Pay or defer your SSAF
Students can choose to pay upfront to the University or defer their fees to an SA-HELP loan with the Australian Taxation Office (if eligible). If you wish to pay upfront to the University using ePay (online payment option) select the following link from the left-hand menu in the "My Finances" tab in eStudent and proceed with payment.
Alternatively, you can use one of the University's other methods of payment.
For information on paying your SSAF in 2022, please read the Department of Education's SA-HELP Booklet [PDF 596KB].
Key dates
The University advises you of your specific Payment Due date from eStudent (>My Finances menu) the day after you enrol in each unit.
You may also get email reminders from time to time sent to your official student email account. You are reminded to check this email a few times a week to ensure you receive any communications from the University.
Failure to pay by due date
Students must pay the SSAF by the relevant payment due date each session in order to avoid sanctions on their student account. Students with sanctions will be prevented from:
- re-enrolling into new units
- accessing exam results
- graduating
- accessing academic transcripts
Deferring payment
Australian citizens, eligible New Zealand Special Category Visa holders or Permanent Residents (Humanitarian Visa Holders only) who do not wish to pay the fee upfront to the University can defer the fee through SA-HELP assistance to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
To defer the SSAF, eligible students must complete a separate 'Request for SA-HELP Assistance' form by the relevant census date.
A HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP form does not cover the deferral of the SSAF.
To lodge a Government Assistance Form - SA-HELP, simply follow these steps:
- Log in to eStudent.
- Click on the ‘Forms’ tile and you will see ‘Government Assistance Form – SA-HELP. Click on ‘Fill out’ button to complete this form.
- Once you ‘Submit’ this form, you will see a ‘Form Submitted’ confirmation page.
- You can always view the forms you have submitted and the status via ‘Forms’ tile on the Home page.
The SA-HELP form covers a student for the length of their admitted course, and the form need only be submitted once for each course, to defer the SSAF. If the student changes courses a new SA-HELP form will need to be submitted by the relevant census date.
View our instructions for further help with completing the SA-HELP form through eStudent.
Refunds
If you wish to have this fee refunded, withdraw from the unit(s) via eStudent by the relevant session census date.
Students who withdraw from a unit(s) after the census date, will still remain liable for the Student Services and Amenities Fee. This applies even if a refund has been given for withdrawal due to special circumstances.
Common questions
International students studying offshore will not be liable for the SSAF for the first half year (FHYR) in 2023. This means you will not be charged the SSAF for any units whose census date falls between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2023.
Your offshore status will be reviewed on the census date and if you remain offshore, the SSAF for FHYR 2023 will be reversed from your eStudent, 2-4 weeks after the census date.
You can request a refund of the SSAF paid if you are completing your studies in the current study period, or there are special circumstances for the university to consider. The processing time of fee refund is 2 to 4 weeks and you can find more information by contacting mi.compliance@mq.edu.au. If you choose not to receive a refund, the credit will remain in the your account and will be allocated towards tuition fees for subsequent study periods.
Your SSAF is usually charged the day after you enrol in units. You can pay your SSAF as soon as the fee is loaded onto your account.
For first half 2023, offshore International students will be exempt from paying this fee as they don't have access to the range of services other students have. If you aren't sure if you will be in Australia or know that you won't be returning to study in Australia in the first half of 2023, your SSAF will be reversed shortly after the relevant study period census date. Please check your account at this time.
The SSAF supports students in a number of ways including many online services which are available for all students. Many services have been enhanced to enable students to access them online.
Onshore and domestic students can access services such as wellbeing support and careers opportunities that have previously not been available for offshore International students. It is for this reason that you are required to pay this fee.
The revenue generated from the SSAF helps Macquarie provide a range of services and amenities for our students. Have a look at our SSAF page to find out more about how SSAF funds are used at Macquarie.
The SSAF supports the various services Macquarie provides for all students. A guide to these can be found on our SSAF page.
You remain liable for the SSAF even if you choose not to access them, however, we do encourage you to engage with these services to their full advantage.