VET Student Loans – eligibility

Version 1.3 | 10-08-2023

This information applies to applicants who intend to defer tuition fees with a VET Student Loan (VSL).

Applicants who successfully apply and enrol in our courses may elect to defer their tuition fees with a VET Student Loan – subject to their eligibility (see below). Please note that an application to enrol in one of our courses, and an application for a VET Student Loan with the Commonwealth Government, are two related but separate actions.

To receive a VET Student Loan, you must:

  1. be an eligible student (see below)
  2. be studying one of our approved courses
  3. apply to the government using the approved form, and
  4. confirm your engagement and progression to continue to access the loan throughout your course.

To be an eligible student, you must meet ALL of these criteria:

  • You are:
    • an Australian citizen, or
    • a qualifying New Zealand citizen[1],  or
    • a permanent humanitarian visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia.
      (read more about the evidence you must provide to prove your citizenship / residency status)
  • Your FEE-HELP balance (the amount of your FEE-HELP limit you have left):
    • is more than $0 at the time you apply for the course; AND
    • you undertake (by applying for the course and VSL) that you will notify is in writing if there are at any time any past, current, pending or intended course enrolments with other education providers that may reduce your FEE HELP balance before the commencement of your course or during your course with us.
  • You are enrolled with us in an approved course in accordance with our application requirements.
  • You are studying the approved course primarily at a campus in Australia (which is a given, in our case)
  • You are undertaking the approved course to attain a vocational / career outcome only, and not for any non-vocational / private purpose.
  • We have assessed you as being academically suited to undertake the approved course on the basis of either:
    • providing your Australian Year 12 Certificate; OR
    • providing evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English); OR
    • displaying competence at ‘Exit Level 3’ in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved Language, Literacy and Numeracy test.
    • AND we reasonably believe you show competence in completing the course (see the entry requirements for each course for further information).
  • You meet the Tax File Number (TFN) requirements.
  • You have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) or are otherwise exempt.
  • You have given us all required VSL documents and information
  • You have (or will have at a later date) submitted your VSL loan application to the Commonwealth Government:
    • no less than seven business days after receiving the invitation to do so from the eCAF system; AND
    • at least five business days before the commencement date of the first study-period for the course.