Payment options explained

What it costs

Firstly you need to understand the costs involved with studying. There are two types of TAFE Queensland student fees: tuition and service. You may also be required to purchase additional materials including clothing, tools or textbooks. These are specific to your course and are listed in the relevant course page on our website.

• Tuition fees are for your education and training. The tuition fee for your TAFE Queensland course depends on a range of factors including the length of course course and whether you study full time, part time, or online.
• Service fees are for additional goods and services provided to you. For example replacement student ID cards or requests for an official record of results (academic history). Service fees and any additional materials you purchase are often not covered by any loans or funding you may be able to access.

How you can pay

There are three main ways to pay your course fees with TAFE Queensland:

• you can pay your fees upfront at the time of enrolment
• you may be able to defer your fees with a student loan from the Australian Government (this may incur additional costs)
• you may be eligible for a TAFE Queensland payment plan to pay your fees gradually over the course of your studies.

Bonus: If you are eligible for a student loan from the Australian Government, but your course costs more than the loan cap amount, you may also be able to access a TAFE Queensland payment plan to help you pay the remaining gap.  

What financial assistance is available

As a TAFE Queensland student there are a range of concessions, subsidised training options, and scholarships you may be eligible for to assist you with the cost of your study.

Concessions

Fee concessions may apply to government funded courses or subjects for eligible students. To be eligible for the concession fee, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• hold a valid Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card issued by either Centrelink or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs
• be a partner or dependent of someone holding a valid Concession Card
• be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

For more information, or to check if you’re eligible, contact our customer service team.

Subsidised training

Eligible students may be able to access a range of independent and government funding to help subsidise the cost of training.

Certificate 3 Guarantee – The Certificate 3 Guarantee helps support eligible students to complete their first post-school certificate III level qualification. You may be eligible to receive a subsidy towards one certificate III qualification from a list of subsidised courses. Visit the Department of Education and Training website to see which qualifications and skill sets are subsidised under the Certificate 3 Guarantee program.

Commonwealth supported place – If you’re studying one of our degree programs you may be eligible for a government subsidy known as a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). The amount the government subsidises for you is not a loan, and you will not have to pay it back.

Construction Skills Queensland – Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) provides subsidies for select courses if you’re currently working or have experience in the Queensland building and construction industry. CSQ is an independent industry-funded body supporting employers, workers, apprentices, and career seekers in the building and construction industry.

Fee-free training for Year 12 graduates – To support Queensland’s Year 12 graduates to successfully transition to employment, the government is offering fee-free training in high priority qualifications. The training is available through a range of certificate III level vocational education and training (VET) courses as well as apprenticeships and traineeships. The full list of high priority qualifications is available on the Department of Education and Training website.

Higher Level Skills subsidy – Higher Level Skills provides a government subsidy to support eligible students to access subsidised training in priority skill sets and selected certificate IV or higher qualifications. Visit the Department of Education and Training website to see which qualifications and skill sets are subsidised under this program.

TAFE Priority Training Program - The TAFE Priority Training Program (TPTP) provides additional support to eligible Queensland residents in a specific range of diploma, certificate IV and certificate III programs. This funding is available to eligible students to commence study in applicable programs after 1 July 2018. This funding will be available from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2020.

User Choice funding – The User Choice 2017-20 program provides a public funding contribution towards the cost of training and assessment for eligible Queensland apprentices and trainees. The program aims to provide funding aligned to the skills needs of industry and respond to changing government priorities.

For more information, or to check your eligibility for subsidised training, contact our customer service team.

Scholarships

You may also be eligible for apply for a $5,000 TAFE Queensland Scholarship.

There are two types of scholarships available:

• Merit scholarships are awarded to students who can demonstrate that they will do well in the industry in which they apply for the scholarship.
• Access and equity scholarships provide equitable access to study at TAFE Queensland. They are awarded to students who can demonstrate a genuine interest in and commitment to their chosen career, and on the basis of specific equity criteria.

For more information about TAFE Queensland scholarships, including applications deadlines, please visit our website.