Student Services and Amenities fee

As a result of new Commonwealth legislation, Australian universities, including UWS will be introducing a new Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for students from the beginning of 2012.

You have been sent an email to let you know your invoice is available in MySR and to explain how to apply for SA-HELP assistance. 

Want to defer your SSAF?

If you are eligible and want to apply for SA-HELP to defer your Student Services and Amenities Fee to the Australian Taxation Office you need to take the following steps:
 
1. Log in to MySR through the MyUWS student portal
2. Click 'Enrolment' on the left of the screen
3. If you have more than one course showing, click through your current course
4. Click 'Student Services and Amenities Fees HELP' in the middle of the screen
5. Enter your Tax File Number, click the link to the SA-HELP booklet and submit the form

For more information about paying or defering your SSAF see the 'How do I pay section' below.

How much is the fee for 2012?

The maximum fee is $263.00 per year for full time students which will be charged as $131.50 each half year. Lower fees will apply for students doing less than a full-time load in the half year period.

You can access your SSAF invoice by logging onto MySR through MyUWS and selecting 'Statement of Account’. Choose SSAF 1 from the drop down menu

The amount you are charged per half year will depend on your Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL) per session. Your EFTSL for each teaching session is displayed on your electronic Statement of Account (eSOA). If your EFTSL for the half year is:

• above 0.374, you will be charged $131.50 for that half year period
• between 0.250 and 0.374, you will be charged $98.50 for that half year period
• less than 0.249, you will be charged $50.00 for that half year period

Please note, these fees will be indexed and increase each year from 2013.

For more information about your EFTSL, see How can I work out my EFTSL? 

Why is the fee being introduced?

The fee is being introduced for Australian universities as a result of the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2010 that the Australian Parliament approved on 11 October 2011.

The fee enables universities to receive a contribution towards the extensive costs of providing student services and amenities. Previously some of these services and amenities were funded by a student union fee, but legislation introduced in 2006 meant that this fee was no longer allowed. From 2006 most universities, including UWS, used their core teaching and research budget to cover the costs of providing student services and amenities.

In 2011, for example, UWS spent $12 million covering the range of student amenities and services.

This fee will restore funding for essential campus services and facilities, and enable universities to retain funding for teaching and research.

Who pays the fee?

The fee applies to all students, including UWSCollege students and international students.

Only the following students are exempt from paying the fee:

• Students undertaking their entire course by distance education
• Students undertaking their entire course off-shore at an overseas non-UWS university campus.

If you are completing cross-institutional study, you are exempt from paying the fee at UWS for the units you are studying at another university. Please note, you may be required to pay the relevant fee for that unit at the other university.

How do I pay?

You can pay the fee upfront or, if you are an Australian citizen or Humanitarian visa holder, you can apply to defer the fee via an Services Amenities Fee HELP (SA-HELP) loan similar to HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP.

The SA-HELP form is now available in MySR for eligible students. Once you have logged into MySR though the MyUWS student portal, click 'Enrolment' on the left and then select 'Student Services and Amenities Fees HELP' from the middle of the page.

If you’re not eligible to defer the fee via SA-HELP, please refer to your SSAF invoice for the amount you need to pay and for payment methods. Payment methods are also listed on the Paying your fees page

If you would like more information on SA-HELP, please see the governments SA-HELP Information for 2012 booklet (PDF, 485KB).

What if I change my units?

Your SSAF is calculated on the units you have been studying for the first half of the year. If you drop a unit before the census date of a teaching session it will not be included in calculating your SSAF.

If you are granted withdrawal without academic penalty for any units you drop after the census date of a teaching session, SSAF will not be recalculated or refunded.

What if I finish my course before the fee is due?

If you have studied any units in the first half of the year you still need to pay SSAF. For example if you did one unit in Long Summer 2012 to finish your course, you will need to pay $50.00 SSAF.
 

What will the money go towards?

All of the income from the fee will be spent on student services and amenities related to sporting and recreational activities, employment and career advice, health and welfare, study skills programs, orientation, child care, financial advice, overseas student services, and food services.

Please see Use of the SSAF income for more information.

Student consultation

UWS will be consulting with students and their representatives about what you see as the priorities for student services and amenities. Some of the fee income will need to be allocated directly to maintaining essential campus services and facilities, while some of it will enable the expansion of services or new services and facilities.

We are consulting with a range of student groups about priorities for student services and amenities, to ensure these funds are used for initiatives that give students the most benefit.

These groups include:

• Student Representative Council
• Student Campus Councils
• Clubs and Societies
• Governance Committees (Senate, Education Committees, School Academic Committees).

UWS will also be asking for input from all students on the priorities for student services and amenities. If you have ideas, comments or a proposal, then please contact us.

Contact us

For more information about the Student Services and Amenities Fee, call the Student Central Infoline on 1300 668 370, or email enrolments@uws.edu.au

For ideas, comments or questions about how UWS will use the fee and priorities for use of the fee, contact Ellen Brackenreg.