Student travel with concession Opal Card

Find out how to save money and access travel concessions with Opal Card.

A student sitting at a bus stop on High Street outside Kensington Campus

Cheaper travel with Opal card

The Concession Opal card, opens in a new window allows eligible domestic students to access fares at half the price of the Adult Opal card for travel on transport services including:

All Sydney Trains
All NSW TrainLink Intercity services
Light rail
All buses in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter and Illawarra
All Sydney Ferries and the Stockton Ferry in Newcastle

Please note: You must carry your UNSW student ID card at all times as proof of identity when travelling on your concession Opal card.

Important note

You must be enrolled in the upcoming term for at least 48 hours before your data is reflected in Transport NSW and are eligible to apply for a concession Opal card.

Enrol on myUNSW

How to apply

Provide your details

Apply

Activate

Step 1 - Provide your details
Step 2 - Apply
Step 3 - Activate

You will be required to give your consent for UNSW to provide details of your eligibility to Transport for NSW before you can apply for your student travel Concession Opal card. Eligible students can provide their consent through myUNSW.

Eligible students travelling outside the Opal zone, opens in a new window will also need to apply for a Transport Concession Entitlement Card, opens in a new window to prove their eligibility to travel on a concession fare.

Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements before applying for a concession Opal card.

Allow at least 2 business days for your information to reach Transport NSW before applying for your concession Opal card, opens in a new window.

Ensure that you have your student enrolment information to hand when applying and please enter your details, especially your name, exactly as they appear on your UNSW record.

Your card will be posted to your mailing address (5 - 7 days after your application is completed).

You will need to activate your card when it arrives before you can travel at concession rates.

Activate your card

Am I eligible?

According to Transport for NSW you're eligible to apply for a Concession Opal card if you are:

Australian Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident and
Residing in New South Wales
Full-time student enrolled on an internal basis (except where a person by reason of disability is enrolled on a part-time basis and/or on an external basis).
Students wishing to be considered full-time in the UNSW3+ Academic Calendar will need to enrol in a minimum of 12 Units of Credit (UOC) each term, or 36 UOC across Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3 with at least one course enrolment in each term.

International students

If you are an International student you are not eligible for a concession unless you are in receipt of an approved Australian Government scholarship and enrolled full-time.

The Australian Government Scholarships program, comprising of:
The Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships, funded by the Department of Education and training for full research scholarships
The Australian Awards (two scholarship streams) funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for full scholarships

Students undertaking cross-institutional studies

If you are a UNSW student undertaking cross-institutional studies, opens in a new window and your combined study load is equivalent to a full-time study load you may be eligible for a concession. Please bring proof of your cross-institutional enrolment to The Nucleus: Student Hub.

Students with a disability

If you are a student with a disability, studying part-time, and you are registered with Disability Services you may be eligible for a concession. Please discuss this with your Disability Advisor.

Travelling outside the Opal network?

The Transport Concession Entitlement Card, opens in a new window allows eligible students to prove their eligibility to travel on a concession fare outside the Opal network including:

Many rural and regional buses
NSW TrainLink Regional services

For more information and contact details visit Transport NSW, opens in a new window

Students sitting at a bus stop on High Street outside Kensington Campus

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you lose your Concession Opal card, please contact Opal directly on 13 67 25 (13 OPAL).
Variations in your study load from part-time to full-time and vice versa which will affect your Concession Opal eligibility.

UNSW3+ Academic Calendar: If your study load in a single term drops from full-time (12-18 UoC) to part-time (less than 12 UoC) AND you aren't enrolled in at least 36 UoC across Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3, you will no longer be eligible for the Concession Opal Card and your card will be cancelled. If you don't have an enrolment in a Term, you are not eligible for the Concession Opal Card in that Term.

UNSW Canberra ADFA Academic Calendar: If your study load in a semester drops from full-time (18-24 UoC) to part-time (less than 18 UoC) you will no longer be eligible for the Concession Opal Card and your card will be cancelled.
If your Concession Opal Card is cancelled you will need to apply for another Concession Opal card through the Opal website, opens in a new window. Cancellation of your concession Opal card could be caused by:

Reducing your enrolment to part-time study load (less than 12 UOC per term, or 36 UOC per year); OR

Going on program leave – You will not be eligible for concession fares for the duration of your study leave and will need to reapply once you return as a full-time student. Contact The Nucleus: Student Hub to find out when you will be reactivated as a student.

If you have any money left on your cancelled (invalid) card, you will then need to organise to have the balance transferred, opens in a new window to your new card.

You cannot reactivate a cancelled (invalid) Concession Opal card.
If you have transferred to UNSW from another institution you will need to apply for a new Concession Opal card in the normal manner (see above). The Concession Opal card from your previous institution will be cancelled.
Are you receiving an error message on the Opal website like ‘Your details do not match, please contact your Education Provider’?

This error usually occurs because the date of birth and name that you have input on the Opal website do not match the records UNSW has for you. The name you provide in your opal application must match your formal name on myUNSW exactly.

Click here to see your details on myUNSW then re-enter your details on the Opal website exactly as they appear on your myUNSW record.

Make sure to input your student ID number and set your Enrolment type to ‘Tertiary Student’ and Institution Name to ‘UNSW Australia’.

If you are still unable to apply, please contact The Nucleus: Student Hub.
Questions

If you are unsure about your enrolment status or want to confirm that you have opted in correctly to share your information, then The Nucleus: Student Hub can help.

If you have any other questions

If you have any other questions regarding the Concession Opal card then you will need to contact Opal directly although you may want to check out the Tickets and Opal page , opens in a new windowfirst.

Want to find out more about getting to UNSW?

If you want to know more about getting to campus, explore your transport options below. We’re here to help.

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