Finances involved with studying can sometimes be a strain. The good news is that government financial help for students is available for domestic students who wish to enroll at ACPE (eligibility criteria apply). The financial assistance for students in Australia is referred to as FEE-HELP, which is similar to HECS-HELP which is the financial assistance for university students who accept Commonwealth Supported Places at university.
What is FEE-HELP?
If you are a domestic student and you have enrolled to study with the college you can get a FEE-HELP loan to pay all or part of your tuition fees. What this means is you won’t have to pay upfront for your studies, rather you take a loan from the government which you pay back through your tax once you exceed the income threshold. The government financial help for students removes the financial barrier to study.
Aim I eligible?
There are a range of criteria to meet to be eligible for financial assistance in Australia. To be eligible for a FEE-HELP loan, you must:
- be one of the following:
- an Australian citizen who will study at least one unit of your course of study in Australia; or
- a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long term residency requirements and who studies the entire course while living in Australia; or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder; or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder; who studies the entire course while living in Australia
- an Australian permanent residentcan get FEE-HELP for approved bridging studies
- be enrolled in a fee-paying place at a provider that offers FEE-HELP loans
- be enrolled in an eligible course at your provider by the census date (your provider can tell you if your course is eligible)
- submit the Request for FEE-HELP loan form to your provider by the census date
- 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 completion rate of 50 per cent or above:
- to continue to be eligible for FEE-HELP if you are studying at a non-university higher education provider
- to be eligible for FEE-HELP if you are commencing study in a new course at an Australian university from 1 January 2022
- not undertake more than 2 years’ worth of higher education study in the last 12 months (unless your provider has approved a higher study load.
https://www.studyassist.gov.au/help-loans/fee-help
Please be aware that FEE-HELP does not cover financial support for international students. International students are required to meet the requirements of their study visa.
How to apply?
To apply for FEE-HELP you will need a few things first. The first thing you will need is your Tax File Number (TFN), if you don’t yet have a TFN don’t worry, your certificate of application for a TFN will be accepted too.
