What is VET FEE-HELP?
VET FEE-HELP is an interest free Commonwealth loan that assists eligible fee paying students to pay their tuition fees. VET FEE-HELP can be used to pay for all or part of an eligible student's tuition fees when studying in an approved VET course of study at the level of:
• Diploma
• Advanced Diploma
• Vocational Graduate Certificate
• Vocational Graduate Diploma
Why will the Government loan me this money?
VET FEE-HELP assistance allows students to defer their tuition fees through a loan with the Australian Government. Students will not have to repay the loan until they are earning above the minimum repayment threshold.
What does VET FEE-HELP cover?
VET FEE-HELP provides a loan for VET tuition fees only, VET FEE-HELP does not cover accommodation or general living expenses. Your VET provider will set the VET tuition fee for your unit(s) of study.
What is a FEE-HELP limit?
The FEE-HELP limit is the maximum amount that a person can borrow under FEE-HELP over their lifetime. This limit excludes any loan fee. The FEE-HELP limit in 2012 is $112,134 for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science students (as defined in the Higher Education Support Act 2003) and $89,706 for all other students. The FEE-HELP limit is the total amount available to you under both FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP assistance available over a lifetime.
Any time a student accesses VET FEE-HELP and/or FEE-HELP to pay their tuition fees, the amount they may borrow in the future is reduced. Once a student has borrowed an amount equal to the FEE-HELP limit they will not be able to receive VET FEE-HELP or FEE-HELP assistance to pay their tuition fees again. Repayments do not reset the maximum that can be borrowed.
Eligibility
What are the citizenship or residency requirements?
To be eligible for VET FEE-HELP assistance for a unit of study, you must be either:
• an Australian citizen;
OR
• the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who will be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit you are seeking VET FEE-HELP assistance.
Holders of permanent visas and New Zealand citizens are NOT eligible for VET FEE-HELP assistance.
If you are unsure of your citizenship or visa status you can contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) on 13 18 81 or visit their website at www.immi.gov.au
I am applying for Australian citizenship, when can I get VET FEE-HELP assistance?
If you meet all other eligibility requirements, and you obtain Australian citizenship, you may access VET FEE-HELP assistance for those units with a census date on or after the date on which you obtained Australian citizenship.
If you are intending to become an Australian citizen you should allow sufficient time for your citizenship application to be considered before you enrol in a course of study. If you are enrolled in a unit and the census date passes before you obtain Australian citizenship you will not be able to access VET FEE-HELP assistance for that unit.
I am a mature age student. Can I still access VET FEE-HELP?
Yes. Age is not an eligibility requirement for VET FEE-HELP assistance.
I am receiving Centrelink benefits. Does this affect the amount of VET FEE-HELP assistance I can access?
No. Centrelink benefits do not affect your eligibility or the amount of VET FEE-HELP assistance you can access.
Applying for VET FEE-HELP
How do I apply?
If you are eligible for VET FEE-HELP assistance and would like to obtain a VET FEE-HELP loan for your course, your VET provider will assist you in applying by confirming your eligibility and providing you with the VET FEE-HELP Information booklet and Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form.
You need to read the Information booklet before completing and signing the form, when completing the form, you must tick all relevant boxes and sign the declaration. You should return the form to the appropriate officer of your VET provider on or before the census date (or the earlier date set by your VET provider) for the first unit of study for which you wish to obtain VET FEE-HELP assistance. You should contact your VET provider if you are unsure how to complete the form.
Census Date
What is my census date?
The census date of a unit of study (which forms part of an eligible course of study) is the last day a student can submit their Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form to defer their tuition fees through VET FEE-HELP. The census date is also the last day a student can withdraw from their unit(s) without incurring a VET FEE-HELP debt. A student will not incur a VET FEE-HELP debt until after the census date. You cannot extend your census date. To find out what your census date is please go to your VET provider's website. Your VET provider is required to publish the tuition fees and census dates for all units of study on their website.
What is an administrative date?
VET providers sometimes set an earlier administrative date (than the census date) for the submission of Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance forms and the payment.
If you do not meet this earlier administrative date, your VET provider may charge you a late fee.
It is your responsibility to check whether your VET provider has set the census date, or an earlier administrative date, as the deadline for submitting the Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form.
Withdrawing
How do I withdraw my request for VET FEE-HELP assistance?
If you have requested a VET FEE-HELP loan, but change your mind and no longer want to defer your tuition fees through VET FEE-HELP, on or before the end of the census date, you must either:
• pay your tuition fees up-front and in full; or
• cancel your Request for VET FEE-HELP Assistance form and pay your tuition fees up-front and in full.
You are able to cancel your Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form at any time. You must do this in writing to your VET FEE-HELP provider.
How do I withdraw from my unit?
If you wish to withdraw your enrolment from a unit(s) of study you need to contact your provider. It is important that you follow the correct withdrawal procedures of your provider, it is your responsibility to find out about those procedures by contacting your provider. You should keep a copy of your withdrawal form as confirmation that you correctly withdrew from your unit(s).
What happens if I withdraw after the census date?
If you withdraw from your unit after the census date and have not withdrawn your Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance from you will have incurred a VET FEE-HELP debt.
If after the census date, special circumstances occur and you are unable to continue your studies, you can apply to your provider to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited for that unit(s). You should note that there are time limits for applying to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited due to special circumstances.
Refund Policy for the purposes of the VET FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme
Refund Policy after the Census Date
Repayments
When and how do I repay my loan?
You start repaying your VET FEE-HELP loan when your repayment income is above the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment. The minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment for the 2011—12 income year is $47,196. The repayment thresholds are adjusted each year to reflect any changes in average weekly earnings.
Your repayment income is calculated using the following amounts from your income tax return:
• your taxable income
• reportable fringe benefits (as reported on the payment summary)
• total net investment loss (which includes net rental losses)
• reportable super contributions; and
• any exempt foreign employment income amounts.
If you have an accumulated HELP debt and earn more than the minimum repayment threshold, you will have a compulsory repayment included as part of your income tax assessment. You must advise your payer or payers (if you have more than one source of income) if you have an accumulated HELP debt. Your payer(s) must withhold an additional amount from payments made to you, to cover your compulsory repayment. For more information on repaying your HELP debts, including the latest Repaying Your Help Debt guide, visit the Australian Tax Office website:www.ato.gov.au
How does the 10% discount work for voluntary payments?
If you make a voluntary repayment of $500 or more, you will receive a bonus 10% of the payment you make.
Example
Jane has a $1200 debt and she makes a $600 voluntary repayment. With the 10% bonus that Jane receives her repayment is $660 which reduces her debt to $540. Jane received $60 bonus amount or 10% of her voluntary repayment.
Please note that, from 1 January 2012, subject to the passage of legislation, the Australian Government will lower the HELP voluntary repayment bonus, applied to payments of $500 or more, from 10 per cent to 5 per cent.
Is there a discount if I pay my debt off early?
If you wish to pay off your total debt, the amount of your repayment is your total debt divided by 1.10, to take into account the 10% bonus.
What happens if I accumulate a FEE-HELP debt but from that point never earn over the threshold?
If you never earn over the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment, the loan is never required to be paid.
Fees and Charges
Are there any loan charges?
There is no application fee for requesting VET FEE-HELP assistance, however, a loan fee of 20% applies to all students accruing VET FEE-HELP loans. The loan fee does not count towards your FEE-HELP balance.
There is no interest charged on your VET FEE-HELP debt. However, your debt is indexed annually by the Australian Tax Office to maintain its real value. Any indexation amount does not increase your FEE-HELP balance.
Previous Study and VET FEE-HELP
I have a HECS debt. Does this affect the amount of VET FEE-HELP assistance I can access?
No. Although HECS-HELP is part of an accumulated HELP debt, having a current or past HECS-HELP debt it does not affect your VET FEE-HELP loan limit or your eligibility for VET FEE-HELP assistance.
I have a FEE-HELP debt. Do I still need to apply for VET FEE-HELP?
If you are currently accessing FEE-HELP, or have in the past, you will still need to apply for VET FEE-HELP assistance with an approved VET provider.
I have a FEE-HELP debt. Does this affect the amount of VET FEE-HELP assistance I can access?
Yes. The FEE-HELP limit is the amount of VET FEE-HELP or FEE-HELP you are able to borrow over a lifetime. As you use VET FEE-HELP or FEE-HELP to pay tuition fees, the amount you may borrow in the future is reduced. Once you borrow an amount equal to the FEE-HELP limit you will not be able to receive VET FEE-HELP (or FEE-HELP) assistance to pay tuition fees in the future. This applies even if you have partially or fully repaid your VET FEE-HELP (or FEE-HELP) loan.
If you have a FEE-HELP debt you should ensure that you have a sufficient FEE-HELP balance to cover the course you are enrolling in.
I already have a qualification can I still get a VET FEE-HELP loan?
Yes. Previous qualifications or study results do not affect your eligibility for VET FEE-HELP; however you are not entitled to VET FEE-HELP assistance for units in excess of what you need to do to be awarded your qualification.
Checking a FEE-HELP Balance
How can I check if my VET FEE-HELP debt is correct?
Within 28 days following the census date for your unit of study, your provider will send you a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) for that unit. The CAN will provide you with information on your VET FEE-HELP debt for that unit, including any loan fee you may have incurred. The CAN may cover more than one unit.
Your CAN will enable you to check if the calculation of your VET FEE-HELP debt for the unit(s) covered by the notice is correct.
If you believe your CAN is incorrect, you should give the appropriate officer of your provider a written request asking for the CAN to be corrected. You should identify the matters in the CAN that you believe are not correct and specify why you believe they are incorrect. You must submit your request within 14 days of the date of your CAN.
Credit Transfer
Students that complete Mater's Diploma of Nursing are guaranteed 33% of credit towards the Bachelor of Nursing at Australian Catholic University, Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland.
Before you decide...
2012 Schedule of Tuition Fees (Printable versions)
2012 Schedule of Tuition Fees ( Full Version)
2011A - Students who commenced study February 2011 and are enrolling in the final semester commencing January 2012
2011B - Students who commenced study in July 2011
2012A - Students who commence study in February 2012
2012A - Students who commence study in February 2012 - Variation
2012B - Students who commence study in July 2012
Personal Information Procedures
Non-Academic Grievance Policy
Academic Grievance Policy