The Guild - Illegal Course Fees

When you enrol at Murdoch you are confronted with many fees and charges. Murdoch can only charge you for these things if they are not necessary for achieving the skills or competencies to complete your program. Any fee, which you are charged, must be considered 'voluntary.' It is illegal for your school to force you to buy or pay for something which is necessary for the completion of your program.

A guide to incidental and ancillary fees

Material	Essential (no fee can be charged)	Non-essential (a fee may be charged)
Course Profile/Outline	Hard and soft copies must be made available to students	No fee may be charged.
Readings/Lecture notes	Access to library books, periodicals and manuals must be available If the material is needed in the classroom and not available elsewhere	- A fee may be charged if the material in question can be obtained for free elsewhere (e.g. online, adequate supplies in the library)
Distance Education	The cost of mailing essential materials must not be charged
Lab manuals/workbooks	Must be free if needed for assessment	Possible to charge if they are available free elsewhere (i.e. adequate copies in special reserve)
Lab Materials	Anything used in practical sessions – chemicals, fuels, animal feed etc	Anything that will become the permanent property of the student and is available from a supplier that isn’t the university (lab coats, stationary, printing)
Personal Professional Equipment	Anything a professional would not be required to own – e.g. workshop manuals, large items of equipment	Anything that suppliers outside the university provide – e.g. musical instruments, first aid courses, health and safety equipment
Compulsory Excursions (excluding clinical placements)	No extra charge if the student isn’t able to acquire food/transport/accommodation from non-university suppliers/ is not able to make a reasonable choice to do so	An itemized fee may be charged if students can reasonably acquire food/transport/accommodation from suppliers other than the university.
Internet Access	Students must have free access to all compulsory online materials If the material is in excess of university-provided download limits then thedepartment must pay	Note charges may be levied for printing
Computer Access	Must have free access to computers or other online resources that are essential to study For units requiring extra access, the department must pay the increase	Refundable fees may be charged for swipe cards etc
Admissions/Enrolment	No fee can be charged for admissions – including auditions or applications for credit
Assessment	No charge for examinations No charges for practical examinations or associated materials e.g. lab materials, musical accompanists No charge for reassessment

If you think you are being charged an illegal fee at Murdoch report it to your Guild Education Vice President (contact details below).

All personal information submitted will be kept anonymous and not be passed onto your School, Faculty or the University administration without your express permission

Related Policies & Procedures:

Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS-HELP)

Higher Education Funding Act 1988

For more information contact Charlotte the Education Vice-President on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.