RMIT University
RMIT University sits in the upper enrolment tercile among 39 profiled providers (#1 of 39 by enrolment (91,000 students)). Indicative HECS-HELP for 8 CSP degrees below.
- Enrolment
- 91,000
- International share
- 45%
- QS rank 2025
- #123
- Founded
- 1887
The verdict
RMIT University is a public Australian Technology Network member with a QS top-300 placement (#123) and one of Australia's largest universities by enrolment (#1 of 39). Across 8 representative Commonwealth Supported Place degrees, indicative HECS-HELP costs average $44,927 per program, from $13,881 to $67,968, driven by field of study rather than the institution.
Academic standing score
Based on QS World University Ranking #123 against the 39 QS-tracked Australian universities (national p10 #37 / p90 #800). No second comparable per-university dataset exists in this corpus today: average degree fees are set nationally by subject cluster, not by institution, so they are not used here.
RMIT University among Australia's larger enrolments
Total enrolled students across 39 profiled Australian universities (2026-05-20)
91,000 0th percentile Lowest value among 39 reporting universities
all profiled universities, equal-width bands
Each bar spans 5,000. Taller bars contain more universities; the dashed marker locates this university. Hover, focus or tap a bar for its exact count and share.
Source data.gov.au, Department of Education higher-education statistics · 2026-05-20
Among 39 profiled universities with a published enrolment count in the Department of Education higher-education statistics release used here, RMIT University ranks 39th by total enrolment (91,000 students). That is larger than 38 other universities and smaller than 0, placing it at the 0th percentile by size in this corpus. QS world rank and enrolment rank diverge, a smaller enrolment does not imply a lower research rank.
Does a bigger university rank better?
Each dot is one of the 39 profiled Australian universities with both a QS World Ranking and an enrolment figure, placed by enrolled students and relative QS standing (higher = better rank). The highlighted dot is RMIT University.
Read the chart as text
- Australian Catholic University: Total enrolment 33000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 311
- Australian National University: Total enrolment 21500, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 871
- Bond University: Total enrolment 4500, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 431
- Charles Darwin University: Total enrolment 17000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 101
- Charles Sturt University: Total enrolment 34000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 201
- CQUniversity: Total enrolment 31000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 301
- Curtin University: Total enrolment 58000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 727
- Deakin University: Total enrolment 62000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 704
- Edith Cowan University: Total enrolment 30000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 369
- Federation University Australia: Total enrolment 20000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 101
- Flinders University: Total enrolment 26000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 521
- Griffith University: Total enrolment 50000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 611
- James Cook University: Total enrolment 21000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 486
- La Trobe University: Total enrolment 38000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 684
- Macquarie University: Total enrolment 45000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 771
- Monash University: Total enrolment 86000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 864
- Murdoch University: Total enrolment 24000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 470
- Queensland University of Technology: Total enrolment 52000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 712
- RMIT University: Total enrolment 91000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 778
- Southern Cross University: Total enrolment 17000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 51
- Swinburne University of Technology: Total enrolment 32000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 616
- University of Adelaide: Total enrolment 28000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 819
- University of Canberra: Total enrolment 17000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 480
- University of Melbourne: Total enrolment 53000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 888
- University of New England: Total enrolment 22000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 151
- University of New South Wales: Total enrolment 67000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 882
- University of Newcastle: Total enrolment 38000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 728
- University of Notre Dame Australia: Total enrolment 12000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 50
- University of Queensland: Total enrolment 55000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 861
- University of South Australia: Total enrolment 37000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 575
- University of Southern Queensland: Total enrolment 26000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 201
- University of Sydney: Total enrolment 74000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 883
- University of Tasmania: Total enrolment 28000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 588
- University of Technology Sydney: Total enrolment 46000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 813
- University of the Sunshine Coast: Total enrolment 18000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 1
- University of Western Australia: Total enrolment 25000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 824
- University of Wollongong: Total enrolment 33000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 734
- Victoria University: Total enrolment 40000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 141
- Western Sydney University: Total enrolment 49000, Relative QS standing (higher = better) 509
Large-enrolment book
HECS-HELP costs at large-enrolment RMIT University
#1 of 39 by enrolment (91,000 students) Enrolment scale is the standout for RMIT University: #1 of 39 by enrolment (91,000 students) - upper size tercile. Across 8 representative CSP degrees, indicative full-degree contributions run from $13,881 (bachelor of nursing) to $67,968 (bachelor of laws). Summed indicative total $359,413. Compulsory repayment begins above $67,000 (FY 2025-26). See our repayment calculator to model clearance timing. Source: Department of Education higher-education statistics + ATO HECS-HELP schedule (2026-05-20).
Why HECS-HELP costs vary by degree, and how repayment works
Why does the same university charge such different amounts across degrees? Because the Australian Government sets student contributions by field of study, not by campus. Under the current funding bands, teaching, nursing, agriculture, mathematics and English sit in the lowest tier at about 4,627 dollars per year, while humanities, business, law and communications sit in the highest tier at about 16,992 dollars per year. Engineering, science and computing fall in between, near 12,720 dollars per year. A student studying two equally long degrees can therefore finish with very different debt balances depending only on which subject area they chose. These figures are indicative published bands rather than a quote, so the actual amount depends on the exact unit mix in each course.
Repayment is income based, not time based. You owe nothing until your annual income passes the compulsory repayment threshold, after which the Australian Taxation Office collects a percentage of income that rises with each higher band. The outstanding balance is indexed each year to keep pace with the cost of living, which is why two graduates with the same starting debt can clear it in very different timeframes. The numbers on this page come from official government sources, drawn from the Australian Department of Education, the Australian Taxation Office and Services Australia, and the dataset was last refreshed in 2026. See our methodology page for how these contribution bands and thresholds are sourced and updated.
Degree HECS-HELP spread at large RMIT University
Full-degree student contribution (annual band × standard duration), FY 2025-26
Representative degree programs
The $359,413 program-book total cited above, broken down by degree:
The bar behind each total shows how it compares to Bachelor of Laws, the most expensive program at RMIT University.
| Degree | Field | Duration | Annual band | Indicative total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Nursing | health-nursing | 3 yrs | $4,627 | |
| Bachelor of Education (Primary) | education | 4 yrs | $4,627 | |
| Bachelor of Medical Science | health-allied | 3 yrs | $12,720 | |
| Bachelor of Information Technology | it-computing | 3 yrs | $12,720 | |
| Bachelor of Business | business | 3 yrs | $16,992 | |
| Bachelor of Arts | humanities | 3 yrs | $16,992 | |
| Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) | engineering | 4 yrs | $12,720 | |
| Bachelor of Laws | law | 4 yrs | $16,992 |
How the indicative figure is computed
Indicative only, not financial advice
Nationwide universities with similar enrolment or QS rank
Two cross-state peer sets for RMIT University in Victoria, distinct from the Read-with enrolment drills above (which may include same-state neighbours).
Similar enrolment (nationwide)
Nearest total enrolment outside VIC (91,000 students here).
- University of Sydney (NSW) · 74,000 enrolled
- University of New South Wales (NSW) · 67,000 enrolled
- Curtin University (WA) · 58,000 enrolled
- University of Queensland (QLD) · 55,000 enrolled
Similar QS world rank (nationwide)
Nearest QS rank peers outside VIC (QS #123 here).
- Macquarie University (NSW) · QS #130
- University of Technology Sydney (NSW) · QS #88
- University of Adelaide (SA) · QS #82
- University of Wollongong (NSW) · QS #167
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on Department of Education enrolment totals and published QS World University Rankings; universities below 5,000 enrolment or without a QS rank in the top 500 are excluded from each axis.
Read with RMIT University
Nearest enrolment peers and mission-group poles for RMIT University (ATN · MEGA · PAR), replacing the fixed See-also and A-Z sibling strips.
ATN MEGA PAR
Monash University · MEGA
ABS(enrolment) peer at 86,000 students (Δ 5,000 vs RMIT University); GO8 stamp vs this page's ATN · MEGA.
University of Sydney · MEGA
ABS(enrolment) peer at 74,000 students (Δ 17,000 vs RMIT University); GO8 stamp vs this page's ATN · MEGA.
University of New South Wales · MEGA
ABS(enrolment) peer at 67,000 students (Δ 24,000 vs RMIT University); GO8 stamp vs this page's ATN · MEGA.
Deakin University · MEGA
ABS(enrolment) peer at 62,000 students (Δ 29,000 vs RMIT University); INDEP stamp vs this page's ATN · MEGA.
University of Queensland (GO8 pole)
University of Queensland stamps GO8 · MEGA near RMIT University's enrolment yet outside the ATN cohort.
Enrolment leaderboard (#1)
RMIT University ranks #1 of 39 by enrolment under the MEGA · PAR HECS stamps.
Indexation dual-cap · PAR
RMIT University's PAR stamp sits mid-band - the 1 June dual-cap indexation rule reshapes the balance before compulsory repayments bite.
Source: data.gov.au, Department of Education higher-education statistics Higher education statistics, public + private providers · 2023 Indicative fees per Studyassist 2026 Job-ready Graduates schedule.