Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)

To be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan you must:

• be studying in a Commonwealth supported place
• be one of the following:
  • an Australian citizen and meet the residency requirements (you must study at least some of your course in Australia) or
  • a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder and meet the residency requirements or
  • a holder of a Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192)
• complete the Commonwealth Assistance Form (available on MyVU) by the first relevant census date to defer the total cost of your course
• be enrolled in each unit/subject by the census date
• have available HELP balance
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date (for new enrolments from 1 January 2021)
• have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement available (for new enrolments from 1 January 2022)
• meet the completion rate requirements (for new enrolments from 1 January 2022)
• not undertake more than two years' worth of higher education study in 12 months, unless VU has assessed you as capable of taking on a higher study load.

To be eligible for a FEE-HELP loan you must:

• be one of the following:
  • an Australian citizen and study at least part of your course in Australia or
  • a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV) holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder and meet the residency requirements - permanent residents can only get FEE-HELP for approved bridging studies or
  • a holder of a Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192)
• be enrolled in a fee-paying place at a provider that offers FEE-HELP loans
• be enrolled in an eligible course at VU by the census date (contact us if you are unsure if your course is eligible)
• complete the FEE-HELP Form (available on MyVU) by the first relevant census date to defer the total cost of your course
• have an available HELP balance
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date (for new enrolments from 1 January 2021)
• maintain a pass-rate of 50 per cent or above if you are commencing study in a new course from 1 January 2022
• not undertake more than 2 years' worth of higher education study in the last 12 months, unless your provider has assessed you as capable of taking on a higher study load.

• Please note when completing the Commonwealth Assistance Form that your choice of payment method will affect your statement of account (SOA) record.
• If you choose to make partial upfront payments, your fees will show as owing on your SOA until after the relevant census date. This will allow you to make payments up until the relevant census date.
• If you choose to defer all your fees (student contribution amounts/tuition), your SOA will show no fees outstanding for your tuition.

You can change this payment option at any time before the first relevant census date.

If you hold a New Zealand SCV you will be able to access HELP loans, providing you meet all the long-term residency requirements:

• first began residing in Australia at least 10 years ago and at that time you were a child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner
• you have been in Australia for at least:
  • a total of eight out of the past 10 years; and
  • a total of 18 months out of the last two years.

Please note that if you do not meet all of the above criteria you will not eligible for HELP loans.

To be assessed as eligible to defer your fees you need to provide evidence to the University that you are currently a New Zealand SCV holder and that you have been living in Australia for the required periods. This evidence must be received before the relevant census date or you will not be eligible for HELP assistance for that study period and will need to make full upfront payments on or before the census date.

To apply, take these steps:

1. Fill in a Request for international movement records
2. You will generally receive a response from the Department of Home Affairs within 14 working days
3. Upon receipt of the international movement record, submit it with a certified copy of your proof of citizenship to VUHQ or email to the Student Financials team via AskVU. Students can submit movement records and other supporting documentation via ASK VU by selecting the FEES topic and then from the drop-down menu select  ‘New Zealander (SCV444) Long-term residency Assessment.

If you are assessed as eligible to defer your fees through the HELP loan scheme, you will be notified on what to do next. We may advise you to either complete a hard-copy Commonwealth Assistance form for your HECS-HELP and/or SA-HELP application, or direct you to the online enrolment platform to complete this task.

Please ensure that you submit the international movement record and subsequently your Tax File Number (TFN), if eligible, before the relevant study period census date.

If you have missed this deadline you are required to pay your fees upfront for this study period, but may be eligible to defer for further study periods.

OS-HELP is a loan scheme to help eligible Commonwealth supported students who study overseas for a semester.

It can be used for a range of expenses, including:

• airfares
• accommodation
• other travel or study expenses.

If you are a New Zealand SCV holder living in Australia, you can apply for OS-HELP. You'll need to meet all other eligibility requirements, too – and you'll only be able to receive the OS-HELP loan while you are in Australia.

Once you have received your OS-HELP loan amount, you are still eligible for that amount, even if your SCV is removed because you have left Australia. But if you apply for a second OS-HELP loan, you need to be living in Australia at the time – you can't hold an SCV while overseas.

Read more about OS-HELP on the StudyAssist website.