Fees for Government Funded Places
This information applies to students undertaking training courses.
Tuition Fees
The tuition fee is set by the government. It is calculated based on a number of hours of enrolment, at a rate that varies depending on the category a course is in. All courses have been classified into one of 5 course categories for the purpose of calculating fees:
- Foundation Skills (basic general education, English language, literacy and numeracy courses up to Certificate IV level, and the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learnming Foundation level)
- Skills creation (most Certificate I an II courses, the VCE and VCAL Intermediate and Senior)
- Apprenticesships and Traineeships (all courses taken as part of an apprenticeship/traineship trainingn contract, at any level.
- Skills Building (must non-apprenticeship Certificate III and IV courses)
- Skills Depening (all non-apprenticeship Diploma, Advanced Diplomas and vocational Graduate qualifications).
For each category there is also a set minimum, which is the lowest you should expect to pay, and a maximum, which puts an upper limit on what you will pay, even if you enrol in a large number of hours in that course.
The fees are set for each calendar year, and you normally pay according to the year when you will do the training. if your course lasts more than one year, you may pay a new tuition fee at the start of the new year, at an hourly rate.
2010 Fee Schedule
| Course Category |
Hourly rate |
Minimum | Maximum |
| Foundation Skills |
Up to $1.08 |
$50 | $500 |
| Skills Creation |
Up to $1.40 |
$105 | $875 |
| Apprenticeship and Training |
Up to $1.37 |
$57 | $903 |
| Skills Building |
Up to $1.62 |
$120 | $1,000 |
| Skills Deepening |
Up to $3.25 |
$225 | $2,000 |
There is also an overall annual maximum or fee cap for each year. No matter how much training you do, you cannot pay more in tuition fees than the set annual maximum of $2000.
Providers may set a Student Services and Amenities Fee to cover things like access to a library, cafeteria. counselling and student welfare services.
Providers may also charge for material or other items. This covers materials that you will keep as your personal property, such as equipment or printed notes. It may also cover things like excursions or field trips.
Concessions or exemptions are available is some circumstances and for some courses.
