Paying your SSAF
The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is a compulsory fee.
Find out who pays the SSAF, how much it costs, and when your payments are due.
Paying SSAF
Most enrolled students need to pay SSAF, either as a separate fee or as part of their tuition fees.
As a domestic higher education student you may be eligible to apply for a SA-HELP loan if you need help paying the SSAF.
TAFE students are not eligible to apply for a SA-HELP loan and are required to pay upfront.
Separate SSAF fee
You pay SSAF as a separate fee if you are:
- a Commonwealth-supported student
- studying overseas on exchange while still enrolled at VU
- enrolled in a VET/TAFE course as a government-subsidised student, including Free TAFE courses.
SSAF combined with tuition fees
You pay SSAF as part of your tuition fees if you are:
- an international student
- a full-fee student or a fee-for-service student.
SSAF exemptions
You don't pay SSAF if you are:
- a TAFE student enrolled in the Learning and Numeracy Support course (code LNSUPPORT)
- a TAFE student enrolled as non-government funded
- an asylum seeker eligible for government subsidies.
SSAF fees
Government-funded students will need to pay the following SSAF amounts. If you are required to pay it, your SSAF will be itemised on your Statement of Account, and is payable by the due date.
The SSAF is charged by credit points per study period for higher education students and annually for TAFE students.
How the fee is calculated
Your SSAF is a pro-rata fee calculated based on your course load (number of credit points that you’re enrolled in). The individual SSAF amount per unit of study will appear on your statement of account.
Fees are based:
- per course type
- credit points per unit of study
- what mode of study you are undertaking (such as on campus, online etc).
How much you pay in SSAF will depend on how many courses (subjects) you take each semester. SSAF rates are determined by the Australian Government and set on an annual basis. In 2025, SSAF will be charged each semester at the following rate:
Higher education and Foundation studies
$3.80 per credit point for each unit of study, with a maximum of $365 for the year.
TAFE
$0.32 per nominal student contact hour, with a maximum of $256 for the year.
If you are eligible for a concession on tuition fees, you are also eligible for a concession on SSAF. The concession rate is $0.14 per nominal student contact hour, with a maximum of $110 for the year.
VU Online
$2.66 per credit point for each unit of study, with a maximum of $256 for the year.
Changing your enrolment
If you change your enrolment before census date, this will affect the amount of SSAF you are charged for that semester.
You can apply for a fee refund if you have already paid your SSAF for that semester, and your SSAF amount decreases because you withdraw from a unit of study, or take a leave of absence before census date.
If you change your enrolment after census date, you will remain liable for your SSAF fee and SA-HELP loan for that semester.
