RTC is an Affiliated College of the Australian University of Theology (AUT). The tuition fees are set by ACT on an annual basis. More information about tuition fees is available at https://www.aut.edu.au/tuition-fees.
The 2025 Fee Schedule is available for download below.
COMMONWEALTH FEE-HELP SCHEME
The Commonwealth Government FEE-HELP Scheme (FHS) for Private Higher Education Providers will continue in 2025. The FHS is a similar student loan scheme to the HECS-HELP Scheme for public university students.
Under the FHS, upon application by an eligible student, tuition fees of subjects taken for credit will be paid on the student’s behalf, in the same as HECS-HELP. The student then accrues a debt with the ATO, to be repaid through the PAYG tax system upon employment.
The provision of FHS is separate from existing Centrelink Student Support Allowances, such as Austudy, Abstudy, Youth Allowance and Rent Assistance.
The FEE-HELP Information Booklet and Request for FEE-HELP Assistance (Application Form) are available from the College’s Administration Office.
TUITION ASSURANCE
As an affiliated college of the Australian University of Theology, the Reformed Theological College is a participant in the AUT’s Tuition Assurance arrangements. This requirement is to protect a student in the event that the Australian University of Theology (or the Reformed Theological College) ceases to provide a course of study in which a student is enrolled. The meaning of ‘ceasing to provide a course of study’ is set out in the HEP Guidelines. The RTC complies with the Australian University of Theology’s Unit Results and Enrolment Policy in this matter.
VARIATION OF ENROLMENT
(including Withdrawals and Refunding of Fees)
The RTC complies with the policy for Unit Results and Enrolment as provided by the Australian University of Theology.
All enquiries should be forwarded to the RTC’s Registrar.
SCHOLARSHIPS
RTC students who are communicant members of a supporting CRCA or RCNZ church are welcome to apply for an assistance scholarship with their enrolment each semester. Candidates for ordination may receive $375 for every class-based unit taught in Melbourne (including intensives) and $250 for units taken by distance correspondence. Other supporting church students receive $125 per semester unit. Please contact the registrar for further information.
Reformed Minister Training Scholarships Endowment Fund
and
Reformed Theological College Minister Training Scholarships
The Reformed Minister Training Scholarships Endowment Fund was established in 2024 as a result of a generous donation by some RTC supporters of part of the proceeds of the sale of property. The donors designated that the gift should be for the purpose of ‘a scholarship fund for the training of faithful men as future reformed ministers of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, through study at the Reformed Theological College (2 Tim 2:2).’
The gift is held by the RTC Foundation and is invested in funds that are managed under contract by a professional funds manager. The RTC Foundation Trustees receive quarterly reports on the net assets and earnings of the fund, and oversee incremental investments, re-investments and withdrawal of funds with advice from the funds manager. The Trustees manage the corpus with the aim of generating earnings sufficient to make a sustainable flow of cash distributions to RTC to fund scholarships awarded under the conditions detailed below.
It is the desire of the RTCF Trustees, RTC Board and Faculty over time to extend the quantum of scholarship support and the breadth of scholarship coverage.
- The Reformed Minister Training Scholarships Endowment Fund will be open to receive further donations to enable additional scholarships to be funded within the terms of the designation of the original gift.
- Separate endowment Funds may be established in parallel to the RMTSEF to provide for scholarships to be made available to additional categories of students, such as men and women studying for non-ordained roles in local churches and wider Christian agencies and/or for new types of scholarships to be introduced, such as specifically for off-campus studies or for the living expenses of on-campus students.
It is recognised that should those developments occur, the principles below for the award of RTC Minister Training Scholarships will not necessarily apply, and new scholarship schemes will need to be created.
Reformed Theological College Minister Training Scholarships (RTC Minister Training Scholarships) will be administered by RTC on behalf of the RTC Faculty according to the principles and procedures outlined below.
Before the end of each year the Trustees will estimate and advise the RTC Faculty of the distributions expected to be available to fund RTC Minister Training Scholarships in the subsequent year.
Faculty will estimate the number of student/subject units expected to be offered for an RTC Minister Training Scholarship, and set the rate of scholarship per subject unit to be offered in both semesters of the following year. Scholarship rates will, however, be kept as constant from year to year as possible (or, ideally, growing) so that students and their sponsors can reasonably plan their finances.
Scholarship award principles
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded on the basis of demonstrated academic achievement, as detailed below.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded to students on an ordination pathway in any of the RTC’s Supporting Denominations or Congregational Members, on recommendation of the relevant denominational student oversight body (CRCA Candidacy Committee; RCNZ Deputies; RPCA Presbytery; church elders council in the case of a Congregational Member) and in response to submission of a completed Application Form as outlined below. Equivalent or partial scholarships may be made available to students for ordination in other churches on recommendation of, and after consultation with, the student’s home church, at the sole discretion of the RTC Faculty.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis, determined by RTC Faculty based on prior academic results and in consultation with the relevant denominational student oversight body. The number of RTC Minister Training Scholarships to be offered, and the monetary value of each scholarship, will be advised to prospective applicants before enrolment date for each semester.
- It is a condition of the award of an RTC Minister Training Scholarship that the recipient student participates fully in the life of the college and consents to their receipt of the scholarship being made known to RTC Members and prospective RTC students for publicity purposes.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships will be paid by direct partial offset of the cost of RTC course fees. RTC Minister Training Scholarships are not payable in cash, so are not directly available for living or other expenses.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships will be awarded at different rates dependent on whether studies are undertaken full or part time, and predominantly on campus or off campus. RTC Minister Training Scholarships applicable to full time and on campus study will be at substantially higher rates to recognise the greater commitment and personal sacrifice made by such students to attend their course of studies, and intentionally to encourage and enable students to study on campus for the significant collegial benefits afforded by face-to-face interaction with Faculty and other students. For the purposes of this paragraph ‘full time’ means a semester load of at least three units and ‘on campus’ means participating face-to-face on campus for at least 80% of scheduled class time. Any exception to these definitions is at the discretion of Faculty in consultation with relevant denominational or church representatives.
- While RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded on a subject by subject and semester by semester basis, they will ordinarily be awarded only to students who commit to study at RTC for at least 80% of the units specified for the relevant ACT award (Degree, Diploma or Certificate), and only toward the course fees of units actually studied at RTC. Any exception to this is at the discretion of Faculty in consultation with relevant denominational or church representatives.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded to applicant RTC students for their first year of RTC studies on the basis of academic merit and proven suitability for ministry, determined at the sole discretion of the RTC Faculty. Award of RTC Minister Training Scholarships for subsequent RTC studies will be made on the same basis, and will generally be awardedonly to students who have maintained an average grade of Credit or better in their RTC studies up to the date of application.
- Application must be made for an RTC Minister Training Scholarship by submitting the Application Form as shown in the Appendix by 1 February or 1 July each year for studies within the following semester.
- RTC Minister Training Scholarships are awarded and advised to applicants by end February and end July for studies in the relevant semester, and applied to fees charged at census date.
- It is a condition of accepting an RTC Minister Training Scholarship that the student commits to endeavour to complete the course of study for which the student is enrolled, and on graduation to seek ordination to the ministry within the denomination or church on whose recommendation they have been granted RTC Minister Training Scholarship support.
- An unlimited number of RTC Minister Training Scholarships may be awarded to Australian RTC Students each semester, subject to qualification under these principles. RTC Minister Training Scholarships for up to 4 Units per semester may be awarded to New Zealand RTC students who are endorsed for the purpose by the RCNZ Deputies as being NZ students on ordination pathway and whose circumstances would otherwise prevent them from undertaking RTC studies.
Proposed RTC Minister Training Scholarship levels for study in 2025
It is currently estimated that in the initial year of the scheme the available RTC Minister Training Scholarship rate per unit will be set at 75% of ACT course unit fees.
Further to Paragraph 6 of the RTC Scholarship award principles, the following proportionate rates of scholarship will apply:
Full Time, On Campus Students 100% of available Scholarship per unit
Part Time, On Campus Students 80% of available Scholarship per unit
Full Time, Off Campus Students 20% of available Scholarship per unit
Part Time, Off-Campus Students 10% of available Scholarship per unit
