Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) 2020

✦ Plain-English Summary

# Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020

## What it does
This law reshapes how the government funds university degrees and what students pay. It changes student contribution amounts (how much you pay towards your degree), adjusts which courses get government funding support, and introduces new student protections while making it easier for universities to operate in regional and remote areas.

## Why it matters
Your university fees will likely change depending on what you study — some degrees will cost more, others less. The changes affect how affordable higher education is and whether students in regional Australia have better access to university options. It also impacts how universities operate and which courses they can offer.

## Key details

- **Student fees shift by field**: Engineering, nursing, and agriculture get more government support (lower student fees), while humanities and social sciences cost more. These changes started rolling out from January 2021.

- **Regional student support**: New provisions help students in regional and remote areas access higher education and complete their degrees, addressing isolation barriers.

- **University accountability**: Universities face stricter rules about protecting students and maintaining quality — new compliance requirements start January 2021, with additional measures added January 2022.

Official Description

Amends the: Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: redesign the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) funding clusters and the Commonwealth contribution amounts (CCAs); provide that higher education providers continue to receive the same amount of CGS funding for 'grandfathered students' enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) where the current maximum student contributions amounts (SCAs) will apply for units those students enrol in after 1 January 2021; change the way grants are paid to higher education providers for CSPs; remove the broad exclusion of 'work experience in industry' units of study from CGS funding; change the maximum SCAs for a place in a unit of study to reflect the changes to funding clusters and CCAs; ensure that 'grandfathered students' do not have to pay the higher maximum SCA for a unit of study they enrol in after 1 January 2021 where the SCA for that unit would otherwise increase; provide legislative authority for the National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund and allow for the transition arrangements required to implement the Indigenous, Regional and Low Socio-Economic Status Attainment Fund; introduce student protection and provider integrity requirements; reduce, for units of study with a census date on or after 1 January 2021, the loan fee for students obtaining a FEE-HELP loan for an undergraduate court of study at a non-Table B Provider from 25 per cent to 20 per cent; and make minor technical amendments; Higher Education Support Amendment (2009 Budget Measures) Act 2009 to remove saving arrangements for education and nursing students; Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2017 to extend quality and accountability requirements to all higher education providers (including universities); and Social Security Act 1991 to reduce from six to three the number of months a student living away from home must be receiving eligible student support payments before being eligible to receive Fare Allowance for a return journey home.

Committee Referrals

Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

Full bill PDF →APH page →

Audit History

Introduced

26 Aug 2020

Last updated on APH

10 Apr 2026

Outcome date

27 Oct 2020

Last checked by Crossbench

2 days ago

Full text indexed

2 days ago

🗳️

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

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