Travel Cards

Travel cards for domestic full-time students

The Concession Opal card allows domestic full-time students to access fares at half the price of the Adult Opal card. Students must carry their UNSW College student ID card at all times as proof of identity when travelling on a concession 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.

Complete these steps to get your Concession Opal card:

Download and complete the Application for a NSW Tertiary Student Concession.
Submit the completed form to [email protected]
UNSW College will share your enrolment data with Transport for NSW and then advise you again once the Transport for NSW is ready to receive your application.
After receiving the notification from us, you can then apply for your Concession Opal card.

Am I eligible?

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

Australian Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident,
Residing in New South Wales or,
Full-time student enrolled on an internal basis (except where a person by reason of disability is enrolled on a part-time basis or on an external basis).

Travel cards for 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.

Travelling outside the Opal network?

The Transport Concession Entitlement Card 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I lost my card, what should I do?

If you lose your Concession Opal card, please contact Opal directly on 13 67 25 (13 OPAL).

Will variation of full-time enrolment status affect eligibility?

Variations in your study load from part-time to full-time and vice versa which will affect your Concession Opal eligibility.

My card has been cancelled, what should I do?

Cancellation of your concession Opal card could be caused by:

Reducing your enrolment to part-time study load or,
Going on program leave.

If you have any money/balance left on your cancelled (invalid) card, you can transfer it to your new card.

You cannot reactivate a cancelled (invalid) Concession Opal card. You will need to apply for another Concession Opal card.

Should I apply for a new card if I have transferred from another education institution?

If you have transferred to UNSW College from another education institution, you will need to apply for a new Concession Opal card again (see above for how to do do). The Concession Opal card from your previous institution will be cancelled.

I am receiving an error message on the Opal website like ‘Your details do not match, please contact your Education Provider’, why is that?