Damon Mcknight
Australia's education system offers a wide range of study options, including post-secondary education. Post-secondary education is the education obtained after completing high school. In Australia, secondary education is typically completed around the ages of 17-18, after which students can pursue tertiary education, which includes higher education (universities and other providers) and vocational education. While Australia provides free government schooling for primary and secondary education, tertiary education fees are payable for courses at tertiary institutions. These fees are the responsibility of the student or, in some cases, the state and territory governments. However, the Australian government also contributes to funding and provides loans, subsidies, and social security welfare payments to domestic students to help relieve the cost of tertiary education.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Post-secondary education | Tertiary education, including higher education (universities and other providers) and vocational education (registered training organisations) |
| Regulating body | Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) |
| Funding | The Australian Government contributes to funding, but regulation and funding are primarily the responsibility of the states and territories |
| Fees | Vary across states, territories, and schools; the Commonwealth Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments to domestic students |
| Fee-paying students | Domestic students who do not receive a Commonwealth Supported Place; international students |
| Student contribution | The student contribution towards the cost of education is known as the "Student Contribution" (SC) |
| Government-supported students | Students who receive partial or full financial support from the government |
| Loans | FEE-HELP, HECS-HELP, OS-HELP |
| Scholarships | Available for eligible students, including international scholarships |
| School types | Government and non-government schools (Catholic and private schools) |
| Student population | As of 2023, 64% of students were in government schools, 19.7% in Catholic schools, and 16.3% in independent schools |
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What You'll Learn
Funding for post-secondary education in Australia
Post-secondary education in Australia is not free, and fees vary across states and territories, and across schools. However, the Australian Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments and benefits to domestic students to relieve the cost of tertiary education.
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national tertiary (post-secondary) education system that has 10 different levels. The AQF is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training, and the tertiary education sector. The Australian Government's involvement in education has been the responsibility of several departments over the years, with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment being formed in 2020.
The regulation, operation, and funding of education are primarily the responsibility of the states and territories, while the Australian Government also contributes to funding. Vocational Education and Training (VET) is taught by Australian Government-owned Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and private registered training organizations (RTOs). These education and training providers are usually smaller than universities and offer more practical courses, with job-ready learning leading to over 500 different careers. Many VET courses include work placements or workplace-based learning.
The Commonwealth Government determines the number and allocation of undergraduate "Commonwealth Supported Places" (CSP) with each public higher education provider each year, through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS). A CSP is a higher education place for which the Commonwealth government makes a contribution to the higher education provider toward the cost of a student's education. The student also makes a contribution toward the cost of education, known as the "Student Contribution" (SC). Commonwealth supported places are available to citizens of Australia and New Zealand and Australian permanent residents. The majority of CSPs are managed through the Tertiary Admissions Centre (TACs) in each state or territory, although universities make the selections, deciding which students they will make offers to. The allocation is usually based on secondary school results (through the ATAR scores), TAFE qualifications, and previous university results.
Some domestic students are supported by the government and are required to pay only part of the cost of tuition, and the government pays the balance. Some government-supported students can defer payment of their contribution as a HECS-HELP loan. Other domestic students are full fee-paying and do not receive a direct government contribution to the cost of their education. Fee-paying students are charged the full cost of their course, with no Commonwealth contribution. Some fee-paying students can obtain loans under the Higher Education Loan Programme, called FEE-HELP loans, to cover all or part of their fees.
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Tertiary education fees
In Australia, post-secondary education is referred to as tertiary education, which includes higher education and vocational education. Tertiary education is not free in Australia, and fees vary across states and territories and between schools. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national tertiary (post-secondary) education system that has 10 different levels. The AQF is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training, and the tertiary education sector.
The Australian Government contributes to the funding of tertiary education, but the regulation, operation, and funding of education are primarily the responsibility of the states and territories. The Australian Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments and benefits to domestic students in higher education to relieve the cost of tertiary education. These benefits are not available to international students, who are charged fees for the full cost of their education and are ineligible for HELP loans.
Undergraduate students who obtain loans are charged a 20% loan fee on top of the borrowed amount. Students can borrow a lifetime maximum FEE-HELP loan of $112,134 for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science programs, and $89,706 for all other programs (adjusted for inflation). Some fee-paying students can obtain loans under the Higher Education Loan Programme, called FEE-HELP loans, to cover all or part of their fees.
The Commonwealth government determines the number and allocation of undergraduate "Commonwealth Supported Places" (CSP) with each public higher education provider each year through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS). A CSP is a higher education place for which the Commonwealth government makes a contribution to the higher education provider toward the cost of a student's education. The student also makes a contribution toward the cost of education, known as the "Student Contribution" (SC).
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Student loans and scholarships
The Australian Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments and benefits to domestic students to relieve the cost of tertiary education. These include the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) and FEE-HELP loans, which replaced the Open Learning Deferred Payment Scheme (OLDPS), the Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme (PELS), and the Bridging for Overseas-Trained Professionals Loan Scheme (BOTPLS) in 2005.
Under HELP, students can borrow a lifetime maximum loan of $112,134 for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science programs, and $89,706 for all other programs, adjusted for inflation. Undergraduate students who take out these loans are charged a 20% loan fee on top of the amount borrowed.
FEE-HELP is a loan scheme that helps eligible higher education students enrolled in a fee-paying place to pay their tuition fees. Students in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) can defer payment of their student contribution until their income reaches the repayment threshold for compulsory repayment.
Other loan options include OS-HELP, which provides financial assistance to eligible students to study overseas, and HECS-HELP, which enables eligible students in a CSP to defer payment of their student contribution.
In addition to loans, there are many scholarships available to students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in many fields of study. These are offered by the Australian Government, education providers, and other public and private organisations. For example, the Research Training Program provides block grants to eligible Australian universities to support domestic and overseas students undertaking higher degrees by research. Students can receive scholarships to cover tuition fees, stipends for general living costs, and/or allowances related to the ancillary costs of research degrees.
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Government-funded preschools
In Australia, the regulation, operation, and funding of education are the responsibilities of the states and territories, with the Australian Government also contributing to funding. Preschool education is usually provided by state and territory governments, except in Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales, where they are typically run by local councils, community groups, or private organizations. Preschool education is intended for children aged three to five, and attendance numbers vary between states. However, 85.7% of children attended preschool the year before starting primary school, which is the main year of preschool attendance.
The Australian Government supports states and territories in ensuring that a nationally consistent quality preschool program is available for all children in the year before they start school. Most states of Australia now fund government preschools to offer 15 hours per week (600 hours over a year) for each enrolled child in the year before they commence formal schooling.
Non-government preschool service providers can apply for funding to support the cost of delivering a preschool program for children in the year before full-time school. Funding is provided by the Australian Government under the Preschool Reform Agreement (PRA), which is administered by the respective state governments. The PRA aims to facilitate children's early learning and development and their transition to school by maintaining universal access to affordable, quality preschool programs. The Australian Government's contribution for 2025 is $1,445 per child.
In New South Wales, the state government's Start Strong Free Preschool Funding program helps families access quality early education for their children by providing financial support. The Family Fee Relief Funding component of the program offers an annual flat rate of $515 for children aged three and $2,174 for children aged four as of 31 July 2025. This funding is spread out weekly across the year and is available at all Only About Children campuses in NSW.
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Vocational Education and Training (VET)
VET qualifications can range from Certificate I to IV, providing introductory skills and industry-specific knowledge, to Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas, which offer more advanced practical skills and preparation for paraprofessional work. These qualifications can be a pathway to further study or a higher education degree, with some courses even providing study credits towards a degree. VET courses are continuously updated based on expert industry advice to ensure that students are equipped with skills that are in demand locally and internationally.
The quality of VET courses is monitored by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to ensure that all providers meet strict standards. VET teachers and trainers are required to have recent and relevant industry experience, allowing students to learn from professionals with industry insights and knowledge of skills in high demand.
The responsibility for fees in the VET sector rests primarily with the state and territory governments, while the Commonwealth Government provides loans, subsidies, and social security welfare payments to relieve the cost of tertiary education for domestic students. International students, however, are not eligible for these benefits and must pay full fees.
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Frequently asked questions
No, post-secondary education is not free in Australia. The fees for tertiary education courses vary across Australian states and territories, and across schools. The Australian Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments and benefits to domestic students to relieve the cost of tertiary education.
Tertiary education in Australia includes vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. VET courses are taught by government-owned Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and private registered training organisations (RTOs). Higher education includes undergraduate and postgraduate studies, such as Bachelor degrees, Master degrees, and Doctoral degrees.
The Australian Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments and benefits to domestic students to relieve the cost of tertiary education. Some domestic students are supported by the government and are required to pay only part of the cost of tuition, called the "student contribution", while others are full fee-paying. There are also scholarships available, as well as the Higher Education Loan Programme, called FEE-HELP loans.
