University of Western Australia
Financial support
We understand that sometimes life presents unforeseen challenges that can have a serious impact on your finances.
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SOS Emergency Grant
If you need financial help for an emergency to cover expenses related to your education, we may be able to provide you with financial assistance through UWA’s SOS Emergency Grant. To be eligible to apply for an SOS Emergency Grant, you must be:
- currently enrolled onshore at the University of Western Australia
- at risk of discontinuing your studies
- able to demonstrate severe financial hardship
- able to confirm you have exhausted all other avenues of financial assistance (Centrelink, UWA Student Guild, savings, etc.).
Read more about the SOS Emergency Grant, including what documents to include in your submission, then download the application form [PDF 182KB].
Once completed, submit it to [email protected].
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SOS IT Equipment Scheme
UWA's SOS IT Equipment Scheme provides help to students who are unable to purchase a laptop due to financial hardship.
The Scheme offers either a loan laptop, available for the duration of a teaching semester, or a limited number of laptops for permanent ownership.
- Loan laptops come with a standard suite of software installed.
- Laptops available for permanent ownership include the base installation of Windows and may require the student to install drivers from the manufacturer to enable full function. UWA does not provide hardware or software support for permanent ownership.
For further details, contact the Success and Wellbeing team by emailing [email protected]
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other resources
Tuition fee payment extensions for international students
If you have recently experienced significant, unexpected circumstances beyond your control that have impacted on your ability to make on-time payment of your fees for the coming semester, we would like to hear about it. There may be grounds to award you a short extension of time to pay this semester’s fees. Submitting an application does not guarantee it will be approved. It is a condition of your UWA Acceptance Contract and Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) that all fees are paid in full on time; fee extensions will not be approved on an ongoing basis.
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Applications
Applications
Complete an application form [DOCX, 88KB] and submit to the Fees team via askUWA. Log in with your UniID, as we will communicate with you via your UWA student email address.
Note:
- Before submitting your application, ensure all fees for previous semesters have already been paid; extensions will only be considered for tuition fees due in the upcoming semester. If an extension is granted, all fees must be paid by the last date of the teaching period for the coming semester, which is before the exam period.
- In gathering your supporting documentation, it’s important to remember to include details of your income and expenses to help you determine whether your proposal to pay all fees before the end of semester is realistic.
- The current financial difficulties you are experiencing should be a temporary circumstance; you will need to be able to show that the financial difficulties will have been resolved before next semester to ensure you don’t need a further extension.
Due date: Tuition fees are due to be paid in the first week of semester. As such, completed applications should ideally be received before the start of the semester.
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Advice
If, after reading through this information and the application form, you would like to speak with someone about your circumstances and your options, make an appointment to see the International Student Support team via askUWA. They can also provide you with advice about completing a Fee Extension application and the sorts of documents you need to submit as evidence to support your case.
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Outcome
Submitting an application does not guarantee it will be approved. We will send you a confirmation email within 10 working days to let you know we have received your application or if we need further information.
Completed applications will be considered within 20 working days of receipt, and an outcome notification will be sent to your UWA student email account.
If your application is approved, you will need to complete the Acceptance Form within 10 working days to confirm you wish to accept the offer of a payment extension, and to confirm you understand any conditions attached to that extension. Extensions will not be granted beyond the end of the teaching period of the semester for which the extension is granted.
If your application is not approved, you have 20 working days from receipt of the outcome notification to pay your fees to avoid cancellation of your enrolment and, if applicable, your CoE.
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Appeal process
If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of your application and believe you have grounds, you may submit an appeal within 20 working days of receiving the outcome notification. Details of the appeal process will be included in the outcome notification.
Grounds for appeal
You may have grounds to appeal if you can demonstrate:
- the application or assessment process was procedurally irregular or unfair
- new information is available that could not reasonably have been provided at the time of the application process and that, in all likelihood, would have affected the application outcome, or
- the application outcome was not fair or reasonable.
Outcome of appeal
You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your appeal within 10 working days of submitting it. You will receive an appeal outcome within 30 working days of receipt of appeal or, where this requirement is not met, a progress update in writing every 10 working days thereafter.
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Encumbrance and late fee
An encumbrance will be added to your account while you have any outstanding balance of fees, even if you are granted a payment extension. This will prevent you from graduating, re-enrolling and/or receiving a CoE extension, academic documents, unit results, admission to a new course or release request. This may affect your ability to apply for future visas. The encumbrance will not be removed under any circumstances.
If you are granted a payment extension, you will not receive a late fee unless you do not make full payment by the extension date. There will not be any extensions of the extension date. If full fees are not received by the extension date, this may also result in your enrolment and, if applicable, CoE being cancelled, which may have implications on your visa.
Accommodation support
If you find yourself homeless or in distress, there are places you can go for help, both at UWA and externally.
Tips to help manage your finances
We know that living on a student budget can be challenging at times. The best way to keep track of your spending is to create a budget. Budgeting is a fantastic tool that allows you to see where you’re spending your money, where you can reduce spending, and what you can save.
Track your spending habits
Make a list of everything you currently spend your money on. To help you work out where your money is going, you can check your bank statements or track your spending by recording all your expenses for four to six weeks. View the cost of living to give you an idea on education and living costs in Australia.
Identify needs vs wants
Once you have a list of all your expenses, it can be helpful to go through and identify expenses that you need to have and expenses that you want to have. These items will be personal to you and the things you value. For example, you may choose that your gym membership is a need over a want because it brings you happiness and keeps you healthy.
Allocate money and continue to review
You can then start to see where you can reduce your spending and where you have money left over that you can put towards an emergency fund or long-term savings goal. Keep checking in and adjusting your spending habits if needed.
Helpful financial resources
Guild Student Assist can look over your budget with you, and make suggestions on where savings can be made.
Moneysmart provides a range of resources to help students find simple ways to manage their money.
The Moneysmart Budget Planner, produced by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, is an excellent online budget calculator for students.
The Financial Counsellors Association of Western Australia offers free independent financial counselling. You can contact them on 1800 889 364 (free call) or +61 8 9325 1617.
The Australian Taxation Office provides helpful tax information for international students studying in Australia.
Financial Toolbox aims to build the financial knowledge and skills of women to give them freedom and independence.
Other support services
Sometimes when you experience financial difficulty, there can be other contributing factors, such as academic difficulties. If you would like to speak with someone about how you are progressing with your studies, your finances or any other matters, there are many support services available to you. You can get in touch with the International Student Support team, your Student Advising Office, or our mental health and wellbeing services.
