Fee information
This information is for PhD, professional doctorate and master of research students.
Domestic research students
On 1 January 2017 the Commonwealth supported Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset will replaced the Research Training Scheme (RTS)**.
The RTP is a scholarship scheme administered by UniSA on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Education and Training. The RTP fees offset is a type of RTP scholarship to assist with course fees that would otherwise be payable by the research student. The value of the RTP fees offset is $25,000 - $35,000 per annum and this amount represents the Australian Commonwealth's contribution towards the cost of your research degree. Under the RTP Fee Offset, domestic students are exempt from tuition fees for a limited time. Students who exceed their allocated RTP Fee Offset will be liable to pay a tuition fee to the University on a daily consumption basis. This tuition fee will represent a proportion of the value of the RTP fee offset.
Under the RTP Fee Offset:
- Doctoral students are exempt from tuition fees for up to the equivalent of 4 years full time.
- Master of Research students are exempt from tuition fees for up to the equivalent of 2 years full time.
** The Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset replaces the formerly known Research Training Scheme (RTS). All benefits and conditions remain the same.
Domestic students who exceed their RTPd fee offset scholarship
The fee for research degree students who exceed the time allocated is set at the equivalent of Student contribution amount - Band 2.
This is a tuition fee payable to the University of South Australia (see Enrolment information for more details) for the number of days you are active in your research degree in the relevant research period that you are enrolled in.
* Please note: 'domestic' refers to Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents of Australia
International research students
A full list of fees for each program is available here.
International research degree students either:
- pay full tuition fees to the University for the duration of their research degree program
OR - have tuition fees paid on their behalf if they are sponsored by their home government or university, or hold a Commonwealth-funded scholarship – for example, an Research Training Program international (RTPi) scholarship, or have been awarded a University of South Australia scholarship which includes payment of tuition fees. Most University tuition scholarships cover a period of three years with a possible six months extension.
