How much study or training can I get fees-free?

Note that these settings applied to first-year Fees Free, which has now ended.

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.

End of first-year Fees Free

First-year Fees Free only covered some fees in 2025, while the policy transitioned out. It won’t cover any of your first-year fees from 1 January 2026. You will need to pay these fees through other methods.

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