Financial support for course fees and other expenses

TAFE and training course fees

Before you choose a course, it’s important to find out what fees and other costs you’ll have to pay.

Training providers can set their own fees, so they’ll vary between courses and between providers.

In general, course costs include:

• tuition fees
• other fees set by the training provider, for example, student services and amenities fees
• the costs of books and materials.

Find out what information your training provider must give you about fees before you sign an enrolment contract.

For specific information about course costs, contact the training provider.

Financial assistance for fees

To make it easier to pay for a TAFE or training course, the Victorian Government and the Australian Government offer a range of financial assistance options to eligible students.

Government-subsidised training

Currently, the Victorian Government subsidises some TAFE and training courses. This means it gives money to the training providers that deliver subsidised courses. This is so eligible students can pay less for their training.

Training is subsidised because there is a current or predicted demand for jobs in related industries. It also makes it easier for people to pay for training when they haven’t done any study or are finding it difficult to get a job.

Fees for the same subsidised course can differ between training providers, so before you enrol, check with your training provider the total amount you will have to pay.

Victorian Government subsidies are provided under two programs – Skills First and Free TAFE.

Skills First

You may be able to have some of your course fees subsidised through Skills First funding. If you’re eligible, you still have to pay part of the tuition fee and any other course costs. Find out more about Skills First.

Free TAFE

Some courses are available through Free TAFE with a tuition fee waiver. This means if you are eligible, you won’t have to pay the tuition fee, but you may have to pay other course costs. Find out more about Free TAFE.

VET Student Loans

A VET Student Loan (VSL) from the Australian Government can cover all or part of your tuition fees for some courses at a Diploma-level or above.

If you get a VSL, you’ll have to pay it back when you start earning above a certain amount.

Your training provider will check your eligibility for the VSL, and ask you for documents to prove that you meet the eligibility criteria.

Find out more about VSLs with these resources:

• Information page for students
• Fact sheet
• Booklet
• Eligibility and loan calculator tools

You can also search on the MySkills website to find out which courses are VSL approved. Look for the blue ‘VSL VET Student Loans’ symbol in the search results list.

Fee concessions

Training providers offer concessions on standard tuition fees for Certificate IV level and below courses, for example:

• if you have a valid concession card, such as a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
• if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.

Financial assistance for other expenses

You may be eligible to get financial help to cover some of your other expenses while you study.

Centrelink payments

The Australian Government offers financial assistance for eligible TAFE and training students, apprentices and trainees.

Income support payments include:

• Youth Allowance, if you’re 24 or younger
• Austudy, if you’re 25 or over
• Abstudy, if you’re an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Other payments for eligible students, apprentices and trainees include:

• Education Entry Payment
• Pensioner Education Supplement
• Student Start-up Loan
• Tertiary Access Payment, if you’re moving from a rural, regional or remote area to study
• Rent Assistance
• Youth Disability Supplement.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information and eligibility requirements.

Support for apprentices

If you’re an apprentice, you may be eligible for financial and non-financial support from the Australian Government.

For more information, visit Support for Australian Apprentices.

Car registration discounts for trade apprentices

If you’re a trade apprentice using your car for work, you may be eligible for a discount on your car registration.

For more information see the Trade apprentice registration discount page on the VicRoads website.