Your higher education provider is responsible for assessing your eligibility against the legal criteria. 

For more information about how student loans work, see the how student loans work page.

You may be eligible for a CSP and/or HELP loan depending on your visa and residency status. 

The Department of Home Affairs manages all immigration matters. You can check your visa details and conditions online the Department of Home Affairs website.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

Yes, provided you meet the relevant eligibility requirements for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

For more information about the eligibility requirements see the Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

All NZ citizens can receive the same public subsidy for their studies as Australian students if they are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP).

 A CSP is where the Australian Government pays part of the student’s tuition fees straight to the university on their behalf. This is not a loan, and the student is not required to pay this amount back. 

However, the subsidy amount paid by the Australian Government does not cover the whole cost of the university course. This means that there is an amount left to be paid, called the 'student contribution' amount. 

To pay the student contribution amount, some NZ special category visa (SCV) holders or former SCV holders can access a HELP loan. 

As a NZ SCV holder (or former SCV holder), you may be eligible to access a HELP loan providing you meet all of the following long-term residency requirements:

• you first began to be usually resident in Australia at least 10 years ago, AND
• at that time, you were a dependent child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner, AND 
• you have been in Australia for at least:
  • A total of eight out of the past 10 years (from when you apply for the loan)
  • A total of 18 months out of the last two years (from when you apply for the loan).

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

From 29 June 2023, New Zealand citizens who formerly held a Special Category Visa (who were eligible for HELP assistance) and have transitioned to a permanent resident visa on the pathway to citizenship, will have continued access to HELP loans provided you continue to meet the long-term residency requirements.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

Australian permanent residents can receive the same public subsidy for their studies as Australian students if they are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). However, CSPs do not cover the whole cost of the university course. This means that there is an amount left to be paid, called the 'student contribution' amount. To pay the student contribution amount, PRs are not able to access a HELP loan.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

As a temporary visa holder/international student, you are not eligible to access access a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) or a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan for your study. Temporary visa holders are classified as international students and must pay the overseas student fees charged by their education provider.

General information for international students who intend to study in Australia can be found at Study Australia, which provides comprehensive information about higher education providers and courses, applying for a place at a higher education provider, course fees, and scholarships. 

You may also wish to contact the scholarships office or student support area at your intended higher education provider to ask about other assistance that may be available to you, like scholarships or other possible funding sources.

Yes, since 1 January 2022, former permanent humanitarian visa holders have become eligible for both Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) and HELP loans.

An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is a person who is:

• not a permanent humanitarian visa holder; and
• was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder; and
• is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa (please visit non-Australian citizens page for more information).

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

You may be eligible to apply for a HELP loan for any units of study with census dates that occur after the day on which you obtained Australian citizenship, this includes having completed the ceremony, taken the pledge of commitment and received the citizenship certificate.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

To be eligible for a HELP loan, an Australian citizen will need to undertake at least one unit of study in Australia contributing to their course of study. The legislation does not specify when this must take place but the student must undertake at least one unit in Australia at some point in their course.

For more information about eligibility requirements see the Australian citizens page.

If you meet the relevant eligibility criteria and have enough available HELP available, you will be able to access a HELP loan for your new course.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

For more information about further study see the postgraduate and returning to study page.

If you are eligible, you may be able to access a CSP and/or a HELP loan while being enrolled in two courses simultaneously at the same or different higher education providers.

Providers must assess all students as genuine students who are academically suited to their course. This is particularly important for students studying multiple courses. Students must limit their enrolment to 2.0 EFTSL (i.e. two years or less) worth of study per year unless their provider has assessed them as academically suited to undertake more study and maintain a reasonable completion rate to remain eligible for a CSP.

It is important that you meet all the eligibility requirements for a CSP and/or a HELP loan as well as accept offer(s) of enrolment at both providers. The student administration area at both of your intended providers is best able to provide information about eligibility and applying for government financial assistance such as a CSP or HELP loan.

If you plan to use a HELP loan for your fees for the two different courses, we suggest you check the expected costs and that you will have enough HELP balance available to cover the cost of both sets of fees. It is a student's responsibility to know their own HELP balance so that you don't reach your HELP loan limit before you finish. You can find out your available HELP balance at myHELPbalance.

If you accept an offer of a CSP, you will also need to ensure that you have enough Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) to complete your courses. 

When you are enrolled in two separate courses, you will need to ensure that you complete the right paperwork on or before the census date for EACH of your courses. This means that even if you are doing two courses at the same university, you would need to complete a CSP and/or HELP application for each course.

For more information about SLE see the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) page.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

No. Institutions that are not Australian are not approved to offer their students access to any government financial assistance such as a CSP or HELP loans.

You may wish to get in touch with your international university directly to see if they have any in-house subsidies, scholarships or payment plans you may be eligible for.

However, if you are enrolled in a CSP at an Australian university and wish to undertake part of your study overseas (e.g. an overseas exchange), you may be eligible to access an OS-HELP loan for the portion of your overseas study.

For more information about an OS-HELP loan see the OS-HELP and overseas study page.

For more information about which Australian providers can offer Commonwealth assistance, see the providers offering Commonwealth assistance page.

Only if you meet the eligibility and residency requirements. 

If you are an Australian citizen, your residency arrangements prior to commencing study will not affect your eligibility for a HELP loan. However, once you commence study, to be eligible for a HELP loan, residency requirements state that you must study at least part of your course in Australia.

It is best to check with your higher education provider about your enrolment and residency plans and whether you would be eligible for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

Please note, in addition to the HELP residency requirements, your provider might have their own specific requirements for students studying online e.g. there may be a requirement for a portion of your studies to be undertaken on campus in Australia, which could be one unit, or one semester.

If you are not an Australian citizen, please check the residency requirements.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

There is a cap on what you can borrow from the government through HELP loans to pay for your study. This cap is called your HELP loan limit.

The HELP loan limit is set in legislation and is indexed each year. There are no exemptions from this limit or extensions, based on personal circumstances.

You can log in to myHELPbalance to keep track of how much Commonwealth assistance you have used, and how much you can continue to borrow.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

A higher HELP loan limit is available for students studying medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses leading to initial registration, or eligible aviation courses.

 If you are studying one of the above listed fields of education and are unsure if your course is eligible for the higher HELP loan limit, you must contact the student administration area of your intended higher education provider.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

Once a student has reached their HELP loan limit, they will not be able to take out any further HELP loans for units of study until they have begun repaying their HELP debt. This is because the HELP loan limit is a lifetime limit - but it is 'renewable'. When you make a HELP debt repayment (either voluntary or compulsory), it will allow you to borrow that amount again i.e. tops up your available HELP balance.

In circumstances where a student reaches their HELP limit but they have not yet completed their studies, they would be required to pay the amounts, for units in which they are enrolled, upfront directly to their university. Otherwise, a student may choose to take a break from studies until they have made enough repayments against their debt to have enough HELP balance available to cover new studies.

The HELP loan limit is set in legislation and there are no exemptions from this limit or extensions, based on personal circumstances.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

myHELPbalance (MHB) is a database that helps you keep track of how much you have borrowed through HELP loans.

You will be able to see each unit of study that you used a HELP loan to pay for, any loan fees and any remitted HELP loans. However, it will not show indexation added or your current HELP debt (the amount you owe).

MHB will also show your available HELP balance (how much available HELP loan balance you have left) and the applicable HELP limit that applies to you (this can vary depending on your course).

You will need your CHESSN or USI and personal details (full name, date of birth, and student ID) to login to MHB. You can find your CHESSN on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) or you can ask your higher education provider to provide it to you. You can find your USI at www.usi.gov.au.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

Firstly, it is important that you enter your details correctly. If there are any errors, you will not be able to log in. 

You may only use your USI to log in if you have provided it to your provider, and it has been verified once they have submitted your enrolment details to the department. If you are unable to log in with your USI, or are a continuing student prior to 1 January 2021, then please use your CHESSN to log in. 

If you are a new student from 1 January 2021, and cannot log in using your USI, please check with your higher education provider that your USI has verified. You can find your USI at www.usi.gov.au.

If you are unsure what your CHESSN is, you can find it on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) or you can ask your higher education provider to provide it to you. Your higher education provider is also responsible for assigning you a student ID, so they will also be able to provide this to you. You can log in using previous student IDs.

If you are unable to log in using the above information, please contact us at (link to Qualtrics form) and provide your CHESSN or USI and your Student ID.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) is the amount of study you can undertake in a Commonwealth supported places (CSP) in your lifetime. The SLE gives students 7 years of full-time subsidised study in a CSP.

A year of full-time study is known as an EFTSL (Equivalent Full-Time Student Load), with your Learning Entitlement starting at 7 EFTSL. This is known as Ordinary SLE.

Your total SLE amount will be reduced in accordance with your overall study load in a CSP.

A person may receive Additional SLE if they undertake any of the following course types:

• Undergraduate course with a course load greater than 6 EFTSL
• Postgraduate and graduate entry bachelor courses
• Honours course with a course load equal to or less than 1 EFTSL

A person will also receive Lifelong SLE in the following circumstances:

• 3 EFTSL at the latter of:
  • 1 January 2032; or
  • The 1 January immediately following a period of 10 years after they first commence in a course of study with a higher education provider.
  • If a course you are enrolled in is restructured, and as a result you have to undertake extra study to complete it.

For more information about SLE see the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) page.

If you change your name, you must advise the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) of your name change which will update your TFN details. Once this is done, you can notify your higher education provider of your name change which they will report to the department which will change your details in our system.

Your enrolled name and date of birth will need to match with the details against your USI for your USI to verify. If any of the details on your USI account are incorrect, you can update your details in your USI account at www.usi.gov.au.

No. Age is not an eligibility requirement under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, and as such does not affect a student’s eligibility for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

For more information about HELP eligibility see the eligibility overview page.

Yes, a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan is not means tested so your income does not affect your eligibility to access a HELP loan. However, it will affect when you need to make compulsory repayments and the size of those repayments.

For more information about making repayments, see the loan repayments page.

A person declared bankrupt can access a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan provided they meet eligibility requirements. An applicant's financial situation is not an eligibility criterion for a HELP loan.

For more information about HELP eligibility see the eligibility overview page.