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AHPRA to pilot deferred fees for medical students
It says the trial is also a chance to test a more ‘flexible approach’ to how payment options could be expanded to other professions.
‘We’ve heard clearly that upfront registration costs can be challenging for some graduates at a time when they’re transitioning from study into the workforce’: AHPRA CEO Justin Untersteiner.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will pilot a fee deferral option for medical graduates to lessen the impact of upfront registration costs, in a move welcomed by the RACGP.
Available to Australian and New Zealand medical school graduates applying for provisional registration for the first time, the pilot offers a ‘more flexible approach’, said AHPRA CEO Justin Untersteiner.
The fee deferral pilot responds to stakeholder feedback about the financial difficulty graduates can experience before they enter the workforce.
‘We’ve heard clearly that upfront registration costs can be challenging for some graduates at a time when they’re transitioning from study into the workforce,’ Mr Untersteiner said.
‘This pilot is an opportunity to test a more flexible approach and understand how we might expand payment options to other professions in the future.’
The announcement comes just months after the Federal Government excluded medical students from an expansion of its Commonwealth Prac Payment program, despite extending financial assistance to 10 additional health professions in July.
Acting Chair of the RACGP’s GPs in Training faculty Dr Madeleine Wilkie said she welcomes the pilot.
‘This is fantastic to see and will ease some of the financial pressure for medical students,’ she told newsGP.
‘I particularly commend AHPRA for acknowledging this, in light of the Government’s failure to provide prac payments for medical students earlier this year.
‘The unpaid attendance requirements also make it very hard to maintain part-time employment outside of placement hours, not to mention fatigue risk.
‘They are also then expected to pay registration fees and professional expenses, attend conferences, and buy equipment.
‘Any flexible payment options or reduced fees are valuable under these circumstances.’
The deferral option will be available from 9 October 2026 to 4 January 2027. Graduates who request fee deferral before applying for provisional registration will pay the application fee upfront but have until 31 March 2027 to pay the registration fee.
The pilot will provide insights into demand, implementation requirements and system impacts, helping inform future consideration of flexible payment options across other professions.
Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said the trial recognises that graduating students won’t start earning a full-time wage until they start their first job as a doctor.
‘We’re deferring part of their regulatory costs until they’re better able to afford them,’ she said.
In 2026–27, Australian and New Zealand medical school graduates are required to pay a $332 application fee and a $543 registration fee.
AHPRA and the National Boards already provide support for graduates and practitioners when they register and renew their registration.
This includes a 30% rebate on annual renewal fees for practitioners who take parental leave and other forms of protected leave, which was introduced last year.
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