Fees

AFTRS is required by the Commonwealth Government to set a Census Date for each unit of study it offers.

What is a Census Date?

• The dates you become financially liable for any unit of study in which you are enrolled.
• The final day you can withdraw from a unit of study without financial liability.
• The date when you incur a FEE-HELP debt for any units for which you have taken out a FEE-HELP loan.

To find the census date for the units of study in your course, refer to the Fees Schedule above.

Note: Deadlines for payment of fees are before the Census dates.

All AFTRS award courses are FEE-HELP approved.

AFTRS is an approved Higher Education Provider and is registered with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

ELIGIBILITY

This means eligible AFTRS students have the opportunity to apply for the Australian Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme to help pay your course fees if you meet the citizenship and residency requirements as follows:

• You are an Australian citizen
• You are a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa
• You are enrolled in an eligible unit of study by the census date
• You meet the tax file number requirements.
• You will undertake at least one unit of study whilst residing in Australia.

In order to meet the tax file number requirements:

• You must give AFTRS your valid Tax File Number (TFN) OR
• If you do not have a TFN you can give AFTRS a Certificate of Application for a TFN. This certificate is available from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) when you apply for a TFN.

You are NOT eligible for the FEE-HELP loan scheme if you are:

• A New Zealand citizen (other than a Special Category Visa holder).
• An Australian permanent resident (other than the holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa).

NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS WHO ARE SPECIAL CATEGORY VISA HOLDERS

• The Australian Government has passed legislation to provide Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans to New Zealand citizens who are Special Category Visa (SCV) holders and meet the requisite criteria.
• Note: just being a New Zealand citizen, or holding a Special Category Visa, won’t automatically entitle you to HELP loans – you must meet all of the required eligibility criteria under this category.

If you hold a New Zealand SCV you will be able to access HELP loans, providing you meet ALL the long-term residency requirements:

• First began residing in Australia at least 10 years ago and at that time you were a child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner; and
• You have been in Australia for at least:
  • a total of eight out of the past 10 years; and
  • a total of 18 months out of the last two years.

If you do not meet all of the above criteria you are not eligible for HELP loans.

HOW FEE-HELP WORKS

FEE-HELP means you can study without having to pay upfront fees.

You can also pay your fees with a combination of an upfront payment and FEE-HELP.

If you obtain a FEE-HELP loan from the Australian Government to pay for your studies, a FEE-HELP debt is recorded for you with the ATO. You repay the government through the taxation system once your income reaches a set threshold.

Repayment of FEE-HELP debt is calculated by the Australian Tax Office and the amount will be included in your income tax notice of assessment.

The Student Centre will contact all eligible students prior to the commencement of their course with instructions on how to apply for a FEE-HELP loan.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information about FEE-HELP, refer to the following Australian government resources:

• FEE-HELP information booklet
• Study Assist website

Tuition assurance is a requirement of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) for all Higher Education Providers which means students can access alternative courses of study and or be financially compensated if the Higher Education Provider ceases being able to provide a course of study.

AFTRS has been granted a ministerial exemption from these requirements on the basis that:

• Its funding is secure
• It is extremely unlikely that AFTRS will be in a position where it will be unable to deliver a course of study due to its established position as a federally funded government institution.
• The specialised nature of AFTRS courses of study and the unique production model offered is not available at any other institution in Australia.

There are two options for the payment of fees:

• Up-front Payment
• FEE-HELP

A. Up-front payment

Due dates for the payments of up-front fees are:

• First semester: 30 January
• Second semester: 30 June

Current up-front payment options are:

• Online: Log into the Paradigm student portal to pay your fees online by credit card (Mastercard or Visa).
• In person: At our Finance Department counter. Cash or credit card (Mastercard or Visa) accepted.
• Phone: By calling our Finance Department on 1300 223 877. Credit card only.
• Direct deposit: From your bank account to ours, using the details below. Ensure you use your name as the reference so AFTRS can identify your payment. AFTRS account details are:

Bank: Commonwealth Bank
Account Name: Australian Film Television and Radio School
BSB: 062320
Account Number: 10141213

If you require an invoice for your payment, contact our Student Centre to arrange this.

B. FEE-HELP

Eligible students may apply for FEE-HELP, the Australian government loan scheme, to pay all or some of their tuition fees.

If you still have a tuition fee balance owing after the above up-front payment deadline has passed, AFTRS will assume you wish to have your fees deferred to FEE-HELP. Shortly afterwards, you will receive an email from the Department of Education and Training asking you to fill out an eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) to apply for FEE-HELP online.

This must be completed by the FEE-HELP due date advised in your enrolment email.

Detailed information concerning eligibility is available on the Study Assist website.

After completing the requirements of your course, and your grades have been confirmed by the School, you will receive an invitation to attend your graduation ceremony.

FEES

$75.00 per graduand to attend the graduation ceremony; inclusive of appropriate gown hire, post ceremony celebration with refreshments, and a photograph of you receiving your testamur and transcript.

Graduands who do not attend the graduation ceremony will be contacted to arrange a time for collection of their certificates from the Student Centre, or to confirm their postal address where the certificates can be mailed via registered post.

Further information regarding the payment of your graduation fee will be received with your invitation.