TAFE fee concession and exemption
Eligible students are encouraged to apply for a TAFE fee concession or exemption.
- TAFE fee concession
- TAFE fee exemption
- How to apply
- More information
TAFE fee concession
If you are a TAFE student, you may be entitled to a concession (discount) on your fees if you are in a government subsidised place and you meet the eligibility criteria. In general you are eligible if you have a valid concession card such as a Commonwealth Health Care Card.
Eligibility criteria and supporting documentation
The eligibility criteria for a TAFE fee concession are set by the Victorian Government and assessed by RMIT in accordance with directives from Higher Education and Skills. These eligibility criteria and directives are subject to change at any time.
Students are ineligible for a TAFE fee concession if they:
- are enrolled in a vocational graduate certificate or vocational graduate diploma program
- commenced a diploma or advanced diploma program on or after 1 July 2012
- are enrolled in an Australian full fee place or international full fee place.
Certificate I – IV programs
To be eligible for a TAFE fee concession, a student enrolled in certificate I–IV programs must:
- hold a valid Commonwealth Health Care Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Pensioner Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Veteran’s Gold Card.
A card is deemed to be valid where the card start date is on or before your first scheduled class and the card expiry date is on or after your first scheduled class, in the relevant semester.
Documentation required to support your application: the original or a certified copy of one of the above cards.
Diploma or advanced diploma programs
The eligibility criteria have changed for diploma and advanced diploma programs. To be eligible for a TAFE fee concession, a student enrolled in a diploma or advanced diploma must:
- have been under the age of 25 as at 1 January 2012
- have commenced the program (scheduled commencement of first unit of study in the program) on or before 30 June 2012 and be continuing in the same program in 2013.
And such a student must:
- hold a valid Commonwealth Health Care Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Pensioner Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Veteran’s Gold Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse.
A card is deemed to be valid where the card start date is on or before your first scheduled class and the card expiry date is on or after your first scheduled class, in the relevant semester.
Documentation required to support your application: the original or a certified copy of one of the above cards.
Job Seekers
To be eligible for a TAFE fee concession, a student who holds a Job Seeker referral form and is enrolled in a certificate I–IV program must:
- hold a valid Commonwealth Health Care Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Pensioner Card, or be named on the card as a dependent child/spouse; or
- hold a valid Veteran’s Gold Card.
A card is deemed to be valid where the card start date is on or before your first scheduled class and the card expiry date is on or after your first scheduled class, in the relevant semester.
Documentation required to support your application: the original or a certified copy of one of the above cards, plus your completed Job Seeker referral form.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
To be eligible for a TAFE fee concession, Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander students in a government subsidised place will continue to be eligible to access concession at all program levels (including diploma, advanced diploma, vocational graduate certificate and vocational graduate diploma programs).
No documentation is required to support your application.
How much you will pay
If you apply for a TAFE fee concession and your application is successful, in 2013 you will be charged a concession rate equivalent to 20% of the tuition fee payable by non-concession students in a TAFE government subsidised place for your program.
Tuition fees for most TAFE programs increased from 1 January 2013. View TAFE tuition fees for 2013 including the concession rate and non-concession rate for each program.
TAFE fee exemption
Eligibility criteria and supporting documentation
If you are a TAFE student, you are entitled to an exemption of your fees if you hold written confirmation from the management of the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre or the relevant Youth Justice Unit of the Department of Human Services.
The eligibility criteria for a TAFE fee exemption are set by the Victorian Government and assessed by RMIT in accordance with directives from Higher Education and Skills. These eligibility criteria and directives are subject to change at any time.
Students are ineligible for a TAFE fee exemption if they:
- are enrolled in a vocational graduate certificate or vocational graduate diploma program
- commenced a diploma or advanced diploma program on or after 1 July 2012
- are enrolled in an Australian full fee place or international full fee place.
How much you will pay
If you apply for a TAFE fee exemption and your application is successful, in 2013 you will not be charged any tuition fees for your program.
Tuition fees for most TAFE programs increased from 1 January 2013. View TAFE tuition fees for 2013 including the concession rate and non-concession rate for each program.
How to apply
In person at the hub
- Complete the TAFE fee concession and exemption form (PDF 326kb 2p).
- Present your completed form to the Hub on your campus along with both the original and a photocopy of the documentation supporting your application.
Please note:
- You must submit an application each year and for each eligible TAFE program for which you are seeking a fee concession or exemption.
- Please ensure you retain a copy of your form when you apply.
- Your application will not be assessed if you do not supply acceptable supporting documentation.
- Submission of this form does not mean that a concession fee or exemption will be applied. You will be notified by the University if your application is unsuccessful and you are not eligible for a TAFE fee concession, in which case you will remain liable for full tuition fees if you do not withdraw from the program prior to your first class census date in the relevant semester. View all TAFE census dates.
When to apply
You must meet the eligibility criteria by the first scheduled class in the semester in which you are seeking concession or exemption and you must submit your application with all supporting documentation by your first class census date in the semester in which you are seeking concession or exemption. View all TAFE census dates.
If you submit your application after this date, your application will be assessed for next semester.
What if I miss the deadline?
If there are extenuating circumstances that prevented you from submitting an application by the deadline, it may be possible to seek special consideration for a late application.
More information
For more information about TAFE fee concessions and exemptions: