Enrol - Fees

 

Fees for your course

How much will my course cost?

A range of criteria apply for course fees, access to government subsidised training, student loans, payment by instalment, fee concessions and fee exemptions that are available to eligible students.

For an indication of your course cost, follow the steps below:

  1. First of all find a course you are interested in.
  2. Choose a location and study-mode by clicking on the "Course Fees and Information" button.
  3. Scroll down to the "Fees" information panel.

If your course is Smart and Skilled, click on the "Calculate Your Fee" button to find your individual pricing indication.

For International Student Fees, please visit the TAFE NSW International website.

Subsidised training eligibility

TAFE NSW delivers government subsidised training, including the NSW government training under the Smart and Skilled program.

To access government-subsidised training in TAFE NSW, including fee exemptions or concessions, you must be:

  1. an Australian citizen or meet the criteria of being an Australian permanent resident, a humanitarian visa holder, or a New Zealand citizen;
  2. aged 15 years or older;
  3. no longer be at school;
  4. living or working in NSW; or
  5. registered as a NSW apprentice or new entrant trainee.

When you enrol in a government subsidised TAFE NSW course you will be required to pay the Smart and Skilled student fee unless you qualify for a fee exemption. Please see the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy for full Smart and Skilled fee details and requirements under this program.

You may also be eligible for a Smart & Skilled Fee-Free Scholarship.

If you are not a resident of NSW or working within NSW, you have the option of paying the fee-for-service course fee.

Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students who live or work within NSW and who live at identified postcodes which border NSW shall have access to government subsidised training places in TAFE NSW.

Eligibility for Smart and Skilled – NSW government subsidised training – is available to humanitarian visa holders, and has been extended to individuals who hold a bridging visa, temporary humanitarian stay visa or temporary humanitarian concern visa commencing training on or after 1 January 2017.

Eligibility for Smart and Skilled - NSW government subsidised training - is available to registered home-schooled students whose training commences on or after 1 January 2017.

How the fees are applied

When you enrol in either Fee for Service training or government subsidised training, the fee you are charged is for the whole qualification. This means you'll know the total cost of your course before you start.

The student fees and applicable charges are required to be paid, at enrolment or by scheduled instalment date/s, either by yourself (the student enrolled), the nominated 'third party' on behalf of yourself (for example, your employer), or as identified within a contract for delivery of TAFE NSW training.

The fee you pay, the fee exemption or Smart & Skilled Fee-Free Scholarship you receive, only covers your first attempt at your course, and the first attempt at any unit of competency within your course. If you want to repeat a unit of competency you should discuss this with your head teacher as soon as possible. A separate fee will be charged for any second or further attempt to successfully achieve a unit of competency and will be determined on your specific circumstances and training needs. This fee would not be known at the time of enrolment.

When your enrolment is complete, and you have paid the applicable fees, you will be entitled to attend class, participate in training, sit for examinations, receive educational awards, use amenities and services or receive an active TAFEcard (which provides access to library resources).

What if you are behind in paying your fees?

If you have outstanding fees, please contact your local TAFE NSW as soon as possible to discuss alternate arrangements. If you have outstanding fees or charges, your access to training and learning materials may be blocked and you will not be provided with documents related to your study, such as a transcript of your academic record or testamur. TAFE NSW may also ultimately have to refer your outstanding fees for debt recovery action.

All Smart and Skilled student fees are subject to change by Training Services NSW.

All TAFE NSW fees and charges are reviewed on an annual basis and are subject to change.

Students studying at Diploma or above level may be able to apply for a VET Student Loan in approved courses.

Notes:

  • In addition to the Smart and Skilled student fee, concession fee or fee-for-service amount, some courses have additional costs
  • The Smart and Skilled student fee does not apply to existing worker trainees, school-based apprentices and school-based trainees who are covered by separate funding arrangements
  • TAFE-delivered HSC Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses for school students are subject to separate funding arrangements
  • Courses offered on a fee-for-service basis have different fees. Most courses are offered as fee-for-service, including Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma courses, and some short courses

Read more about payment and funding.

You can also visit the Smart and Skilled website to view the NSW Skills List qualifications, check your eligibility and calculate your course fee.

You can also contact your nearest TAFE NSW campus for more information.

TAFE Degrees

Domestic students who enrol in a TAFE Degree course will be required to pay tuition fees for all subjects they are enrolled in each semester. International students who enrol in a TAFE Degree course pay their tuition fees each semester. A schedule of current tuition fees and more information about TAFE Degree tuition fees, including information about FEE-HELP loans can be accessed here.

TVET Courses

See our TVET page for more information.

Fee for service courses

Many TAFE NSW courses are offered on a fee-for-service basis.

If a course is being offered on a fee-for-service basis, the price will be displayed as part of the course details. More information may also be available under the fee details section for your course.

Fees for additional subsidised qualifications and courses

As the State's public provider TAFE NSW provides training and services for specific groups to meet government priorities outside the Smart and Skilled program. Courses are offered across the key programs of:

  • TAFE NSW HSC Studies and Educational Pathways
  • Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation (TPC)
  • Aboriginal Education and Language qualifications
  • Foundation Skills for Learner Drivers

Click here for more information on the student fees for these courses.

Fee exemptions

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders:

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are eligible to be exempt from paying the Smart and Skilled student fee if they live or work in NSW or live at identified postcodes which border NSW.

Students with a disability:

Students who meet the eligibility requirements for Smart and Skilled and who receive a disability support pension and students with a disability (clients of a Teacher/Consultant for students with a disability or a specialist professional) are exempt from paying the Smart and Skilled student fee.

Students who meet the eligibility requirements for Smart and Skilled and are the current dependent child, spouse or partner of a recipient of a Disability Support Pension are exempt from paying the Smart and Skilled student fee.

Where you are in receipt of a disability support pension, a check of your CRN will be made with Centrelink to validate your eligibility for a fee exemption. The consent and authorisation for validating your CRN with Centrelink is given when accepting the conditions of your enrolment.

To complete your enrolment, you may need to fill in the TAFE NSW Fee Exemption application form. Contact or go to your chosen college. Your eligibility for a fee exemption is determined at time of enrolment.

Apprenticeship and Traineeship fee free training

New apprentices who are commencing training, for the first time, on or after July 1 2018 may be eligible for a fee-free apprenticeship.

New trainees who are commencing training, for the first time, on or after January 1 2020 may be eligible for a fee-free traineeship.

Fee Waiver

Students who hold a humanitarian visa, a bridging visa (BVA,BVB,BVC,BVD,BVE) who has applied for a humanitarian visa, temporary humanitarian stay visa or temporary humanitarian concern visa, and are commencing in NSW government subsidised training, at Certificate I to Certificate IV level, on or after 1 January 2017 will be eligible to have their Student Fee waived. Additional detail is at Temporary Visa holder page.

Concession fee

Students who live or work in NSW and who receive one or more eligible Commonwealth benefits or allowances at the time of their enrolment may be eligible to pay the Smart and Skilled concession fee for their qualification rather than the relevant Smart and Skilled student fee.

Smart and Skilled concession fees are available for Certificate I to Certificate IV qualifications, and are not available for Diploma or Advanced Diploma qualifications.

If you are eligible for a Smart and Skilled concession fee and aged between 15 years and 30 years, you may also be eligible to receive the Smart and Skilled Fee-Free Scholarship.

Eligible benefits include:

  • Age Pension
  • Austudy
  • Carer Payment
  • Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment
  • Family Tax Benefit Part A (maximum rate)
  • Farm Household Allowance
  • Newstart Allowance*
  • Parenting Payment (Single)
  • Sickness Allowance*
  • Special Benefit
  • Veterans' Affairs Payments
  • Veterans' Children Education Scheme
  • Widow Allowance*
  • Widow 'B' Pension*
  • Wife Pension
  • Youth Allowance

If you are a recipient of an eligible benefit or allowance, the concession fee may also be available to your dependent child, spouse or partner.

To complete your enrolment, a check of your CRN will be made with Centrelink to validate your eligibility for a concession fee. The consent and authorisation for validating your CRN with Centrelink is given when accepting the conditions of your enrolment.

In some circumstances, you may need to fill in the TAFE NSW Concession Fee application form, and provide documentation to support your application. (Your documentation may be provided via the Centrelink/Express Plus mobile app.

* Indicates that in March 2020, these benefits will be consolidated into to a new Jobseeker Payment.