FEE-HELP is a loan program to assist eligible fee paying domestic students to pay their tuition fees in Higher Education. If you take out a FEE-HELP loan, the Australian Government pays the loan amount directly to SCEI-HE on your behalf. You will be responsible for any gap amount in the tuition fees, which are not covered by the loan. You will owe a debt to the Australian Government for the loan, which will be managed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).You do not have to use a FEE-HELP loan to pay your tuition fees. You can choose to pay all your tuition fees upfront, or you can pay some upfront and use a FEE-HELP loan for the rest, or use a FEE-HELP loan for all your tuition fees (up to your FEE-HELP limit).FEE-HELP is only available to eligible fee paying domestic students. These students are enrolled in fee paying places at providers and charged tuition fees for their studies.
1. Read the Government Information Booklet
Access and read the Australian Government 2022 FEE-HELP Information Booklet
2. Check your eligibility for FEE-HELP
Access and find out information –Australian Government Study Assist
You must also:
USI Requirement
New higher education students now need a Unique Student Identifier (USI) to be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and Commonwealth financial assistance (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP or OS-HELP).
From 1 January 2023, all higher education students, including those who commenced prior to 2021, must have a USI in order to graduate and receive their award. This includes all students who started before 2021, and all onshore international students. Continuing students should also get their USI as soon as possible.
A USI is a student’s lifelong education number.
Create and submit your USI for verification – Australian Government – USI
Tax File Number (TFN) Verification
When we submit your HELP loan data to the government, your TFN is verified against Australian Taxation Office data. Your TFN must be verified before your census date for you to be eligible to receive the loan.Ensure you have a TAX File Number – You can apply for a tax file number on the ATO website.
Step 3: Know and Track your FEE-HELP loan limit
There’s a combined limit to how much you can borrow under HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and VET Student Loans. This is called your HELP loan limit.
How to check your combined HELP loan limit?
Step 4: Submit your application via the government’s eCAF portal
You are required to maintain a pass rate of more than 50 per cent to able to continue your FEE HELP Loan
SCEI-HE will issue students the CAN within 28 days of the earliest census date indicated in the CAN. A notification email will be sent to your SCEI-HE student email account and your nominated personal email when your CAN is available.When you believe the information on the CAN is incorrect, you may, within 14 days of the CAN being given, ask in writing for the CAN to be corrected.