SEARCH WEBSITE

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and SA-HELP

In October 2011, the Australian Parliament passed the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill, allowing universities and other higher education providers to charge students a compulsory fee to fund and improve services and amenities of a non-academic nature.

CQUniversity introduced a compulsory SSAF from Term 1, 2012, and has sought feedback from students each year regarding their preferences for funding allocation.
This fee is charged in addition to tuition fees and student contributions.

Withdrawal after census date

Please note that the SSAF is not refundable if paid upfront and cannot be remitted if deferred if students drop their enrolments after the term census date even if they are subsequently approved for Removal of Financial Liability due to special circumstances.

SA-HELP

Eligible students who do not wish to pay the SSAF upfront can request Commonwealth assistance and defer payment of the fee through the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) known as SA-HELP.

Eligible students may choose to:

  • pay the full amount of the SSAF upfront
  • pay some of the SSAF upfront and defer payment of the balance as a HELP debt to be repaid through the Australian Taxation Office
  • defer payment of the full amount as a HELP debt which will then be repaid through the Australian Taxation Office.

Eligible students do not have to apply for SA-HELP if they intend to pay the SSAF upfront. However, if a form is not submitted by Census date, and an upfront payment is not received, the outstanding fee cannot be deferred as a HELP debt. The outstanding fee will be classed as an unpaid debt and will go through the University Collections process. If this occurs it may impact on your study. Please refer to the Policy website and search for 'Collections Policy' for further details.

To access SA-HELP you must:

  • be an Australian citizen OR a permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit of study, OR
  • be a New Zealand citizen who is the holder of a Special Category Visa and who is not also a permanent resident of Australia who meets other eligibility criteria and who will be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit; AND
  • submit a valid Request for SA-HELP assistance form and provide your Tax File Number by the census date of the first term that you choose to defer payment of the SSAF.

Information for New Zealand citizens who hold a Special Category Visa (SCV) is available at Study Assist and on the New Zealand citizens – eligibility for HELP page.

Full details are available in the SA-HELP information booklet - please be sure to read the booklet before completing a SA-Help loan form.

The Request for a SA-HELP loan form is available online from the MyCQU Student Portal. From the Today view, the MyCQU Checklist will guide you through the process to complete this request. Alternatively, if you require a paper form, please contact the Student Advice Team: 13 2786, or +61 7 4930 9000 if calling from overseas. Forms must be submitted by the census date.

Failure to submit a valid Request for a SA-HELP loan form by the census date of the term in which it is to take effect means that you are not eligible for SA-HELP in that term and will owe the full Student Services and Amenities Fee to CQUniversity.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Degree-level students will be charged the Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF) as per the Student Services & Amenities Fee Schedule (use the link above to access the schedule).

The maximum Student Services and Amenities Fee payable in 2023 is

  • $326.00 for full time enrolments
  • $244.50 for part time enrolments

The Student Services and Amenities Fee is payable by students in award courses, for example Bachelor of Business, Graduate Diploma of Asset and Maintenance Management, Doctor of Philosophy. The due date for payment is census date of each Term (please refer to the Key Dates). The fee will be detailed on your fee notice available in MyCQU.

Loans may be available for currently enrolled domestic students of CQUniversity to help pay living or study expenses.
For information about eligibility for a student loan, related policies, conditions and application forms, please refer to the Policy website and search for 'Special Assistance for Students – Student Loan Scheme Policy.' If you have further queries, please contact the Student Advice Team on 13 27 86, or +61 7 4930 9000 if calling from overseas.

All Student Services and Amenities Fee funds are used to enhance or extend student services and facilities in accordance with funding guidelines. CQUniversity has sought feedback from students each year regarding their preferences for SSAF funding allocation.
Find out more about SSAF Feedback.

SA-HELP is a government loan scheme that assists eligible students to pay for their Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). For more information about SA-HELP, visit the Study Assist website.

All Student Services and Amenities Fee funds are used to enhance or extend student services and facilities in accordance with funding guidelines. Find out more about SSAF funding allocation for the current year.

Yes. A student can be charged a student services and amenities fee regardless of whether the student intends to use any of the service and amenities provided.