University of Tasmania, Australia

In accordance with the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Act 2011 and the Administration Guidelines 2012 the University of Tasmania (UTAS) determined that a Student Services & Amenities Fee be introduced from Semester 2 2012.

This legislation allows universities and other higher education providers to support services to students through the reintroduction of a compulsory services and amenities fee (removed from 1 July 2006 under different legislation) from 1 January 2012. In addition, the legislation specifies the maximum fee that may be charged to a full time student.

For further information see Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Act 2011, the Higher Education Support Act - Student Services, Amenities, Representation And Advocacy Guidelines and the Higher Education Support Act 2003 Administration Guidelines 2012

The legislation and guidelines behind the fee provides a list of non-academic and non-political services on which universities are permitted to spend the funds. The fee will provide improved services and amenities for all students of the University through increased revenue. In practice, this will mean an increase in the quality and quantity of the services available to you at UTAS.

Universities that charge a SSAF will only be able to spend the funds on the provision of services that fall into one of a limited range of categories and as specified by legislation.

The fees collected cannot be spent on the provision of academic services or be used to support political parties or the election of a person to a Commonwealth, State, Territory Parliament or local Government body. The funds also cannot be used to cover the cost of collecting and administering the SSAF.

For details of the projects that the 2012 SSAF funds were allocated to, please see 2012 SSAF.

UTAS has established a formal and transparent consultation process inviting students and their representative bodies to participate in the process that confirms eligibility, and prioritizes projects for funding. The SSAF Consultation Working Group was established in 2012 to oversee the University’s overall responsibilities and a SSAF Subgroup met in 2012 to consider submissions from interested parties for funding.

The Working Group and Subgroup consists of University representatives and student representatives nominated by the TUU.

In 2012 both the University and the TUU undertook survey’s to enable students with an opportunity to provide input to the distribution of funds. A full version of the UTAS SSAF 2012 Student Consultation Report can be accessed here (PDF 2.9MB) and the 2012 TUU Report – Student Services and Amenities Fees can be accessed here (PDF 927KB).

As in 2012, the University invites broad student input into the distribution of 2013 SSAF funds. This consultation process is now underway, and we encourage you to participate.  Students are invited to provide feedback on the list of projects submitted to the SSAF Consultation Working Group which will help inform the final decision making process.

Please refer to the Consultation Process to participate in the feedback process.

The results of this feedback will be reviewed by the Working Group for recommendation to the University’s Senior Management Team for endorsement.

For 2013, most UTAS enrolled students will be required to pay a SSAF. The eligibility criteria for SSAF being levied applies to the following students:

• Commonwealth supported students
• Domestic Fee Paying students
• Higher Degree by Research (domestic only)
• Cross-institutional students
• New international fee paying students commencing in 2013 will have a SSAF incorporated into the annual tuition fees and no additional payment is required.

There are a small number of exempted student groups and these include students undertaking enabling programs or senior secondary students enrolling through the Pathway UTAS College program.

All students who are charged the SSAF must pay the fee and by the due date. Students are encouraged to utilise the facilities and amenities that the University is providing for all students as a result of SSAF.

For international tuition fee paying students commencing a new course in 2013, an amount for the provision of student services and amenities has been provided for and incorporated into your annual tuition fees. No additional payment is required.

For all other SSAF criteria students, the total fee payable will depend on what ‘type’ of student group you fit into, and whether you are a full-time (defined as at least 75% enrolment load) or part-time (defined as less than 75% enrolment load) student.

An invoice will be generated twice per year and relates to the enrolment load for that Semester. For the amount of fee that will be payable, and the date you are required to pay this by, please refer to:

• Fee Schedule for 2013

Please note: Failure to pay or defer payment of your SAA fee by the due date may result in enrolment penalties.  Academic Senate Rule 3 – Admission and Student Progress (par 3.9 Payment of Fees) allows for the imposition of penalties where fees or other monies charged are not paid.

Failure to pay or defer payment of your SSA fee by the due date may result in your enrolment being cancelled, a debarral placed on your record, your ability to view results or to graduate. Academic Senate Rule 3 – Admission and Student Progress (par 3.9 Payment of Fees) allows for the imposition of penalties where fees or other monies charged are not paid.

As the amount of SSAF you will be charged is relevant to how many units you enrol in, the invoice for this will not be generated until closer to Census Date each semester. Ensure you access this invoice via eStudentCentre and either pay up front or if eligible defer the fee - by the due date.

The SSA Fee amount due for Semester 1 and 2 will be displayed in your eStudentCentre in early March and again early August each year.

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent humanitarian visa holder, you may choose to pay the fee up front directly to the University, or defer the fee utilising the Government's new loan scheme, SA Help.

SA-HELP is a Government loan scheme that assists eligible students to pay their student services and amenities fee. If you do not wish to pay the fee up-front, eligible students can choose to defer all or part of their fee for the relevant semester.

To be eligible for a SA-HELP loan, you need to:

• be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent humanitarian visa;  and
• be enrolled in a course of study;

To obtain a SA-HELP loan you must complete a Request for SA-HELP assistance form and in doing so provide your tax file number (TFN) or a Certificate of application for a tax file number from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). This form can be accessed online by logging on to eStudentCentre and following the instructions at the SA-HELP link under the Fees heading.

Please note: Even if you have already submitted a request for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP you must also complete the SA-HELP form if you wish to defer your Student Services and Amenities Fee.

If your form is not submitted by the advised due date you will not be entitled to a SA-HELP loan for that study period.

You will be responsible to pay the SSAF that applies for any course with census dates prior to the date you submit your form. Once your form has been submitted and approved, any unpaid SSAF for subsequent census dates will be deferred to your SA-HELP loan.

Failure to pay or defer the student service and amenities fee by the due date may result in your record being debarred which means you will be prevented from viewing your results or graduating. Academic Senate Rule 3 - Admission and Student Progress (para 3.9 Payment of Fees) allows for the imposition of penalties where fees are not paid

If you use SA-HELP, the amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). You can take out a SA-HELP loan even if you do not wish to take out any other HELP loan.

As tax file numbers (TFN) are usually provided within 28 days of application, it is essential that you apply to ensure you have your TFN by the date required by UTas. If you do not have a TFN by that date you will need to arrange for the University to sight a Certificate of application for a TFN with the ATO. Contact the ATO on 13 28 61 for TFN information.

Further information on SA-Help is available here.

You will only be required to apply for SA-HELP assistance once for a course of study. If you change providers, you will need to re-apply for SA-HELP. If you are enrolled at two different providers, you will need to submit a form at each provider where you wish to use a SA-HELP loan to pay the student services and amenities fee.

The answer depends on when you withdraw from your course unit.

If you withdraw prior to the relevant census date for a unit, you will not incur a SA-HELP debt for its load. The University must comply with legislation and is not permitted to remit SA-HELP debts incurred by students once this has been reported to Government following advised census date unless there is evidence of a University error.