How much study or training can I get Fees Free?

Note that these settings apply to the first-year Fees Free policy. Final-year Fees Free policy settings have not yet been confirmed.

If you’re enrolled in provider-based study, you can get up to $12,000 (including GST) of Fees Free payments in your first calendar year. If you don’t use 1 EFTS (120 credits) or $12,000 in your first calendar year of study, you may be able to use your Fees Free entitlement in future years, until you reach 1 EFTS or $12,000.

This means that if you study part time, or start your study part way through the calendar year, you’ll still get the equivalent of one year covered by Fees Free.

If you’re enrolled in work-based learning, your fees may be covered for the first 24 months of your training programme (up to the value of $12,000 including GST). The 24 months don’t need to be one after the other. So, if you need to put your training on hold, or withdraw from your training, you’ll keep your remaining entitlement for later.

Fees Free only covers up to $12,000 of study or training, so if you use $12,000 before you reach 24 months of training or 1 EFTS of study, you will have used your full entitlement.

From 2025, the first-year Fees Free policy is operating under transition settings. In 2025, you can continue to use your remaining entitlement if you used Fees Free in 2024 and are continuing in the same qualification.

However, if you didn’t use Fees Free in 2024, or you used it but you’re not continuing in the same qualification in 2025, you will not be able to use Fees Free for future studies.

Find out more about the end of the first-year Fees Free policy.