29. Higher Education Loan Program

29.1 - What is HELP?

HELP consists of:

• HECS‑HELP, which provides eligible Commonwealth supported students with a loan to cover their student contribution amount up to the HELP loan limit [part 30.1]
• FEE‑HELP, which provides eligible fee-paying students, enrolled at an eligible provider, with a loan to cover some or all of their tuition fees up to the HELP loan limit [part 31.1]
• OS‑HELP, which provides eligible Commonwealth supported students who wish to study overseas with a cash loan to cover expenses such as accommodation and travel [part 32.1]
• SA-HELP, which provides eligible students with a loan to cover any student services and amenities fee imposed by their providers [part 33.1]

VET Student Loans is a separate scheme for VET students. Information about VET Student Loans is available from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

29.2 - Determining HELP eligibility

There are common eligibility criteria across all loan schemes that must be met if a student is to be considered for assistance. Each loan scheme also has additional eligibility criteria which must be met. The table below broadly summarises the HELP eligibility criteria across the schemes.

Common criteria

To be eligible, a student must:

• be an Australian citizen, the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa, an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder or an eligible New Zealand special category visa (SCV) holder who fulfils certain residency requirements (from 1 January 2016); and
• meet the tax file number requirements; and
• apply within the eligible time period

In determining whether a student is entitled to HELP, a provider should collect sufficient information from the student to be satisfied the student meets the legislative requirements on or before the census date. In some cases, this may mean that students provide additional documentation after they have enrolled.

Example

The following is an example of how a provider may consider common criteria when determining HELP eligibility:

• Oliver completed a Bachelor of Arts/Law as a fee-paying student and used $80,000 of their available HELP balance
• Oliver is now seeking to enrol in a fee-paying Master of Business Administration (MBA) and has been asked for evidence of the available HELP balance by the university as part of the MBA enrolment

The provider must comply with privacy and protected information requirements (including those contained within the Privacy Act and HESA) when handling students’ personal information [part 40].

Regarding USIs

Amendments made in June 2020 to HESA make it compulsory for higher education students commencing courses of study from 1 January 2021 to apply for and obtain a USI prior to census date in order to be a Commonwealth supported student and to be eligible for Commonwealth assistance (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and/or OS-HELP). From 1 January 2023, it will be compulsory for all students to have a USI in order to be a Commonwealth supported student and to be eligible for Commonwealth assistance (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, SA-HELP and/or OS-HELP).

Students who wish to graduate and receive their award will be required to have a USI from 1 January 2023, even if they did not request Commonwealth assistance.

29.3 - Combined HELP loan limit and available HELP balance

There is a ‘combined HELP loan limit’ on how much students can borrow in government study and training loans. The HELP loan limit includes all previous FEE‑HELP, VET FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans borrowings, as well as new HECS-HELP borrowing from 1 January 2020.

For 2022, the HELP loan limit is $109,206 for most courses. The limit for dentistry[1], medicine[2] veterinary science[3] and eligible aviation courses[4] is courses is higher, at $156,847 in 2022 [HESA section 128‑20]. HELP loan limits are indexed on 1 January each year.

Every student has a unique ‘available HELP balance’ (which replaces the FEE-HELP balance). A student’s available HELP balance is their remaining borrowing entitlement for HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans. Any loan fee amounts, or indexation of outstanding debts are not included in a person’s available HELP balance.

The department publishes the HELP loan limits for each year on the department’s website.

This information is also published in the information booklets available from the Study Assist website.

Students may access up to their available HELP balance for the year in which study is undertaken. Repayments from 1 July 2019 will renew a student’s available HELP balance and will be able to be re‑borrowed for additional study.

Providers should remind students to check their available HELP balance as any amount paid over a student’s eligible limit will need to be recovered by the Provider.

The HELP loan limit is indexed on 1 January each year. If a person has reached their HELP loan limit in one year and wishes to enrol in further study the next year, they will be able to access the difference between the HELP loan limit in the year they reached their HELP loan limit and the HELP loan limit in the year they enrol. This is in addition to any repayments against their HELP debt that have been credited against their HELP balance.

Exceeding the HELP balance

If a student is enrolled in a unit of study where the tuition fee exceeds the student’s available HELP balance, the student will only receive HECS‑HELP, FEE‑HELP (or VSL) equal to their available HELP balance. Providers are responsible for collecting the remainder of the student’s tuition fee for the unit.

Example

David has an available HELP balance of $3,000. David enrols in four units with the same census date. The tuition fee for each unit is $800. The total amount of HELP to which David is eligible for the units is $3,000, even though the total amount of tuition fees for the units is $3,200. David must pay the remaining $200 upfront.

Students enrolled with multiple providers

Students who are approaching their HELP loan limit, and who are enrolled with multiple providers or are enrolled in units, some of which are provided by OUA, must notify each provider and OUA of how much HELP they wish to receive for each unit [HESA subsections 107-10(3) and (4)].

In cases where a student is enrolled in multiple units with the same census date, does not have enough available HELP balance to cover all the units, and fails to notify their providers, the units for which they will receive HELP will be determined according to the order in which the data is reported to TCSI. Where a student does not have enough available HELP balance to cover a unit of study, the department will notify the affected provider(s) via an exception report. Providers are responsible for recovering any outstanding tuition fees from students. The Commonwealth can only pay the provider HELP up to the amount of the student’s available HELP balance.

Viewing a student’s available HELP balance

A student can view their available HELP balance via myHELPbalance using their Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) or their USI as well as their student ID number and other personal identifying information.

A provider can undertake an entitlement search at any time to obtain the student’s available HELP balance via the myHELPbalance website. To undertake a search, providers will need to know a student’s CHESSN or USI, their full name and date of birth.

29.4 - Calculating the amount of HELP

A student can borrow up to the amount of the tuition fee being charged by their provider as long as they have sufficient available HELP balance. Students may pay part of their tuition fee for the unit upfront to their provider on or before the census date and obtain HECS‑HELP or FEE‑HELP for the remainder.

The amount of HECS‑HELP or FEE‑HELP provided for a unit of study is the difference between the tuition fee for the unit and the sum of any up-front payments the student has made on or before the census date. This amount should be calculated immediately after the census date for the unit. A student’s available HELP balance will be reduced by this amount.

Providers report a student’s HELP debt through the Higher Education Student Data Collection [part 36.1] and the Commonwealth pays the HECS‑HELP or FEE‑HELP amount to the provider.

29.5 - Issuing a CAN

Providers must issue each student who has requested a HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loan with a CAN within 28 days of the earliest census date indicated in the CAN [part 10.1]. After each census date, the CAN must be sent to all students who have requested a HELP including those who have received the HECS-HELP discount. Even where student has made a full up-front payment of their student contribution amount and therefore, they have not incurred a HECS-HELP debt on that census date, they must be issued with a CAN that lists the upfront payment amount, the discount calculated and the amount deferred to the loan (zero). Multiple units may be included on the student’s CAN, provided (as noted above) the CAN is provided within 28 days of the earliest census date indicated in the CAN [Administration Guidelines section 4.5].

29.6 - Withdrawal on or before the census date

Students who enrol in a unit of study, but withdraw before or on the census date, are not liable to pay their student contribution amount or tuition fee for that unit. If the student has made up-front payments in relation to that unit, the provider must repay those amounts to the student [HESA subsection 169-15(3)]. If the student has requested a HELP loan, the student does not incur a debt for that unit. Providers must ensure the information they give to the department is timely and accurate so that students who have formally withdrawn from a unit or course on or before the census date do not incur a FEE‑HELP debt for those studies. As per the HEP Guidelines, the procedures for a student to withdraw from a unit of study or a course of study must be published and must not involve financial, administrative or other barriers to the withdrawal.

Refunding excess payments

Where a student is changing their enrolment between units of study before the census date, a provider may, with the student’s agreement, move payments between units. For administrative convenience, a provider may wait until the student’s enrolment for a census date is finalised before repaying any excess up-front payments. However, any excess payments held by the provider at the end of the census date must be repaid to the student. Alternatively, the student may consent to the payments remaining with the provider as credit towards future liabilities the student may have with the provider.

29.7 - Withdrawal after the census date

The census date of a unit of study is the last day an eligible student with available HELP balance to cover their student contribution amounts and/or tuition fees can withdraw without incurring a HELP debt for a unit. Eligible students who have requested a HELP loan and who withdraw from a unit of study or course of study after the census date will incur a HELP debt for any unpaid tuition fees, up to their available HELP balance. Units of study that are withdrawn from after the census date will be included in the calculation of the completion rate as undertaken and not successfully completed. In cases where a student withdraws after a census date, such students may apply to have any up-front payments of their student contribution refunded, and/or have their HECS‑HELP debt remitted [part  42.3], or from 1 January 2020, have their HELP balance re‑credited [part 35.5]. To be successful, a student must demonstrate to their provider that they experienced special circumstances [part 42.1] [HESA sections 36-20 and 36-21; 97-25 and 97-30; 104-25 and 104-30].

29.8 - Cancellation of units of study after the census date

In exceptional circumstances where a unit ceases to be available after the census date, the provider should assist affected students to complete the unit or a comparable unit. In making these arrangements, the provider must treat students fairly [HESA section 19-30]. If arrangements cannot be made with which the student is satisfied, the provider should advise the student of their eligibility for re‑crediting and remission [part 42.3], and, for students studying with non-Table A providers, their eligibility under the provider’s tuition assurance arrangements.

Notes

[1] A course of study in dentistry means a course of study, completion of which would satisfy the minimum academic requirements for registration as a dentist by an authority of a state, a territory or the Commonwealth, regardless of whether further dentistry study is completed before registration is sought.

[2] A course of study in medicine means a course of study, completion of which would allow provisional registration as a medical practitioner by an authority of a state, a territory or the Commonwealth.

[3] A course of study in veterinary science means a course of study, completion of which would satisfy the minimum academic requirements for registration as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner by an authority of a state, a territory or the Commonwealth, regardless of whether further veterinary science study is completed before registration is sought.

[4] A course of study in aviation means a course of study specified in the FEE‑HELP Guidelines for the purposes of HESA subsection 128-20(2).