The University of NSW says it has issued 238 fines - estimated to total about $100,000 - to students illicitly downloading copyright infringing material such as movies and TV shows on its Wi-Fi network since 2008.

UNSW told Fairfax Media on Thursday it made "no apology" for taking "strong action to discourage piracy, which is not only unlawful but unethical".

Caught: UNSW has revealed the number of students fined for pirating on its Wi-Fi. Credit: Louie Douvis

On its website, UNSW says fines of up to $1000 can be issued to students who breach copyright on its Wi-Fi network. It's understood, however, that fines are typically $480 and can be lowered in circumstances of financial hardship.

According to Fairfax Media calculations, this would mean UNSW has so far collected some $100,000 in fines from students since it began to penalise them for breaching its computer network's acceptable use policy.