    • the organisation has and complies with policies and procedures that relate to corporate governance standards (record keeping, risk management, fraud prevention and financial controls); and
  • the organisation provides the services set out in subsection 19-38(4) of HESA to students using the SSAF revenue allocated to them.

Transition arrangements

If a provider is not able to allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of SSAF revenue to one or more student-led organisation and maintain key services to an appropriate level for the calendar year, it will be required to seek approval from the Secretary of the Department of Education for an agreed transition arrangement in the form approved by the Secretary.

Agreed transition arrangements are available for up to three (3) years for Table A providers (listed under subsection 16-15(1) of the Higher Education Support Act 2003) and up to five (5) years for non-Table A providers. Following the agreed transition period, a provider must comply with the minimum allocation legislative requirements.

Further information about transition arrangements, including the form in which they must be requested and the timeframe for submission, will be available in early 2025.

18.13 - Allowable expenditure of revenue from the fee

A provider who charges a SSAF may only use that revenue to provide or subsidise the following services [HESA section 19-38]:

  • providing food or drink to students on a campus of the provider
  • supporting students’ sporting or other recreational activities
  • supporting the administration of a club most of whose members are students
  • caring for students’ children
  • providing legal services to students
  • promoting students’ health or welfare
  • helping students to secure accommodation
  • helping students to obtain employment or advice on careers
  • helping students with their financial affairs
  • helping students to obtain insurance against personal accidents
  • supporting debating by students
  • providing libraries and reading rooms, other than those provided for academic purposes for students
  • supporting an artistic activity by students
  • supporting the production and dissemination to students of media whose content is provided by students
  • helping students develop skills for study, by means other than undertaking courses of study in which they are enrolled
  • advising on matters arising under the provider’s rules, however described
  • advocating students’ interests in matters arising under the provider’s rules, however described
  • giving students information to help them in their orientation; and
  • helping meet the specific needs of overseas students relating to their welfare, accommodation and employment.

Providers may spend SSAF revenue to directly provide a service, to get someone else to provide a service or subsidise a service provided by someone else, or on infrastructure for the provision of a service.

Providers are responsible for ensuring that health, welfare, advocacy or career services provided to enrolled students, are delivered by trained and qualified staff [Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022) section 9].

18.14 - Requirements for providing students with information about, and access to, services

Providers that receive funding through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) must comply with the SSARA Guidelines, including the requirements relating to providing students with information about, and access to, services.

Access to orientation and information

Under the SSARA Guidelines, an orientation program and information must be provided to all enrolled students, including those enrolling at different entry points, to provide them with information that is not of an academic nature and that supports them. Relevant information may be provided to students in oral or written form, or by electronic means such as via the provider’s website, email, SMS broadcasts or podcasts.

Orientation programs must be designed to assist student with transition to study by familiarising them with the provider, the provider’s campuses, the available support services (including in relation to safety) and providing information about the student services and amenities fee, the services it enables, and how students can access those services.

Students must be provided with information on how to access health, welfare, advocacy and career services.

Access to advocacy officers

Students must be given access to advocacy officers who can provide services in relation to matters arising under the provider’s academic and procedural rules. Advocacy officers should act in the best interests of students and be independent from the provider’s decision-makers and other staff who administer the provider’s academic and procedural rules and regulations. Advocacy officers must avoid potential or actual conflicts of interest in carrying out their duties.

Access to trained and qualified staff

Providers must ensure that trained and qualified staff are engaged to meet the needs of enrolled students, whether they provide health, welfare, advocacy or career services and whether this is done directly or via the engagement of a third party.

These requirements are imposed regardless of whether a provider chooses to charge a SSAF.

18.15 – Requirements for representation and advocacy of student interests

The Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022 [Part 3] outline the requirements relating to the representation and advocacy of student interests. They require that students have access to democratic and independent student representation and their views are taken into account in institutional decision-making processes.

Providers must give students the opportunity to participate in a process to democratically elect student representatives. Elected student representatives must be provided with adequate and reasonable support resources and infrastructure by the provider to allow them to carry out their functions.

Providers must consult formally with democratically elected student representatives and representatives from major student organisations at the provider about how, specifically, the proceeds from any compulsory student services and amenities fee are used. Consultation should include:

  • publishing identified priorities for proposed fee expenditure and allowing students and student associations and organisations opportunities to comment on those; and
  • meeting with democratically elected student representatives and representatives from key student organisations to consider the priorities for the use of fee revenue

The requirement for representation and advocacy of student interests are imposed regardless of whether a provider chooses to charge a SSAF.

18.16 - SSAF reporting requirements

Providers who charge a SSAF must provide a publicly available, report on both their SSAF allocations report and actual expenditure for the year as part of their annual reporting and in the form approved by the Minister [SSARA Guidelines section 19(5)].

SSAF allocation reporting

The SSAF Allocation Report is the form approved by the Minister.

Providers must upload their completed SSAF Allocation Report to their website within six months of the end of their annual reporting period (either by 30 June or 31 December, whichever is applicable). This report must be publicly available and not require a login to view.

SSAF expenditure reporting

The SSAF expenditure reporting requirements are specified in the Financial Statement Guidelines for Table A and B providers, and in the Financial Viability Instructions: Applicants and Providers of FEE‑HELP (FVI) for all other approved providers. They are separate to the SSAF Allocation Report.

To meet the SSAF expenditure reporting requirements, all providers are required to provide to the Department:

  • a SSAF acquittal to demonstrate how much SSAF revenue was earned and spent in the reported year; and
  • a SSAF certification to confirm that SSAF was charged in accordance with the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act) and the Higher Education Support (Administration) Guidelines 2022, and that SSAF was spent in accordance with subsection 19-38(4) of the Act.

If you are a Table A or B provider and would like a copy of the current Financial Statement Guidelines, please contact ppfinance@education.gov.au. For all other approved providers, a copy of the SSAF expenditure reporting template is included in the FVI.

Questions about the SSAF reporting requirements should be directed to SSAF@education.gov.au.