Postgraduate Commonwealth Supported Places

Funding your postgraduate degree

Law student portrait with building exterior and building shadows

Invest in your future and boost your employment opportunities

_{If you’re considering postgraduate study, you may be eligible to receive a subsidised place, through the Australian government’s Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) scheme. CSPs are available for a variety of postgraduate programs, spanning across all UNSW faculties. You could cultivate your thinking and get practical, hands-on skills for tomorrow’s workforce at UNSW – all at a reduced cost.}

How to apply

We're here to guide you through the application process and answer all of your questions about studying at UNSW.

Apply now

Apply now to further your education journey, future-proof your skills and expand your career opportunities.

What is a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)?

A Commonwealth Supported Place is a spot at a university or higher education provider that's subsidised by the Australian Government. If you studied an undergraduate degree as a domestic student, chances are that you had one of these places. Although less common for postgraduate degrees, they’re just one of many assistance schemes offered to help you on your way to further study.

You’re eligible if you:

are an Australian or New Zealand citizen
hold an Australian permanent residency visa
hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa

Students who receive a CSP don’t pay full course fees. Rather, the Australian Government pays one part and you pay the smaller ‘student contribution’ fee. This can make postgraduate study more affordable. If you choose to defer the remaining part through HECS-HELP, you may not have any upfront course fees.

CSPs are competitive and based on academic merit as there are limited places available. You won’t need to submit a separate application as all domestic applicants will be considered when applying for a CSP available degree through Apply Online. If you’re applying through UAC, you will need to list both the CSP and full-fee degree codes to be considered.

The following links can help you determine if your desired degree has CSP availability and whether you will need to apply via UAC. If you do need to apply via UAC, please do so as soon as you are able, as this application system is time sensitive.

Available programs

Apply through UAC

What does it mean for me?

Receive a government subsidy for postgrad study, and reduce your education costs. You may also be able to defer upfront fees through HECS-HELP.
Quickly enhance your qualifications (in as little as six to eight months)
Update your knowledge, increase your employment opportunities to transition into a new field
Reduce the time it takes to complete a Master’s degree or further study.

Is the investment worth it?

Investing in yourself by pursuing a postgraduate degree can help you follow your passion or discover a new one. Postgraduate study can accelerate your career by bringing new skills, networks and more income. Furthering your studies will be a challenge, but the value is clear. Within three years of graduating, UNSW graduates earn the highest median salaries among graduates of Go8 universities (QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2023). Gaining a postgraduate qualification can increase your income considerably, with the Australian median salary of $85,300 for graduates with postgraduate qualifications, compared to $62,600 for bachelor degree graduates.

What other options are available?

If your degree doesn’t offer CSPs or if you don’t receive an offer for a CSP, there are other schemes available to support you. Government-supported schemes such as FEE-HELP allow eligible domestic fee-paying students to defer part or all their tuition fees. Centrelink also has several allowance schemes available to help eligible students pay for living costs.

UNSW scholarships also support thousands of students each year to make their goals of achieving further education more attainable. Find out what scholarships you might be eligible for and make sure you check the application deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Commonwealth Supported Places are issued based on academic merit to the most competitive students in programs with CSP allocations. You may be issued a full fee-paying offer at first if eligible for the program and then receive a CSP offer during the allocated offer rounds closer to the term start date.

How will I know if I am successful in obtaining a Commonwealth Supported Place?

Applicants who have been successful in obtaining a Commonwealth Supported Place will have this reflected in their UNSW offer letter. 

If you have applied directly to UNSW via Apply Online for Term 1 2026, we are issuing CSP offers every 3 weeks following this schedule:

T1 2026

Round	Offers issued	Offer expires
1	Tuesday 11 November	Tuesday 25 November
2	Tuesday 2 December	Tuesday 16 December
3	Tuesday 23 December	Tuesday 6 January
4	Tuesday 13 January	Tuesday 27 January
Final	Tuesday 3 February	Sunday 15 February

If you have received a full fee-paying offer, you may still be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place in another round closer to the start of term. To ensure you do not miss out, we encourage you to accept your existing offer, which will be updated and re-issued if you are deemed eligible for a CSP nearer to the commencement of term.

It is important to be aware that all CSP offers supersede the full fee-paying offer and you must accept the CSP offer before the expiry in order to secure your place to study with UNSW.

If you have accepted a full fee-paying position at UNSW Sydney and are offered a Commonwealth Supported Place later, the subsidised offer will supersede your fee-paying position.
We are currently issuing CSP offers for Term 1 2026 on UAC’s offer round schedule for Postgraduate courses. If you have not received an offer for a CSP in this round, it is unlikely we would be able to issue you a CSP offer for Term 1 2026. To be considered for a Commonwealth Supported Place, you can update your preferences for Term 2 2026 entry, but please be sure to check that the course you are applying for has an intake for that term.

We are not currently issuing CSP offers for Term 2 2026 but expect to make a limited number of CSP offers beginning in March to eligible applicants.  
Applied via Apply Online: If you hold a CSP offer but do not accept it by the deadline, please contact UNSW Admissions to have your application reassessed in the final offer round. If places available and successful, a new CSP offer will be issued; otherwise, a full-fee paying offer will be provided.

Applied via UAC: If you hold a CSP offer but do not accept it by the deadline, we are not able to re-issue you with a CSP offer for the same term. Hence, you will need to preference a full fee-paying place for the same term, or reapply to be considered in Term 2 2026, noting this will involve a further application fee.
Current UNSW undergraduate students applying for postgraduate programs will be considered equally with all other applicants. Offers will be made in later rounds once UNSW results are released.
CSP offers may be deferred for up to one year, in line with UNSW’s approved deferral policy. Eligible deferral requests will be processed as CSP deferrals.