Additional costs

In addition to tuition fees for the course, there are additional costs relating to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) that you should be aware of. Find an indicative list below.

ExpenseApproximate indicative cost* (AUD$)
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)351
Laboratory coat50
Overalls80
Protective footwear (Steel cap, gum boots or short work boots)70-200
Safety glasses10
Student name badge10
Q Fever vaccination260
Preclinical placement regional/rural accommodation (up to 48 nights TOTAL undertaken between the end of first year and April of third year)100–150 per night**
Optional – Murdoch Veterinary Students Association (MVSA) membership35

* All costs are indicative only and are subject to change

** some farm placements belong to our scheme in which accommodation and food is provided at no charge. If your placement is not part of the scheme (e.g. self-sourced) you may have to pay for your own accommodation and food. Students will pay for their own transport to the placement and the cost will vary depending on the placement’s geographic location.

Transfers, please check the first year list to ensure you have budgeted for all items you may require.

ExpenseApproximate indicative cost* (AUD$)
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)351
Stethoscope100-250
Dissection Kit40
Pen light10
Thermometer10
Preclinical placement regional/rural accommodation (up to 48 nights TOTAL undertaken between the end of first year and April of third year)100-150 per night**
Optional – Murdoch Veterinary Students Association (MVSA) membership35

* All costs are indicative only and are subject to change

** some farm placements belong to our scheme in which accommodation and food is provided at no charge. If your placement is not part of the scheme (e.g. self-sourced) you may have to pay for your own accommodation and food. Students will pay for their own transport to the placement and the cost will vary depending on the placement’s geographic location.

ExpenseApproximate indicative cost* (AUD$)
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)351
Surgery kitNil (provided by SVM)
Clinic coat80
Surgery scrubs 70
Preclinical placement regional/rural accommodation (up to 48 nights TOTAL undertaken between the end of first year and April of third year)100–150 per night**
Clinical placement accommodation (up to 12 nights. Associated costs are only if you choose to go to a rural placement, which is not compulsory)100-150 per night***
Optional – Murdoch Veterinary Students Association (MVSA) membership35

* All costs are indicative only and are subject to change

** Some farm placements belong to our scheme in which accommodation and food is provided at no charge. If your placement is not part of the scheme (e.g. self-sourced) you may have to pay for your own accommodation and food. Students will pay for their own transport to the placement and the cost will vary depending on the placement’s geographic location.

*** If you choose to go to a rural clinical placement, you will also need to pay for your transport and food expense.

ExpenseApproximate indicative cost* (AUD$)
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)351
Surgery gown drape and instrument packs (one pack per group of 3 students. Packs on-sold to lower years when finished)350
Clinical placement accommodation (up to 36 nights by end of fourth year cumulative. Associated costs are only if you choose to go to a rural placement, which is not compulsory)100-150 per night**
Optional – Murdoch Veterinary Students Association (MVSA) membership35

* All costs are indicative only and are subject to change

** If you choose to go to a rural clinical placement, you will also need to pay for your transport and food expense.

ExpenseApproximate indicative cost* (AUD$)
Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)351
Clinical placement accommodation (up to 36 nights by end of fourth year cumulative. Associated costs are only if you choose to go to a rural placement, which is not compulsory)100-150 per night**
Optional – Murdoch Veterinary Students Association (MVSA) membership35

* All costs are indicative only and are subject to change

** If you choose to go to a rural clinical placement, you will also need to pay for your transport and food expense.

Other considerations

Cost of living

There are a variety of cost of living expenses you may need to consider, including accommodation, food, utilities such as electricity or mobile phone plans, and transport costs.

Transport

Campus is accessible by public transport. However, due to the variability of hours associated with veterinary school (particularly in the latter years), access to your own private transport will likely improve your experience. Additionally, access to your own private transport is highly beneficial for the placements that students must complete as a requirement of the degree. Many of the placements are at farms or clinics beyond the Perth metropolitan area.

There are many challenges to driving and rural Australia such as long distances, poor road conditions and driver fatigue. The School of Veterinary Medicine will make every effort to prepare students for these risks and challenges of driving in Australia by providing theoretical driver’s safety workshops that all students must complete. However, we cannot provide practical training. If you are unfamiliar with driving under Australian rural conditions, please consider additional training.

Working during vet school

A large-scale survey of our current students has revealed that, to minimise disruption to academic progress, students should work no more than 15 hours per week during the BSc (Years 1-3) and no more than 10 hours per week during the DVM (Years 4 and 5).

Additionally, students are unlikely to be able to undertake paid work during their scheduled placements and therefore need to factor that into their budget.

Need more information? Get in touch

Murdoch veterinary school

vetadmission@murdoch.edu.au

International student admissions 

international@murdoch.edu.au