Fees & Charges

The quality of education we offer to all students is supported by our ability to provide excellent resources and facilities. The College relies on the timely payment of school fees to meet its running costs. Fees are due in full in Week Four of each term unless paid by approved regular instalments. School fees are charged and payable over four terms with the exception of Year 12, which is charged and payable over three terms.

School Tuition Fee

Fees are collected by the College to support the curriculum and to assist in paying staff salaries.

College Levy

The College Levy covers tuition related expenses such as individual subject expenses; text book hire; eBook subscriptions, camps and retreats, student organisers, College Yearbook, (one per student) and consumables associated with practical subjects such as Art, Hospitality, Technology, etc. In addition, the Levy is also used to support education initiatives in the College.

Schedule of Charges 2023

NB: Fees quoted are indicative for the current year only (2023) and are subject to change at the commencement of each subsequent year.

**Parents are asked to contribute $200 per term ($267 for Year 12) to the Canberra Catholic Schools Building Fund. This donation is tax deductible. It is not included in the fees set out above.

Other Charges

Excursions: The College Levy covers curriculum related excursions costing $25 or less in total per student. Excursions over this amount are paid directly to the College and not charged to fees.

Extra-curricular excursions: The costs for extra-curricular excursions are paid directly to the College and not charged to fees.

*Canberra Catholic Schools Building Fund (CCSBF)

The Building Fund donation is a voluntary contribution. The CCSBF supports schools within the ACT. If you have students attending Catholic Education Primary Schools as well as High Schools, the Building Fund donation is contributed to the school attended by the eldest child. The CCSBF voluntary charge will be applied to accounts automatically at the beginning of each term, and payments allocated towards it unless otherwise advised.

If you choose not to contribute to the Building Fund please advise the College in writing.

Enrolment Fees

The Application Fee for all new students is $100 (non refundable) and payable as part of the online enrolment process.

Tuition Fee Sibling Discount

Families with more than one child attending St Clare’s College or who have children attending other systemic Catholic Education High Schools in addition to St Clare’s College (ie. John Paul College, St Francis Xavier College, St Mary MacKillop College and Merici College) are eligible for a discount on their tuition fees. The Sibling Discount Form must be completed and returned to accounts@stcc.act.edu.au before this discount can be applied.

The discount will automatically apply if you have more than one daughter at St Clare’s College.

Discounts are:

• 20% for second child attending an Archdiocesan secondary school
• 50% for third child attending an Archdiocesan secondary school
• 100% for fourth or subsequent child/ren attending either an Archdiocesan primary or secondary school.

Note:

• Full fee is payable on the eldest child
• Where parents have students in both an Archdiocesan primary and secondary school simultaneously, a 20% discount applies to the eldest primary school child. Please contact your primary school for further details.

Payment Methods

College Fees are issued in Week One and are required to be paid in full by the Friday of Week Four of each Term.

The College offers various methods for payment of school fees. These include Qkr!, credit card, BPay, Direct Debit, eftpos, cheque or cash.

BPAY

BPAY payments can be made through internet or telephone banking by quoting the Biller Code and your Reference Number which appear in the bottom left corner of your Fee Statement.

Credit and Debit Card Payments

Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards payments can be made in person at the College, over the telephone or by completing the appropriate section on your Fee Statement and returning it to the College.

Cash and EFTPOS

Cash and EFTPOS payments can be made in person at the College.

If paying by cash it is recommended and requested that parents do not send large sums of money to school with their daughter.

Qkr!

Qkr! (pronounced ‘quicker’) is a convenient mobile payment app that can be used to pay school fees directly from a smart device. Qkr! accepts Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards and more than one card can be registered within the app. The app is available from the Apple Store and Google Play. If using an iPad, you can download the iPhone version of Qkr! The app can also be used to order and pay for excursions or event tickets.

Instalments

It may be more convenient for you to pay school fees by regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments. Facilities for this service can be set up via BPay or Direct Debit.

When paying by instalment, it is the responsibility of the parent/s to ensure that the payment is sufficient to cover all charges placed on the Family Fee Statement throughout the year.

Families are welcome to contact accounts@stcc.act.edu.au at the start of each new year to ensure that their new instalment is set at the correct amount to have their College account paid in full by the end of December that year. This arrangement is then noted on your account as an Approved Payment Plan. Any Approved Payment Plans that repeatedly decline will be cancelled and your fees will need to be paid via an alternative method.

The Accounts office does not alter Direct Debit Authorities without the written instructions of the account holder.  Please note that your instalment amount may need to increase each year.

Overdue Accounts

The College is required to follow up overdue accounts. Where there are on-going issues with payments and/or lack of communication regarding outstanding fees, the College may use the services of an external debt collection agency.

Financial Difficulty

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact College Accounts on 6260 9461 accounts@stcc.act.edu.au to discuss the matter.

The College has provision to provide fee relief to assist families experiencing genuine, evidenced financial hardship. Applications for School Fee Concessions are confidential and forms can be obtained from the Accounts Clerk. All forms must be completed, and the supporting documentation provided in order for consideration to be given for a fee concession.

Fee Concession applications are assessed anonymously by the Fee Concession Committee using the same assessment model employed by other secondary colleges in the Canberra Goulbourn Diocese.  The Fees Concession Policy and the model assumes that families value a Catholic education and that fee payments will be prioritised.

A reduction of College fees payable may be granted where parents in applying for a fee concession are able to demonstrate genuine financial disadvantage or hardship. 

College Leave

If a student is on leave from the College for an extended period (eg. overseas holiday), full fees are payable for that time.

Cancellation of Enrolment

If a student leaves the College between Week 1 and Week 5 of the school term and the College has received a minimum two weeks written notice of this, the family is eligible for a refund of 50% of the current term’s fees. Where the date of departure between Week 5 and Week 10, no refund is applied.

If less than two weeks’ notice has been given, refunds are at the discretion of the Principal. Should payment in full not be possible at time of leaving, an arrangement for payment would need to be agreed to with the Business Manager.

Overseas Student Exchange

The College supports short term student overseas exchange programs arranged by recognised overseas exchange organisations.

Full fees will be charged for the semester in which the exchange takes place. Upon application, a fee remission of no more than 50% of the semester fee will be considered for exchanges that exceed 10 school weeks in length.

Further Information

For further information please contact College Accounts on accounts@stcc.act.edu or 6260 9461.