To apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan, you must submit an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) on or before the census date.

When you enrol in your course, your provider will ask how you want to pay for your tuition fees. This is where you notify them you want to use a HELP loan.

Your provider will issue you with an invitation to submit your eCAF (eCAFs are only available from approved higher education providers).

Your provider will be able to answer any questions about your eligibility and assist you with the forms to complete.

More information is available on the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) page.

You can only apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan once you have accepted an enrolment offer from your provider and are ready to enrol. 

To apply for a CSP/HELP loan, you must submit an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF), called a request for Commonwealth assistance form (only available from your provider, usually sent to you through their student portal). This form must be submitted on or before the census date.

More information is available on the application process page.

It is the responsibility of your provider to assess your eligibility for a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan. You will need to contact your provider directly to discuss the status of your application.

More information is available on the checking your application status page.

There are two different types of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans to pay for your study.

HECS-HELP (also known as HECS) is a loan that only available to eligible students enrolled in a subsidised Commonwealth supported place (CSP). HECS-HELP is available at public universities and a small number of approved private providers.

FEE-HELP is a loan for eligible full fee-paying students (those not enrolled in a CSP). 

These places are not subsidised by the government, and tuition fees are set by providers. FEE-HELP is available at universities and approved private providers.

Yes, eCAFs are not transferable. If you change your course (even with the same provider), you will need to submit a new eCAF.

No, CSPs and HELP loans are not transferable. If you want to study at a new provider there are two processes you will need to complete:

1. Withdraw from your current university course

   It is important to follow the correct process for withdrawing from your current course. If you do not withdraw properly or miss the deadline, you will incur a HELP debt and may also incur academic and financial penalties from the provider.

   This means you are required to cancel your enrolment and HELP application directly with your current provider. Providers cannot assume anything about a student’s intentions (for example if you just stop turning up to class). They can only act upon students’ requests made through the correct processes. You should check with your provider about its withdrawal procedure and deadline. 

   To withdraw from a unit of study or course without incurring a HELP debt or losing an up-front payment, you must submit and have approved the official withdrawal form by the census date. If you do not undertake this process before the census date you will be charged for the unit/s. You should hear back from your provider that your withdrawal request was processed. Be sure to keep a copy of the withdrawal documentation and confirmation as a record that you completed the process.

2. Apply for a HELP loan for your new course

   At your new provider, you will need to confirm whether your enrolment offer is for a CSP or not, complete the required enrolment forms and a new eCAF. You must fill out the forms, submit your tax file number (TFN) and agree to the conditions of the HELP loan for the new course.

   1. If you are offered a CSP, this will be a HECS-HELP loan to pay for your study. 
   2. If you are offered a full fee-paying place, this will be a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your study

   If you are not sure how to complete the enrolment or eCAF process, please contact your new provider as they will be able to assist and confirm that you have completed this process correctly. This must be completed on or before the census date.

For more information about the different types of HELP loans see the how student loans work page.

For more information about withdrawing see the withdrawing from study page.

For more information about applying see the application process page.

Each HELP loan requires a student to submit a separate eCAF.

A student enrolled in a CSP will need to complete the CSP and HECS-HELP eCAF, and may decide to complete a SA-HELP eCAF to cover their student services and amenities fee.

If that same student decides to go on an exchange semester in the final year of their course, they may also submit an OS-HELP eCAF for an OS-HELP loan to cover their travel related expenses.

In most cases, eCAFs need to be completed once per course.

You will need to re-submit an eCAF if you are changing course or provider.

For more information about the different types of HELP loans see the how student loans work page.

For more information about eCAFs see the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) page.

For more information about applying see the application process overview page.

When submitting your eCAF, you must declare that:

• the information is complete and correct (and evidence can be provided to verify this if requested), 
• you will make a full upfront payment or provide your Tax file number (TFN) (or TFN application certificate from the ATO) to your provider on or before the census date for a HELP loan.
• you will have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI)
• you understand indexation is added to HELP debts, which means the amount you repay in total is likely to be more than the original amount of the loan.
• you understand you have an obligation to repay the loan through the taxation system once your income is above a certain level (the compulsory repayment threshold).
• you will notify your provider if your eligibility for a HELP loan changes.

You also declare that you have read the relevant HELP booklet, which contains the terms and conditions of the loan. This includes being aware of your responsibilities in relation to the loan, what your repayment obligations will be, what indexation is and how it applies to your loan, and that you have sufficient HELP balance to cover your student contribution amount/tuition fees.

No, your eCAF is a legal document that must be read, completed, and signed by the student.

The student contribution amount for Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) is the amount of fees you need to pay (either upfront or through a HECS-HELP loan).

Your student contribution amount depends on what you study.

Fees are charged for each unit of study rather than as a total course fee. This means the total cost of your course is made up of the cost of each of the units of study you undertake.

Each unit of study is classified in a funding cluster, depending on the subject area. The maximum amount a student pays for each funding cluster is set by the government.

Throughout your course, you may undertake units of study that come from different funding clusters.

If you wish to know a break-down of the specific unit fees you may be charged for in your course of study, please contact your university provider directly.

For more information about student contributions amount, including a short explainer video please see the student contribution amounts page.

In a full fee-paying place, your tuition fees are set by the provider and based on a number of factors, including the cost of delivery.

Contact the student administration area of your intended provider for more information.

For more information about full fee-paying places see the FEE-HELP page.

It is important that you followed the correct process for withdrawing from your course. If you do not withdraw properly, or you missed the census date, you will incur a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt and may also incur academic and financial penalties from your provider.

In addition to withdrawing from the units in which you were enrolled, you are required to cancel your HELP application directly with your higher education provider. 

Please contact your higher education provider to ensure that you have a record of both your course withdrawal and the cancellation of the HELP loan application.

For more information about withdrawing from your study, see the withdrawing from study page.