University expense - tell me if i've got this straight (1 Viewer)

[Crazy Fingers!]

University expenses - tell me if i've got this straight

So I want to do a Commonwealth supported place

So this means I only have to pay the student contribution?

But I can then get a HECS HELP loan to cover all of the student contibution?

And you only have to start repaying this loan once your income reaches $36000?

So in reality I all have to save up by next year is enough money to cover the student activity fees and other random costs of studying?

Is this correct?

Cheers

 

[Crazy Fingers!]

So how much money do you recommend I save to cover all these expenses?

 

[hipsta_jess]

It depends what uni you go to. For example, USyd charges their GSC (general service charge) by the year, at ~$500 in one go. Newcastle pays by the semester, ~$180 each semester.
Textbooks vary, from ~$50 semester to ~$1000 a semester (yeah, sucked to be me last sem.)
Some courses also have equipment you have to buy.

 

[stazi]

many unis have interest free loans for texts

 

[MiuMiu]

Textbooks you can just borrow from the library

 

[Sarah168]

not always because they're usually in the udnergrad section and it has limited borrowing time. It's a hassle to have to return it and then sometimes someone has put a hold on it and you can't renew it etc etc

there a limited copies also

if you can handle the hassle and risk of not having a book on hand sometimes then go for it

sometimes (Actually, rarely but it does happen), very very very nice lecturers have a few copies on hand and will let you borrow it for the semester provided you give evidence of financial hardship

for books where you only need 1 or 2 chapters, doing what Ms12 said is clever.

 

[Roguedeth]

3 grand i'd say?

 

[Sarah168]

depends on which uni

i started at usyd this yr and had to fork out 590 for student union fees plus approx 300 (from memory, just a ballpark figure) for textbooks. Other minor costs include transport (this depends on where you live or if you even need to allocate for it) and umm...can't think of anything else at the moment

Edit: looking back, 300 for a 1st yr 1st semester load of texbooks is really quite excessive. I was too nervous about not havign the books coupled with my "better safe than sorry" attitude and = too much spending. Listen to most people's advice and hunt for cheaper textbooks and really really find out if you even need it.

 

[stazi]

you can also buy second hand textbooks from the net for usually what is 1/4 of the price

 

[stazi]

Yeah, at my uni all the textbooks that are the prescribed text for units are kept in the reserved section of the libary and you can only borrow them overnight or photocopy them. Sometimes they have more than one copy in th elibrary, but not that often

usyd texts have about 4/5 copies. You can borrow all but one for 2 weeks

 

[Mambomeg]

it depends on your course, i spent a hell of a lot in 1st year, because most of my textbooks are used for 2-3 years of my degree, and with 100+ uber eager students all vying for the library copies, i could never get them. Especially in my course when everyone has breaks at the same time, everyone is in the library at the same time, so the books go quick smart.

Also if you are doing a science based course, you will need lab coats, dissection kits (for biology, and anatomy subjects) a stethoscope if its medical, eye protection for chemistry, lab books (usually $10-20, depends on subject), gloves, and, if you dont have them (which many students dont... ) closed in shoes, you cant wear thongs in prac labs.

Also, in addition to textbooks, many courses have course readers, which contain lecture notes, prac classes, timetables, exam and assignmnent info etc. These usually cost between $10 and $50 depending on the size of the book. It would be hard to get by in many subjects without these, so you need to save for them too.

 

[Crazy Fingers!]

I wil be doing science at unsw