VET Student Loans

The Australian Government VET Student Loans program is designed to provide financial support to eligible students who undertake higher level training (diploma and above) in approved vocational education and training (VET) courses. There is a loan cap applied to each course. These are indexed annually in accordance with the VET Student Loans Act 2016.

The VET Student Loans program allows you to pay for some or all of your tuition fees via a loan, and up to the loan cap amount, which is determined for each course. If your tuition fees are above the loan cap amount, you will need to pay the difference. This information will be provided during your enrolment.

The loan is repaid through the Australian tax system when you reach the minimum income threshold for repayment. The minimum income threshold for repayment is set by the Australian Government each year and is published on Study Assist (Loan Repayment) and in the VET Student Loans Information Booklet.

There is a loan fee of 20% for full fee-paying students. There is no loan fee for eligible students in some NSW Government subsidised (Smart and Skilled – Prices, fees and subsidies) training places.

Centrelink benefits do not affect your eligibility or the loan amount you can access. Fee concessions are not available for diploma or higher level courses. However, fee exemptions may be available for eligible students in a Smart and Skilled place. Please contact your campus for further information or refer to fees information.

A VET Student Loan is only available for tuition fees (up to the course cap) and doesn't cover additional costs such as text books, materials or accommodation.

Please note: You must be aware that your loan remains a personal debt until it is repaid, and it may reduce your take-home (after tax) wage and your borrowing capacity. As with any loan you take, you must understand the terms and conditions before you make a commitment. You must read the VET Student Loan information available on Study Assist, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations websites and should consider seeking independent financial advice.

To be eligible, you must:

• be an Australian citizen, or
• be a permanent humanitarian visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia, or
• be a Pacific Engagement visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia (Census Days after 1 February 2024), or
• be a qualifying New Zealand citizen on Special Category visa (SCV) who meets the long-term residency requirements

Please note: Holders of other permanent visas and temporary visas are NOT eligible for a VET Student Loan.

You must also:

• meet the academic suitability requirements outlined in VET Student Loans Student Entry Procedure)
• have a Tax File Number (TFN) or be applying for one. The personal details of your TFN with the ATO, must match the personal details (e.g. name and date of birth) you have provided to TAFE NSW. Please refer to Commonwealth TFN Student Fact Sheet)
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI)
• intend to undertake your course primarily in Australia
• not have exceeded your HELP loan limit, which is set each year by the Australian Government
• have read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet
• have given any requested documentation to TAFE NSW and submitted the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) online by the first Census Day no less than two business days after enrolling (see How do I apply for a VET Student Loan?)
• comply with ongoing Australian Government (eCAF) engagement and progression requests

HELP Loan Limit 
The HELP loan limit is the total amount you can borrow to pay your tuition fees including FEE-HELP, HECS-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or a VET Student Loan. Any amount borrowed will be added together until you reach the HELP loan limit. For 2024, the HELP loan limit is $121,844 for most students, this is indexed each year in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Students can view their loan obligations by logging into myHELPbalance from the Study Assist website. You will need your CHESSN or USI to log in. Please check your VET Student Loan Fee Notice to locate your USI.

HELP Balance
The HELP balance is the available amount of FEE-HELP, HECS-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loan that you have left to use before you reach the HELP loan limit. Your HELP balance is renewable. Any compulsory or voluntary repayments you make starting from the 2019-20 income year, will top up your HELP balance which allows you to re-borrow up to the HELP loan limit. You are responsible for keeping track of your HELP balance and advising your provider if you do not have enough left to cover your tuition fees. Students can view their loan obligations by logging into myHELPbalance from the Study Assist website. You will need your CHESSN or USI to log in. Please check your VET Student Loan Fee Notice to locate your USI.

What is a Unique Student Identifier (USI)?

The Australian Government requires all students studying in a nationally recognised training course to have a USI. If you already have one, please ensure you use this same USI whenever you enrol for any training. If you don't have a USI, go to the Unique Student Identifier website to register before you apply to enrol, or you can apply as part of your enrolment.

What is a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)?
A CHESSN was allocated to all students as a primary student identifier when they first accessed a Commonwealth Student Loan prior to 2021. For new students (from 2021), the CHESSN has been replaced by the USI which is the primary student identifier moving forward.

New Zealand Citizens

To qualify for a VET Student Loan, New Zealand citizens must:

• hold a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV)
• have been a dependent child when you first began residing in Australia
• have started living as a resident in Australia no less than 10 years ago
• have been in Australia for 8 out of 10 years from the date of the loan application
• have been in Australia for a total of 18 months in the last 2 years.

You will need to provide evidence of your eligibility to TAFE NSW before requesting a VET Student Loan.

All students wishing to apply for a VET Student Loan must be assessed for academic suitability to undertake a high-level VET qualification. This is aimed at ensuring you have the skills and knowledge to succeed in your course. 

Academic assessment is in addition to any other entry requirements for your course, or any other additional selection criteria. Refer to the VET Student Loans Student Entry Procedure (PDF, 227KB), which defines and provides more information regarding academic suitability and assessment requirements.   

To be assessed as academically suitable, you must either: 

• provide a copy of your senior secondary certificate of education (that has been awarded by an Australian authority or agency), or an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) Diploma, or 

• provide evidence of attainment of an Australian Qualification Framework qualification at Certificate IV or higher. You may provide a transcript from your previous provider (or a transcript from the national USI register for qualifications attained from 2015), or evidence of an approved Australian Government assessed overseas qualification. If it is a TAFE NSW qualification, let us know where and when you studied, or 

• undertake an approved literacy and numeracy assessment and be competent at Exit Level 3 (working at level 4) or above. Your campus will assist you through the process to undertake this assessment if required. There is no cost to you. 

VET Student Loans are available for full-time, part-time and online study.

View the TAFE NSW VET Student Loan Approved Course List. Your TAFE NSW campus can also provide you with a list of loan approved courses.

If course prices are above the maximum course loan cap that a student can borrow, other payment arrangements are available. You will be advised of these when you enquire.

VET Student Loan Tuition Fees are published and updated regularly, in accordance with the VET Student Loans Act 2016. You can view the schedule of VET Tuition Fees by region:

SEMESTER 1, 2024

• North Region
• South Region
• Sydney Region
• West Region
• Western Sydney Region
• TAFE Digital

SEMESTER 2, 2024

• North Region
• South Region
• Sydney Region
• West Region
• Western Sydney Region
• TAFE Digital

A VET Student Loan is an agreement between you and the Australian Government.

To apply for a VET Student loan:

• you must meet all the loan eligibility requirements including academic suitability
• you will need to provide your valid Tax File Number (TFN) when you log on to the online form. If you don't have a TFN, you can apply at most Australia Post outlets. The TFN details you provide to TAFE NSW must match those held with the Australian Tax Office. If you provide an invalid Tax File Number, you will not be able to access a VET Student Loan for your tuition fees. Check your details are correct by logging into your MyGov account prior to applying for a loan.

If you are accepted into a course, TAFE NSW will advise the Australian Government that you wish to apply for a loan. The Australian Government will email you a passkey to access the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) online.

Your loan application (eCAF) is separate to your enrolment with TAFE NSW. The Australian Government requires a two-day cooling off period between your enrolment and applying for a loan.

To remain eligible for a VET Student Loan, you must comply with ongoing Australian Government (eCAF) engagement and progression requests. For further information visit the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

Please note:

• The Census Day is the last day you can apply for a loan for fees for that period, so make sure you complete your application promptly.

If you are under 18:

There are no age restrictions to apply for a VET Student Loan.

For students who are under 18, you must complete one of the following:

• Your parent or guardian must sign the VET Student Loan Parental Consent Form for your loan. This is available from your campus or on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website. You must provide this form to your campus before you can apply for a loan, or
• If you are receiving Youth Allowance on the basis that you are independent, you must provide your Centrelink Income Statement noting your independent assessment.

Your parent or guardian will not be responsible for making loan repayments and it will not affect their credit rating.

It is important that you advise TAFE NSW if any of your personal details or contact information change during your study.

Fees for courses eligible for VET Student Loans are charged by units of study. Your course will have at least three units of study and your payments will be spread across the duration of your course. Each unit of study has a Census Day. You will be sent a VET Student Loan Fee Notice 14 days before each Census Day.

The Census Day is the last day you can withdraw without incurring the tuition fees for that unit of study. Your debt is incurred on the day after the Census Day (you will incur the financial liability for the unit of study).

After a Census Day has passed, TAFE NSW will also send you a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) for that unit of study. The CAN will provide you with information about your debt, including the loan fee if applicable. If you believe your CAN is incorrect, you should contact your campus immediately.

For some courses, there may be a gap between the course fee and the loan cap that the Australian Government will allow for your course. You will be advised of this when you enquire, and also about other payment options that may be available. You must apply for a loan and pay any gap fee prior to the Census Day in order to finalise your payment for that unit of study.

It is important that you advise TAFE NSW if any of your personal or contact details change during your study.

Progression and Engagement

During your study, you may be contacted by the Australian Government to complete their online (eCAF) progression form to confirm that you are a genuine student, that you are continuing to study and to check progress in your course. If you do not complete the progression process, you will not be able to continue to access your VET Student Loan for your tuition fees.

Further information regarding the VET Student Loan engagement and progression process is available on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

It is important that you advise TAFE NSW if any of your personal or contact details change during your study.

You repay your loan through the tax system when your income is above the minimum repayment threshold. Repayment thresholds are adjusted each year to reflect changes in average weekly earnings. The minimum repayment income threshold for 2024-2025 is $54,435.

A VET Student Loan is a personal debt obligation that can affect your credit rating and have wage and tax repayment implications. From 1 July 2017, all existing and future debtors from any Australian Government Student Loan program who move overseas, must continue to make compulsory HELP repayments. If you are living overseas and earning an income that exceeds the minimum repayment threshold, you will be required to make compulsory repayments towards your debt. Please refer to the ATO website for more information.

For more information regarding student loan repayment thresholds, please visit the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

If you choose to withdraw or defer, you may be entitled to a refund of any up-front payment you've made, or re-credit of your loan balance if you have taken a VET Student Loan.

• Tuition fees and refunds – information for students

You must withdraw or defer in writing by completing the VET Student Loans Withdrawal & Deferral Application form.

The loan amount you incur will depend on the timing of your withdrawal or deferral. There are no penalties if you withdraw or defer on or before the Census Day. However, once a Census Day has passed, the loan amount for the unit of study is incurred.

In some special circumstances, you may apply to have your debt reversed by completing the Application to re-credit a HELP balance form within 12 months of the Census Day of the unit of study/Part of a Course.

Students also have the right to apply for a review of a decision not to re-credit a loan balance. For more information see our VET Student Loans Student Review Procedure.

If you have completed previous studies, you could be eligible for reduced fees. You should let TAFE NSW know as soon as possible if you have experience in the area you are studying and think you may qualify for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning). You can also discuss this with your teacher before you enrol.  

Completing a high-level qualification with TAFE NSW provides a great pathway to many university degrees. Find out more about getting credit where credit's due – TAFE to University. 

To ensure fair treatment for students, TAFE NSW has policies on a range of issues, including student selection, entry requirements, assessment and equal opportunity. Further information can be found on the Student Rights and Responsibilities page and the TAFE NSW VET Student Loans Policy. 

You may raise a concern or grievance for a range of academic and non-academic matters, including results, harassment, vilification, discrimination, misuse of personal information, financial matters, course application and enrolment. In the first instance, you could speak with a teacher, counsellor or any administration staff. They may be able to resolve your complaint or provide you with a suggestion or Complaints Form. Otherwise, you can make a complaint by submitting the TAFE NSW Complaint Form online. There is no charge to make a complaint to TAFE NSW, or when requesting a review. See: Complaints and Customer Complaints - Factsheet for further information. 

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, and your complaint is specifically related to a VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loan, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman – VET Student Loans on 1300 362 072. TAFE NSW is committed to the principles of the VET Student Loans Code of Practice. 

If you are considering applying for a VET Student Loan, you should familiarise yourself with your obligations by reading the VET Student Loan Information Booklet and the Student Loans – Frequently asked questions factsheet.

Further information is available at:

• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
• Study Assist
• VET Student Loans Information booklet
• TAFE NSW VET Student Loans Policy

Personal information

It is important that you advise TAFE NSW if any of your personal details or contact information changes during your study. This ensures you do not miss important communications regarding your course and VET Student Loan. You can update your details via your Student Portal.

Please note: if you change your personal details with TAFE NSW please ensure you also update them on the USI Registry and with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

When you enrol at TAFE NSW, the collection, storage, use and disclosure of any personal information you provide is protected by legislation.

For more information see our page about your rights and responsibilities.

Tuition Protection ensures that if TAFE NSW ceases to provide a course in which you are enrolled, TAFE NSW will offer you enrolment in a similar course of study. Alternatively, you will be provided a refund of any upfront payments or a re-credit to your loan balance for any units of study. 

If you are enrolling in TAFE NSW to complete a qualification as a result of a provider closure, you will not be charged for the AQF Units of Competency that you have completed and will receive credit transfer for those Units of Competency where the National Code is the same or equivalent as per Training.gov.au. 

For more information see: Tuition Protection Service – Australian Government Department of Education website.