Additional Commonwealth Supported Places

The Commonwealth government provides the University with a specified number of Commonwealth-supported places (CSPs) for many of our degrees. For each of these student places, the University is provided with a financial contribution towards the cost of study. The University will then distribute these places to students on the basis of academic merit— this may take into consideration university entrance scores, work experience, etc.

Each student holding a Commonwealth-supported place (CSP) must then pay the remainder of their study costs through what is called a 'student contribution'. The student contribution is generally a significantly lower cost than then total tuition fees for a set degree. Students studying in a Commonwealth-supported place may also be eligible for 'HECS-HELP', which is a loan that allows students to borrow from the Commonwealth to cover some or all of their student contribution.

You can find out which of our degrees are Commonwealth-supported on our Degree Finder . The indicative annual tuition fees and an indication if the degree is Commonwealth-supported are listed under the 'Fees and Scholarships' section of each degree page. At the University of Adelaide, most undergraduate (Bachelor) degrees are Commonwealth-supported, while most postgraduate (Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Masters) degrees are full-fee paying. Please note, if a degree is not Commonwealth-supported, students may still be eligible for a 'FEE-HELP' loan which works in much the same way as a HECS-HELP loan.

Find out if you're eligible for Commonwealth support or HECS-HELP , or for more information visit the Student Finance website .

Applications for most of our undergraduate courses are made online via SATAC  (South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre).

You do not need to nominate for one of these places. Your eligibility will automatically be assessed as part of your SATAC application.

The following degrees have received additional places.

• Bachelor of Nursing
• Bachelors of Engineering (Honours) including Engineering Pathway
• Bachelor of Science with Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences with Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Arts with Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary)
• Bachelor of Computer Science
• Bachelor of Information Technology
• Bachelor of Speech Pathology
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
• Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences
• Bachelor of Psychological Science
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Media
• Bachelor of Business
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Laws
• Bachelor of Criminology

Students commencing in degrees above in 2023 or 2024 who are from regional and remote areas, from low socio-economic backgrounds, are living with a disability, are First Nations, are female students in STEM, and those who are first in their family to study at a university are eligible for these places.

These places are available to Australian citizens, permanent visa holders, and New Zealand citizens.

Find out if you're eligible for Commonwealth support or HECS-HELP , or for more information visit the Student Finance website .

Your eligibility for these places will be determined by information you provide in your SATAC application and enrolment form. You do not need to submit an additional application.

Yes, there are no restrictions regarding a student's study basis in respect of the additional places. 

These Commonwealth supported places have the same tuition fee contribution as standard CSPs. You can find these fees on the Degree Finder page for each degree.

If you receive an offer to study in 2023 or 2024 and choose to defer, you will not lose your place at the University of Adelaide; however, students who defer their offer will be ineligible for a MathTrackX fee waiver.

For more information visit our Knowledge Base article, 'How do I defer my offer?'