Commencements before 1 July 2009
This information applies to students undertaking training courses. For information on university course fees, go to the Going to Uni website.
Fee maintenance
If you started your course before 1 July 2009, you will go on paying the same fees, with minor adjustments for indexation, until you complete the course or withdraw from your enrolment. This is called 'fee maintenance', and it is there to make sure you can continue your course under the conditions that applied when you began.
Concessions and Fee exemptions will be continue to be available to you if you are eligible and in your case this applies to all courses, including Diploma courses and above.
Only for continuous training
Fee maintenance is only available while you keep studying continuously. This means re-enrolling in the same course, leading to the same qualification, and undertaking the next scheduled classes. If you take a break from your course without organising it first with the provider, and then come back to finish off your course, the provider may charge you the new fee rates. If you change providers in the middle of the course, you will need to talk to the new provider about whether they will keep you on fee maintenance or charge the new fees - it’s their choice.
Only for tuition fees
Fee maintenance doesn’t extend to non-tuition fees, such as a student services and amenities fee, or fees for materials and equipment. Nor does it apply for any new courses you might enrol in - these will be charged at the new rates. However, to ensure that you don’t get caught out by changing fees, if you pick up a new course in the same calendar year as your existing course, you will be able to discount the fees you have already paid in that year against the cost of the new course.
There is an expiry date
The overall expiry date for fee maintenance is 31 December 2012 so after that date, even if you haven’t finished your course, you will be charged at the new fee rates. This gives you a long lead time to complete your course.
You can opt out
In most cases, staying on fee maintenance will help keep your fees at the current low level. But in some cases, particularly for Foundation Skills courses, fees commencing on 1 July 2009 will be cheaper. If your course is in this category, your provider is able to charge you at the lower rate for any part of it undertaken after 1 July in the transition year 2009. From 2010, students on fee maintenance can choose to change over to the new fees.