Overview

Tertiary providers must adhere to the requirements regarding student services fees.

Student services fees are regulated differently to tuition fees. Instead of determining how much these fees can increase by each year, the Government regulates the process providers must follow to set student services fees and decide what they are spent on. This provides flexibility for providers to charge a higher fee for services that students agree are of high value. This helps to ensure that tertiary providers are accountable to their students and transparent on what services are delivered through the student services fees.

Requirements on student services fees

The current student services fee regulations state that providers charging a student services fee must:

• not charge a compulsory fee for student services to apprentices and trainees. Instead, these learners must be given the choice to opt-in to paying student services fees,
• only charge a student services fee for activities within specified categories of student services, such as health and counselling services, and sporting and cultural activities,
• ensure students form part of the decision-making process when setting a student services fee. This aims to ensure that providers and students work together to set student services fees and determine what services are delivered,
• separately account for student services fees income and expenditure,
• report on their use of the student services fee by service each year so that students and government know what services the fee is funding,
• provide basic information on their websites on the amount of the student services fee and how students can be involved in decisions on the fee.

From 2025, there is a change to the timeframe for registered Private Training Establishments (PTEs) to provide the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) with a copy of the written report on student services fees that is provided to students. PTEs are now required to provide the report on student services fees to the TEC no later than 14-days after it is provided to students.

The TEC monitors whether or not tertiary providers are complying with their conditions of funding, including student services fees. The TEC publishes guidance for tertiary providers on how to comply with student services fee regulations.

2024 student services fees guidance – TEC