Fees and Scholarships

Fees

Ridley College is an affiliated college of the Australian College of Theology (ACT). The tuition fees are set by the ACT on an annual basis. The cost of individual units varies depending upon the credit points assigned for the unit; a standard unit is worth 12 credit points (cps). It is important to note that tuition fees are adjusted by the ACT each year and are not set for the duration of the course.

Payment information

Tuition fees are invoiced prior to a students commencement each semester. Tuition fees are due by the commencement date of each semester or immediately where enrolment occurs on or after the unit commencement date.

Methods of payment

Ridley College offers various methods of account payment, which are detailed on our invoices. Eligible students may be able to access the Australian Government’s FEE-HELP program, see below.

Overdue fees

Failure to pay tuition fees, or to apply for FEE-HELP assistance by the relevant census date may result in discontinuation of the student’s enrolment in that unit and will prevent a student from future enrolment until the debt has been paid.

Fees for Domestic Students

2024 Fees for Domestic Students

2025 Fees for Domestic Students

Fees for Overseas Students

2024 Fees for Overseas Students

2025 Fees for Overseas Students

Other fees

Ridley Online students
Online students are responsible for their own internet connection, and for return postage of any hard copy books borrowed from the library. The library pays for postage to students.
Audit students
Students auditing a unit/s (participating in learning but not submitting assessment or receiving academic credit) are invoiced a fee of $395 per 12cps unit. This mode of study is available for both campus and online students. Please note that FEE-HELP is not available to auditing students.
Anglican Institute Training Fee
Candidates for ordination pay an annual ordination training fee of $1,000 ($500 plus GST per semester) and associate members of the Anglican Institute pay $500 ($250 plus GST per semester).

FEE-HELP

Ridley College students may be eligible to access financial help from the Commonwealth Government via FEE-HELP to help pay their tuition fees. For further information on FEE-HELP, including any proposed changes, visit the government website by clicking here.

The HELP loan limit depends on what you are or have studied and the limit is set by the government each year. In 2024 the limit is $121,844 for most students. Tuition fees are paid by the Government to the ACT (the Higher Education Provider) on the students behalf. Students may make voluntary repayments at any time, but must start repaying their HELP debt when their taxable income reaches $54,436 (2024-25 financial year).

Currently, there is a 20% FEE-HELP loan fee applicable to undergraduate courses, such as the diploma and bachelor degrees. There is no loan fee for units of study in a post/graduate course, such as the Graduate Diploma, Master of Divinity, and research courses.

It is each student’s responsibility to check the full cost of their proposed course of study and to ensure they have sufficient HELP funding available. Students can check their available HELP balance here. It is also possible to pay tuition fees through a combination of upfront payments and FEE-HELP if preferred; please contact the Registrar’s office to discuss this arrangement.

FEE-HELP Eligibility

To be eligible for FEE-HELP a student must:

Be an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa or the holder of a permanent visa who is undertaking bridging study for overseas-trained professionals. If you fall into the last two categories you must also be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit.

Have completed Ridley’s application and enrolment processes by the applicable deadlines.

Have completed the online eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) application process on or before the appropriate census date. Upon enrolment in their first unit in a course, students who wish to apply for FEE-HELP will receive an email with instructions and a link to complete their online application.

Once students apply for FEE-HELP it will be applicable for the entirety of their course; it is only necessary to lodge a new FEE-HELP application if a student changes their course of study.

Census dates

Please note that no FEE-HELP applications can be accepted after these dates.

The census date is the last date a student can withdraw from a unit, their course, or apply for a leave of absence without remaining liable to pay for the applicable tuition fees and without it appearing on academic transcripts and statements. Some Ridley units will have a separate census date as they have different start/end dates or are running in different study modes. Units with a special census date are noted on the timetable with an asterisk (*). A list of these census dates and associated variation of enrolment policies are available through My Ridley and are emailed to students as part of the enrolment process.

2024 standard census dates

Semester One	20 March 2024
Semester Two	6 August 2024
Semester Three	6 December 2024

2025 standard census dates

Semester One	21 March 2025
Semester Two	8 August 2025
Semester Three	5 December 2025

Scholarships

2025 Applications close:

> 3 February 2025 for full-year and semester one units
> 30 June 2025 for semester two
(Please note: applications submitted after these dates will NOT be considered)

All scholarships are means-tested. Application forms are available from the Registrar or can be downloaded by clicking here:

Ridley College Scholarship Application form

Youth Ministry Support Package Application

Anglican Ordination Scholarship
next offered in 2026
Recipients will receive a scholarship of $30,000 per year for two years of their three-year course, with the possibility of support for an additional year. Applicants will be enrolled in a three-year award, working towards Anglican ordination. Preference will be given to applicants committed to and/or endorsed by their diocese for vocational ministry.
Student Scholarship
new for 2025
Two $10,000 scholarships will be awarded to students to support them in undertaking theological study. We particularly encourage applications by new students enrolling in a 3-year award with a full-time load (3 or 4 units per semester). Applicants are welcome to use these scholarship funds towards their unit fees or their living expenses. Applicants accepted into on-campus housing may also choose to apply the scholarship funding to their rent. Scholarships will be awarded on a yearly basis, with the opportunity for recipients to re-apply in future years.
Student Support Bursaries
awarded on a semester basis
These bursaries are available for students who cannot study without financial support. Assistance is available up to 50% of a student’s unit fees for the semester. Students may also apply for a taxable living allowance of up to 50% of their unit fees. Priority will be given to students who are unable to access FEE-Help.
Youth Ministry Support Package
awarded on a semester basis available for students undertaking study in youth ministry to support youth ministry placement in a local church.

Apply Now

Degree level	Cost
Level 5-7 units (undergraduate courses)	$2,784 per unit (12cps) $22,272 full-time, one year (includes a $368.40 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Level 8-9 units (graduate and postgraduate coursework courses)	$2,976 per unit (12cps) $23,808 full-time, one year (includes a $393.60 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Postgraduate Research courses (Master of Theology-Research, Doctor of Ministry-Research phase, Doctor of Philosophy) – these fees apply to domestic and offshore candidates	*Part-time students* $5,364 per semester $10,728 per year (includes a $1,164 ACT administration fee per semester) *Full-time students* $10,728 per semester $21,456 per year (includes a $2,324 ACT administration fee per semester)

Degree level	Cost
Level 5-7 units (undergraduate courses)	$2,853 per unit (12cps) $22,824 full-time, one year (includes a $380.40 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Level 8-9 units (graduate and postgraduate coursework courses)	$3,162 per unit (12cps) $25,296 full-time, one year (includes a $420.60 ACT administration fee per unit)
Postgraduate Research courses (Master of Theology-Research, Doctor of Ministry-Research phase, Doctor of Philosophy) – these fees apply to domestic and offshore candidates	*Part-time students* $5,706 per semester $11,412 per year (includes a $1,236 ACT administration fee per semester) *Full-time students* $11,412 per semester $22,824 per year (includes a $2,472 ACT administration fee per semester)

Degree level	Cost
Level 5-7 units (undergraduate courses)	$3,207 per unit (12cps) $25,656 full-time, one year (includes a $552 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Level 8-9 units (graduate and postgraduate coursework courses)	$3,426 per unit (12cps) $27,408 full-time, one year (includes a $591 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Postgraduate research full-time (Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Theology) – these fees apply to overseas students studying in Australia on a student visa	*Full-time students* $12,816 per semester $25,632 per year (includes a $2,990.40 ACT administration fee per semester)

Degree level	Cost
Level 5-7 units (undergraduate courses)	$3,288 per unit (12cps) $26,304 full-time, one year (includes a $552 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Level 8-9 units (graduate and postgraduate coursework courses)	$3,642 per unit (12cps) $27,408 full-time, one year (includes a $628.20 ACT administration fee per standard unit)
Postgraduate research full-time (Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Theology) – these fees apply to overseas students studying in Australia on a student visa	*Full-time students* $13,632 full-time mode per semester $27,264 per year (includes a $3,182.40 ACT administration fee per semester)