What will the degree actually cost?

Most domestic undergraduate students at public universities are offered a Commonwealth supported place. This means the government pays part of your course cost, and you pay the rest. Your part is called the student contribution.

How much you pay depends on what you're studying. The government sets a maximum amount universities can charge for different subject areas. Your degree can include subjects from more than one area, so the cost isn't always the same for every unit.

For example, three years of full-time study with every unit in the nursing band comes to about $14,724 at the 2027 amount. The amounts go up each year, so the real total will be a little more.

Universities can also charge a student services and amenities fee, up to $386 in 2027 for full-time students and $289.50 for part-time students. You can borrow that too, through a loan called SA-HELP.

HECS-HELP is a loan from the government that pays your student contribution straight to your university. You can use it if you're in a Commonwealth supported place and you're an Australian citizen, or a New Zealand Special Category Visa holder, permanent humanitarian visa holder or Pacific Engagement Visa holder who meets the residency rules. Most other permanent visa holders can have a Commonwealth supported place but can't get a HECS-HELP loan, so they pay their contribution upfront.

• You'll need a tax file number before your first course census date.
• You apply for HECS-HELP through your university by the census date.
• You don't get a discount for paying your contribution upfront or paying your HELP debt off early.
• There is a limit on how much you can borrow across HELP loans. For most students, the limit is $134,558 in 2027. A higher limit of $193,259 applies to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and some aviation courses.

The census date is the last day you can withdraw from your study without getting a HELP debt for it, and the last day to ask for a HECS-HELP loan. Each university sets its own census dates, so they vary between courses. If you withdraw after the census date, you still owe the amount. If you haven't asked for the loan by then, your enrolment in a Commonwealth supported place is cancelled. Check your census dates at the start of each study period.

Repayments come out through the tax system. Nothing is due until your repayment income is over $69,528 in 2026–27. Above that, you repay 15 cents for each dollar over $69,528, rising to 17 cents for each dollar over $129,717. At $186,051 and above, it's 10% of your whole repayment income.

The important thing to understand is that you don't make repayments while you're studying just because you have a HECS-HELP debt. Your repayments are linked to your income.

• When you start a job, tell your employer you have a HELP debt so they can take the appropriate amount from your pay. The ATO works out what you actually owe when you lodge your tax return.
• You can make extra repayments if you want to.
• If you move overseas for six months or more in a year, you still need to repay based on your worldwide income and tell the ATO.

Yes. HELP debts are indexed each year to keep them broadly in line with changes in prices or wages. On 1 June each year, the part of your debt that's more than 11 months old is adjusted using the lower of the two measures.

The indexation rate was 2.8% on 1 June 2026, compared with 3.2% in 2025. The rate can change each year.

If you're thinking about paying extra off your debt, payments made before 1 June can reduce the amount that is subject to indexation.

In 2025, the government reduced existing student loan debts by 20%. This was a one-off reduction that applied to debts that existed at the time. It doesn't mean a new HECS-HELP debt you take on in 2027 will automatically get a 20% reduction.

If you're studying teaching, nursing, midwifery or social work, you may be eligible for the Commonwealth Prac Payment while completing a mandatory placement.

The payment is $338.60 a week at the 2026 rate. Eligibility depends on your circumstances, including your income or whether you receive certain income support payments. It counts as taxable income.

The government has announced that the payment will be extended to 10 allied health disciplines from 1 July 2027.

Living costs, textbooks and equipment, full-fee places (which may be covered by a different loan, FEE-HELP) and international students' fees.