CSP, BMP or
full-fee
medicine?
Australian medical schools allocate places under three funding structures — Commonwealth Supported Places, Bonded Medical Program places, and full-fee places. Each carries a radically different cost, commitment and funding-eligibility profile. Compare them side by side, see which schools offer full-fee places, and understand the FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP loans behind 2027 entry.
~$11k
CSP per year
$100k+
BMP bond penalty
~$174k
FEE-HELP limit
2027
Updated for entry
The standard domestic pathway
A Commonwealth Supported Place is the standard funding pathway for domestic Australian medical students. The government subsidises a large portion of tuition, and you pay an indexed student contribution of ~AUD $11,000-$12,000 per year for medicine (band 4 funding cluster).
- Eligibility: Australian citizens, eligible permanent residents (most categories) and New Zealand citizens with relevant residency status. International student-visa holders are not eligible.
- Cost during degree: ~$11,000-$12,000 per year × 4-6 years ≈ AUD $44,000-$72,000, indexed annually.
- Funding: HECS-HELP, an income-contingent loan covering the student contribution — repayments start through the tax system once taxable income exceeds the threshold (~AUD $54,435 for 2025-26).
- Obligations: none beyond completing the degree. CSP students choose where to practise post-Fellowship freely.
CSP medicine · band 4
~$11k/ year
out-of-pocket
$0 with HECS-HELP
Total across the degree
Indexed annually — figures are approximate.
BMP · regional / rural / remote
3 yrFTE · MM2-7
tuition
Same as CSP
Cost of bond failure
Plus interest — small chance, large consequence.
~28% of national CSP allocation in medicine.
CSP cost, with a service bond
Bonded Medical Program places are Commonwealth Supported Places with an attached service obligation. You pay the same indexed student contribution as a CSP student (and access HECS-HELP), but you commit to three years of full-time-equivalent service in a regional, rural or remote area (Modified Monash Model 2-7) after achieving Fellowship.
BMP places make up approximately 28% of CSP allocation in medicine nationally. There is no additional financial burden during the degree — the financial risk is the bond failure penalty of AUD $100,000-$130,000 plus interest if you withdraw from the bond.
Unsubsidised, no obligation
Full-fee places are domestic-eligible places that are not subsidised by the Commonwealth. You pay the full tuition fee — typically AUD $70,000-$90,000 per year — and there is no service obligation. Full-fee graduates choose any specialty and any location freely.
Where full-fee places are offered
- Private medical schools — Bond University (Gold Coast) & Macquarie University (Sydney). No CSP allocation at all; every domestic student is full-fee. Bond runs an accelerated 4yr-8mo MD; Macquarie a 4yr graduate MD.
- Catholic university medical schools — Notre Dame Sydney & Fremantle. A mix of CSP and full-fee places, with full-fee a substantial minority of the intake.
- Public university full-fee overflow — Sydney MD is the main example. A small number of full-fee places alongside the CSP intake, typically for domestic applicants who landed below the CSP cut-off.
Funding: FEE-HELP — an income-contingent loan up to the medicine sub-limit (~AUD $174,000 lifetime, indexed). This covers most of a Macquarie MD or roughly half of a Bond MD; the remainder is paid out-of-pocket. FEE-HELP requires Australian citizenship or eligible humanitarian visa status — international student-visa holders pay full international fees up-front.
FEE-HELP covers more than half
FEE-HELP covers under half
Fund the gap from savings, family support or private loans.
Illustrative — check each school's current fee schedule.
Schools allocating full-fee places
Where to find a full-fee place
5 Australian medical schools currently allocate full-fee places — either exclusively or as part of a mixed intake. Open a school for the latest mix.
Bond
Gold Coast, QLD · dual entry
Bond quotes up to 180 domestic places a year across the May + September intakes on its entry-requirements page and up to 200 in its FAQ — treat 180-200 domestic places as the range. About 80% go to undergraduate applicants and 20% to graduate applicants. Full-fee only: as a private not-for-profit university Bond has no Commonwealth Supported Places and does not participate in the BMP; domestic students may use FEE-HELP, which Bond states does not cover the full tuition cost.
View entry requirementsFlinders
Bedford Park, SA · dual entry
Bedford Park sub-quotas (2027 entry): Flinders University Graduates a maximum 75% of total places (within which a maximum 30% is the Flinders Graduates Reserved stream for Bachelor of Medical Science, Medical Science (Accelerated), Medical Science (Honours, 4yr), Paramedicine or Public Health graduates); Non-Flinders Graduates a minimum 25%; Rural sub-quota a minimum 28% of SA places; Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander up to 5 places; Humanitarian Visa holders up to 4 places. South Australia Rural Medical (SARM) Program: up to 60 places for 2027 entry — 30 Mount Gambier, 30 Riverland — with priority to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants, then rural SA residents, then interstate rural applicants; non-rural applicants committed to rural practice may apply but are considered only should places not be filled from rural backgrounds. Northern Territory Medical Program: up to 24 Employer Reserved (fee-paying) places funded by the NT Government. International places are applied for separately and directly to Flinders. The older Doctor of Medicine Rural Stream (MDRS) sub-quota has been discontinued and replaced by SARM.
View entry requirementsMacquarie
Sydney, NSW · graduate entry
Full-fee only — no Commonwealth Supported Places. 2027: 60 full-fee domestic + ~20 international. Up to 30 interview places reserved for Macquarie Bachelor of Clinical Science graduates.
View entry requirementsMelbourne
Parkville, VIC · graduate entry
2027 cycle (indicative): 179 CSP + 71 BMP (39 via GEMSAS + 32 via MD Rural Pathway) + up to 105 full-fee places covering domestic AND international full-fee combined ≈ ~355 total. GEMSAS notes these quotas are indicative only and subject to change, and UoM's 2027-intake Admissions Guide independently puts the total at 355, of which 60 are international and 295 domestic.
View entry requirementsNotre Dame Sydney
Sydney, NSW · graduate entry
2027: 40 CSP + 17 BMP + up to 57 full-fee domestic + up to 35 full-fee international (at most about 149), subject to change; international places are offered direct by UNDA, not through GEMSAS. Offers are made CSP first, BMP second, full-fee third, and once an offer is accepted the fee category is confirmed and cannot be changed for the duration of the program.
View entry requirementsNo CSP, BMP or FEE-HELP
International student-visa applicants are not eligible for CSP, BMP or FEE-HELP. International tuition is paid up-front each semester or trimester. Across a 4-year graduate MD, total international tuition is typically AUD $320,000-$420,000; across a 5-6 year undergraduate MD, AUD $400,000-$630,000.
Visa, OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) and cost-of-living add approximately AUD $25,000-$35,000 per year. Plan for AUD $400,000+ total degree cost as an international student, even at the lower-fee schools.
Typical international medicine fees · per year
AUD, paid up-front each semester or trimester.
Cost and obligation, compared
Indicative comparison for a domestic Australian student across the three main funding pathways. Figures are in AUD and approximate — check each school's current fee schedule before relying on them.
| Dimension | CSP | BMP | Full-fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual tuition (student pays) | ~$11k-$12k | ~$11k-$12k | ~$70k-$90k |
| 4-year graduate MD total | ~$44k-$48k | ~$44k-$48k | ~$280k-$360k |
| 5-6 year undergrad MD total | ~$55k-$72k | ~$55k-$72k | ~$350k-$540k |
| Income-contingent loan | HECS-HELP (full cover) | HECS-HELP (full cover) | FEE-HELP up to ~$174k |
| Out-of-pocket after loan | $0 (with HECS-HELP) | $0 (with HECS-HELP) | $100k-$370k (varies by school) |
| Service obligation | None | 156 weeks in MM2-7, from internship, within 18 yrs | None |
| Geographic flexibility post-Fellowship | Full | Limited until bond discharged | Full |
| Eligibility | Aus citizen / eligible PR / NZ | Aus citizen / eligible PR / NZ | Aus citizen / PR (for FEE-HELP) |
The cost you can't borrow for
Whichever funding pathway you choose, cost of living during medical school is real and often understated. Across a 4-year graduate MD, expect AUD $100,000+ in living costs on top of tuition; across a 6-year undergraduate MD, AUD $150,000+. None of this is covered by FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP — fund it from savings, family support, Youth Allowance / Austudy (if eligible), or part-time work.
FEE-HELP's lifetime medicine sub-limit of ~AUD $174,000 (indexed) is significant for full-fee planning. For Macquarie's ~$300,000 MD it covers more than half; for Bond's ~$380,000 MD it covers under half. Either way you need a plan for the gap — locked in before accepting a full-fee offer.
Single student in a sharehouse · per year
AUD — rent, food, transport, basic recreation.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Talk to someone who's been through it
Choosing between BMP and CSP, or weighing up a full-fee offer, is a real financial decision. Book a free consultation with a tutor who's navigated the funding decision themselves.
Keep planning
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