Commonwealth Supported Students

What does it mean to be in a Commonwealth Supported Place?

Studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) means that the Australian Government pays part of the fees towards your program, therefore reducing your tuition fees. The remaining amount that is paid by you is referred to as your Student Contribution.

At Western all Undergraduate Award programs and a selection of Postgraduate Award programs are CSP.

The Australian Government determines the amount of subsidy it will contribute to an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Award Program according to its National Priorities and by the Field of Education to which a subject of study, under that Award program, is classified.

Eligibility for a Commonwealth Supported Place

The eligibility criteria for a CSP and HELP loan are not the same. You may be eligible for a CSP and not a HELP loan.

Being eligible for a CSP does not mean you will be offered one. You must meet the academic entry requirements set by Western to get into your selected program.

Citizenship and residency requirements:

To be eligible for a CSP, your citizenship, visa status and where you plan to live while you study are all considered. To be eligible for a CSP you must be one of the following:

  • an Australian citizen who will study at least one unit of your program while living in Australia
  • a New Zealand citizen who will study the entire program while living in Australia
  • an Australian permanent visa holder who will study the entire program while living in Australia
  • an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who will study the entire program while living in Australia, or
  • a Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who will study the entire program while living in Australia.
Additional requirements:

In addition to your citizenship, residency and course requirements, you also need to:

  • provide a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date of your program
  • have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) available
  • not undertake more than 2 years’ worth of higher education study within 12 months unless you have been approved to take on more.

The Fields of Education are grouped into Student Contribution Band levels, 1 through to 4, and outlined here at Student Contribution Bands.

Step 1: How do I accept my Commonwealth Supported Place?

To accept your Commonwealth Supported Place, you must submit your electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) and Unique Student Identifier (USI) before the relevant term census date.

Find out about submitting your eCAF

Find out about submitting your USI

Step 2: Find out your Student Contribution

The easiest way to find out how much your Student Contribution will be is to view the Charges and Payments page in the Fee Records section of My Student Records (MySR). This page will detail the subjects you are enrolled in and the cost per subject.

Please note that if you change your enrolment by adding or dropping subjects after you have paid, but before the term census date, you may have to pay additional fees.

Find out about your Statement of Account

How can I work out my Student contribution in advance?

To work out how much your Student Contribution will be before you receive your eSOA, you will first need to find out the Student Contribution band your subjects fit into based on their general discipline area.

Find out about calculating your CSP fees

Find out about Student Contribution bands

Step 3: Check if you're eligible to defer your fees

Students studying in a CSP may be eligible to defer all or part of their Student Contribution via HECS-HELP. OS-HELP is also available to eligible students if undertaking studies overseas.

Find out about HELP and your eligibility

Step 4: Manage your fees

Fee deadlines

Census date is the financial deadline to ensure you have either:

  • Paid your tuition fees upfront; or
  • Submitted a valid TFN in your eCAF to defer your tuition fees (for HELP eligible students)

Find out about census dates

Payment options

Fees can be paid through the secure online Payments portal.

Find out about Paying your fees

Step 5: Check your eCAN

Your electronic Commonwealth Assistance Notice (eCAN) is an official record of your fees and enrolment. You need to check this to make sure all details are correct. Your eCAN will be available in My Student Records (MySR) within 28 days of the approved census date.

Find out about your Commonwealth Assistance Notice

JRGP Completion rate requirements

From 1 January 2024, the completion rate requirement will no longer be in effect.

The Australian Government introduced the Job ready Graduate package (JRGP) in 2021 which included a completion rate requirement that came into effect in 2022.

The completion rate requirement (referred to as Low completion rate- LCR) meant that Domestic students who commenced their studies after 1 January 2022 who failed more than 50% of their subjects would no longer be eligible for a CSP place or HELP. Students impacted by a Low completion rate had an LCR hold applied to their record and were discontinued from their program.

With the Government removing the completion rate requirement, students previously impacted by LCR have had their LCR hold lifted and students are able apply to study the same program at Western.