To keep your place in your higher education (HE) course, you must take one of the following actions with regard to your fees:

  • pay your fees by the HE payment deadline
  • submit a Commonwealth Assistance Form with a valid Tax File Number (TFN) or TFN certificate by the first census date to defer the total cost of your course.

Students who are making upfront payments will incur a financial penalty if fees are not paid by the relevant payment deadline. This applies in these circumstances:

  • you are not eligible for a HELP loan(s)
  • you have elected not to use a loan
  • you are paying your fees up front but have not paid by the payment deadline for the relevant study period.

Related

Enrolment cancellation due to non-payment of fees

If your enrolment is cancelled, the cancellation will take effect immediately and you will no longer be permitted to attend classes, perform any course assessments or receive academic results for the relevant study period.

Type of place Reasons for Enrolment cancellation

Commonwealth Supported Student (CSP)
  • Your student contribution has not been paid in full by census date.
  • You have not completed a 'Request for HECS-HELP' with a valid Tax File Number (TFN) or TFN certificate by the relevant census date.
Full-fee paying domestic students
  • Your tuition has not been paid in full by census date.
  • You have not completed a 'Request for FEE-HELP' with a valid Tax File Number (TFN) or TFN certificate by the census date.
  • You have not applied for an exceptional circumstances extension.

International student
  • Your tuition has not been paid in full by census date.
  • You have not applied for a formal fee extension.

International student cancellation of enrolment

As an international student, if your fees remain unpaid by the payment deadline for the relevant study period, you may be charged with a late payment penalty.

VU will also issue you with 20 days’ notice of our intention to cancel your enrolment if full payment is not made. You can lodge an appeal against the cancellation of your enrolment during this time.

If you do not pay your fees or appeal the decision to cancel your enrolment within the 20-day notice period, your enrolment will be cancelled, and we will notify the Department of Home Affairs.

Reinstatement of enrolment

If you choose to continue your studies after being cancelled due to non-payment of fees, you will need to pay both a reinstatement penalty and late-payment penalty in addition to the cost of your unit(s).

  • A Commonwealth Supported student will be required to enrol into the unit(s) as a non-award. You will be enrolled as a full-fee paying student and be required to pay your fees upfront.
  • A full-fee paying student or international student will be required to pay the outstanding amount.

You can refer to the full fee amount for your unit(s) and use one of our payment options to pay.

Please note, the University reserves the right to decline a reinstatement request.

Debt collection action

Your enrolment will not be cancelled for these fees:

However, if they remain outstanding, you may be referred to debt collection.

If debt collection action is taken, you'll have to pay your outstanding fees immediately, along with debt referral costs.

 

Legal action

Legal action will be undertaken if:

  • all debt-collection activities have been completed
  • you have not paid in full or organised a payment plan
  • you have defaulted in a payment plan
  • you have not lodged a formal complaint with the Integrity Office to dispute the charges
  • a decision has been made in regards to your dispute and you have not taken any further action to comply.

Once the legal action is initiated, you may be liable for the legal costs incurred. The legal cost is based on the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria scale costs and varies for each account.