Costs and fees

Uni costs include the contribution you need to pay towards the overall cost of your course, a compulsory administration fee, money for textbooks and equipment, and living expenses.

Course costs

When you receive an offer to study at La Trobe University, you will be allocated a fee category that determines what type of tuition fee you will pay and how you can pay them. There are three different fee categories: Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), Full fee and International full fee.

Your fees for each subject are determined each year. Use our fee calculator to find detailed information each of your subjects. Or for a general estimate of fees related to your course, you can search in Find a Course.

Paying your student contribution

Most students don’t need to pay their student contribution amount upfront. If you’re an Australian citizen, or eligible under other conditions, your payment will be deferred under the HECS-HELP scheme. HECS-HELP is a government loan that you don’t need to repay until your income reaches a certain level.

If you do not wish to defer your payment you can pay for all of your course fees upfront, or pay for some and take out a HECS-HELP loan for the remainder.

You can pay your fees online via our payment portal.

More information on CSP, HECS-HELP and contribution bands.

Please note that there is a combined limit to how much you can borrow under HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans. This is called your HELP loan limit. Any amount you borrow for any course using HECS-HELP (with a census date of 1 January 2020 onwards), FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans or VET FEE-HELP will contribute to your HELP loan balance until you have reached your HELP loan limit and cannot borrow any more. Please read about HELP loan limits to learn more.

Student services and amenities fee

You’ll have to pay a small amenities fee each year which contributes to student services, facilities, and amenities at your campus. This can be paid upfront, or eligible students can defer payment under the SA-HELP scheme.

See the Student Services and Amenities Fee page for more information.

Other expenses

There are a number of other costs you may come across while studying at university, e.g. transcripts, letters, uniforms and graduation fees. The best place to find all the costs associated with your course is in Find a Course.

Some other expenses you may need to plan for are:

  • textbooks and study materials
  • accommodation (if you’ll be living away from home)
  • living expenses
  • transport to and from uni.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance is available to students in the form of loans, grants and emergency aid.

Find out more about Financial support available.

We can help

Local students

International students

  • Phone:
    • Within Australia: 1300 135 045 (select option 2)
    • Outside Australia: +61 3 9479 1993 (select option 2)
  • ask us a question online.

Questions? We’re here to help.