The Australian Government provides financial assistance to eligible domestic students through the Higher Education Loan Program. A HELP loan allows you to defer payment of your course fees and Student Amenities fee while you study. HELP loans are repaid through the Australian Taxation Office when your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.
Higher Education Loan Program
The type of loan you may be eligible for depends on your fee category and your residency status.
HELP Loan |
Fee Category |
Am I eligible? |
HECS-HELP A HECS-HELP loan covers the cost of student contributions for students in a Commonwealth supported place. |
Commonwealth supported |
You are eligible for a HECS-HELP loan if you:
|
FEE-HELP A FEE-HELP loan covers the cost of tuition fees for domestic students in a fee-paying place. |
Domestic fee-paying |
You are eligible for a FEE-HELP loan if you:
|
SA-HELP A SA-HELP loan covers the cost of the Student Amenities fee for eligible domestic students. |
Commonwealth supported Domestic fee-paying |
Students who meet the eligibility requirements for HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP are eligible for a SA-HELP loan. |
Help entitlement limit
The maximum amount you can borrow under the Higher Education Loan Program is set by the Government and is called your . Your HELP entitlement limit is a renewable balance. Any repayments you make are credited towards your HELP limit which increases your available balance. You can check your available HELP balance at . You will need your CHESSN or USI and your Student ID to login to the portal and view your balance.
Information on how to repay your HELP debt and the compulsory repayment threshold is available . For helpful videos about HELP, visit the .
New Zealand citizens must meet the following residency requirements to be eligible for a HELP loan.
To be eligible, you must:
- be ordinarily resident in Australia and hold a Special Category Visa (Subclass 444)
- have first entered Australia to reside here as a dependent minor under the age of 18
- have been usually resident in Australia for at least 10 years
- have been physically present in Australia for a total of at least eight out of the past 10 years and 18 months out of the past two years
If you are a New Zealand citizen and wish to request a HELP loan, you must provide a copy of your before your first census date for assessment of your eligibility. Students who are assessed as ineligible for a HELP loan must pay their student contribution amount or tuition fees in full by the census date.