Tuition Fee Instalments for Study Abroad: How They Work

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Yes, tuition for study abroad can be spread across payments — but not the way many people imagine. Australian law stops a provider from taking more than half of a course’s tuition before the student starts, and universities invoice per teaching period rather than per degree. Instalment finance, in the lending sense, comes from somewhere else entirely.

Do Australian universities allow tuition to be paid in instalments?

What Australian law says

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), section 27, states that a registered provider "must not receive, in respect of an overseas student or intending overseas student, more than 50% of the student’s total tuition fees for a course before the student has begun the course" Federal Register of Legislation.

Two exceptions apply: the student (or whoever pays on their behalf) voluntarily chooses to pay more than 50% up front, or the course runs for 25 weeks or less.

The section exists to protect students, not to restrict them. In practice it means you are not required by law to pay four years of tuition before you set foot in a lecture theatre.

How universities actually invoice

The common pattern is an invoice per teaching period based on enrolled load, not a single invoice for the whole degree. RMIT states plainly that fees "are invoiced on a semester basis based on the enrolled load for that particular semester", with two exceptions: RMIT University Pathways students are charged at a weekly rate, and Foundation Studies and VCE students pay a flat semester fee RMIT University.

At Swinburne, international students must pay tuition up front by the due date on their Statement of Account, having paid a deposit when accepting the offer, which goes towards the course fee Swinburne University.

At Deakin, the due date appears on the invoice in the student portal, and the university warns that payments can take up to five working days to appear on the student record Deakin University.

Three payment models compared

University	Billing unit	First payment	Stated flexibility
RMIT	Semester, based on enrolled load	Acceptance deposit stated in the offer letter	Fees held constant within a calendar year; annual increase capped at 7.5%
Swinburne	Teaching period (semester, block or term)	Deposit paid when accepting the offer	Fee payment extension may be granted, only up to the census date
Deakin	Invoice per study period	Stated in the offer letter	Due date published on the invoice

Sources: RMIT University, Swinburne University, Deakin University.

What is instalment finance, and how is it regulated in Saudi Arabia?

Per-semester invoicing is one thing; instalment finance is another. The first comes from the university; the second comes from a financier that pays on your behalf and then collects from you over time.

In Saudi Arabia, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is a licensed activity supervised by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). SAMA’s rules define it as a form of finance that lets a consumer buy goods or services without paying a deferral cost, prohibit the company from charging the beneficiary any fees — other than late or collection fees under approved regulations — and require disclosure of terms, payment methods and licensing information, a clear and non-misleading contract, and published complaint-handling procedures Saudi Central Bank.

On 10 December 2023, SAMA announced a permit for Al Jeel Al Raqami Information Technology Company ("Jeel Pay") to conduct BNPL activity Saudi Central Bank.

At KD International we announced a partnership with Jeel Pay for tuition instalments on 2 June 2026 KD International on X. You can ask us about it through our contact page, noting that the terms of any payment plan are set by the financier, not by us.

What to read in the contract before you sign

1. The total you will pay against what the university actually receives. Ask for both figures in writing; the monthly instalment alone tells you little.
2. Late and collection fees — the only charges SAMA’s rules permit. Ask how much they are and when they apply Saudi Central Bank.
3. Who pays the university, and when. Will the payment reach the university before the due date? Being late with the university carries its own consequences.
4. Deferral and withdrawal. Who refunds what, from whom, and at what rate? Read the refund policy in the offer letter and the finance contract together.
5. Licensing. Confirm the financier is licensed by the Saudi Central Bank; disclosing licensing information is an obligation on the company.
6. Currency. Fees are in Australian dollars, repayments in Saudi riyals, and the gap between them moves.

How does your payment schedule affect the student visa?

This is the part most applicants miss. When calculating the financial capacity required for a Student visa (subclass 500), the first twelve months of course fees are counted, and you may deduct any amount you have already paid provided you supply evidence such as a receipt or Confirmation of Enrolment Department of Home Affairs.

Added to that are 12-month living costs of AUD 29,710 for the student, AUD 10,394 for an accompanying partner and AUD 4,449 per child, plus travel costs Department of Home Affairs. The visa application charge itself is AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026 Study Australia.

Put plainly: the more of your first-year tuition you have paid before lodging, the less you need to evidence. That is a practical factor worth weighing when you choose a payment schedule.

What happens if you pay late?

Swinburne warns that penalties for late payment by international students are serious and include fines, restricted access to results and possible cancellation of the student visa, and that an extension — where granted — runs only up to the census date shown on the Statement of Account Swinburne University.

The practical rule: if you can see that you will miss a due date, contact student administration before it passes, not after. Extension doors close once the date goes by.

And if the university itself cannot deliver?

The Australian framework has a second layer of protection: the Tuition Protection Service, which helps international students when an education or training provider cannot fully deliver their course Study Australia. It is one more reason to confirm your provider is on the CRICOS register CRICOS and to keep every receipt.

Practical steps before you sign any payment plan

1. Get the offer letter and read it for the first instalment, the due date, the invoicing schedule and the refund policy.
2. Ask the university in writing what the billing unit is (semester? teaching period?) and what the cap on annual fee increases is.
3. Cost the whole program, not the first year, and add health cover, living costs and the visa charge.
4. If you are a scholarship student, confirm what your track covers before you look for finance; see our guides to the Saudi scholarship tracks and the Arruaad track (both in Arabic).
5. Compare at least two plans, and compare totals rather than instalments.
6. Verify the financier’s licence with the Saudi Central Bank.
7. Keep a copy of the contract and every receipt — those are what you will need for the visa and in any dispute.

Your next step

An instalment plan is not a substitute for a budget; it is a way of organising one. Start with a single number: the full cost of your program through to graduation, then compare the available payment schedules against it. If you want help reading an offer letter and organising documents, register your details with us.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 — s.27 — Federal Register of Legislation, Australia
• Fees for international students — RMIT University
• Paying your fees as an international student — Swinburne University of Technology
• Your invoice and how to pay — Deakin University
• قواعد تنظيم شركات الدفع الآجل (BNPL) — البنك المركزي السعودي
• البنك المركزي السعودي يصرّح لشركة لمزاولة نشاط الدفع الآجل — البنك المركزي السعودي
• Student visa (subclass 500) — Department of Home Affairs, Australia
• Student Visa Application Charge increase — Study Australia
• CRICOS register — Australian Government

Last updated: 14 September 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.