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VET STUDENT LOANS (VSL) INFORMATION SHEET
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Please read this important information regarding enrolment into a VET Student Loans approved course at Federation University. You must also read the Government’s VET Student Loans Information Booklet (deewr.gov.au)

VET STUDENT LOANS (VSL) PROGRAM

Australian Government loan program to help eligible students pay all or part of their tuition fees for an approved course.
  • Repaid through the Australian taxation system once a person reaches the minimum income threshold level and will remain as a personal debt obligation until it is repaid to the Australian Government.
  • Available for approved courses only and a loan cap applies to each approved course.
  • There is a limit on the maximum amount you can borrow over your lifetime, including VET Student Loans, VET FEE-HELP, FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP (HELP loan limit). You need to ensure you have not already exceeded your HELP loan limit and that the VSL amount is not greater than your remaining HELP balance.
  • The loan may affect (by reducing) the student’s take‑home (after‑tax) wage or salary until the debt is repaid, and may affect the borrowing capacity of the person until the debt is repaid. Students may wish to seek independent financial advice prior to applying for a VSL.
  • Federation University Australia is an approved VSL provider.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a VET Student Loan you must:
  • Be an Australian citizen; or a qualifying New Zealand citizen; or a permanent humanitarian visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia.
  • Have a HELP balance greater than $0.
  • Have been assessed by the approved course provider as academically suited to undertake the approved course.
  • Have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) and provide your tax file number (TFN).
  • Submit a completed electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) on or prior to the census date.

APPROVED COURSES

  • VET Student Loans are only available for approved courses, at Diploma level and above, that are linked to industry needs and employment outcomes, as determined by the Australian Government.
  • A list of approved Federation University courses, course caps and maximum loan amounts is available at: www.federation.edu.au/studentfees

LOAN CAP

  • Each approved course has a cap, which is the maximum amount of VSL available for that particular course. The are three loan cap bands for 2024 are: $6,031; $12,063 and $18,097.
  • If the cost of your course exceeds the cap you will be required to pay the balance (gap fees), as per our billing period.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

  • Up-front payment: up-front payments are due by the relevant census dates; or
  • VET Student Loan: eligible students can access a loan to pay all or partial tuition fees (up to the available cap).
  • Partial payment: If you have an approved VSL you may opt to make a partial or full payment towards your tuition fees on or before the census date to reduce the amount that will be deferred to the VET Student Loan.
  • Gap fees: You can make partial payments towards gap fees at any time (using the payment methods on your VSL Fee Notice). Please contact Student Finance for assistance in working out a payment schedule for gap fees.

HOW MUCH CAN BE BORROWED AND IS THERE A LOAN FEE?

  • A VET Student Loan can only be used to pay for the VET tuition component of your fees, up to the available cap.
  • If you commenced the same course with another provider and accessed a VSL, you will only have the remaining loan amount available. Students must advise Federation University if they have an existing VSL for the course.
  • Some courses may have additional costs such as material fees which cannot be deferred to a VSL and must be paid as per your student invoice (direct debit payment plans are also available for material fees).
  • Full-fee paying students, who are eligible for a VSL, will incur a 20% loan fee for the balance of each unit of study that is deferred to a VSL. The loan fee will not count towards your HELP loan limit. The loan fee is added to your VET Student Loans debt (VETSL debt) at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

HOW TO APPLY

  • Once you are enrolled Federation University will notify the Government of your enrolment into a VSL eligible course.
  • You will then receive an email from the Government’s electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) system with instructions on how to sign in and complete your application.
  • Once you sign in you will need to verify the pre-populated information and complete the mandatory fields.
  • You can then submit the eCAF and you will receive a copy of your completed form. Please note – you will not be able to submit your completed eCAF for 2 full business days after the initial enrolment date.
  • If you do not complete the eCAF (and provide your Tax File Number) by the first census date you will not be able to defer these fees – an eCAF can be submitted for the next applicable census date to request a VSL.
  • Retrospective access to a VET Student Loan is not allowed under any circumstances.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND PROGRESSION

  • To continue accessing a VET Student Loan you will periodically receive an email request from the Government requiring you to log in to the eCAF system and confirm your continued enrolment in the course. Failure to complete the progression form may result in the cancellation of your VET Student Loan and you will be required to pay the balance of fees.

STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18

If you are under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must complete and sign a parental consent form which must be given to your provider before you can be issued with an eCAF application form. The parental consent form is not necessary if you have been assessed by Centrelink as meeting the requirements for receiving the independent rate of Youth Allowance under part 2.11 of the Social Security Act 1991. Further information is available from the VSL website.

CENSUS DATES

The date by which enrolment may be cancelled without incurring tuition fees for the course or part of the course.
  • The census date for a subject/unit is the last day you can submit a VSL eCAF to defer tuition fees to a VSL. If you have not submitted your eCAF on or prior to the census date, you WILL NOT be entitled to a loan for the current subject(s)/unit(s) and, if you have not paid in full, may be cancelled from the relevant course.
  • Census dates cannot be set any earlier than 20% of the way through the period in which a unit is undertaken (this period includes any examination/assessment periods). Census Dates cannot be extended.
  • Tuition fees will be reasonably apportioned throughout your course, according to the census dates.
  • Census dates are predetermined and you will not incur a VET Student Loan liability until after census date. Students should be aware of the census dates that apply to them. Census dates are listed on the student's confirmation of enrolment, VSL Fee Notice and Tax Invoice/Statement.
  • Census dates are listed on our VET Student Loans page: www.federation.edu.au/studentfees   
  • Further information is available from the Study Assist website.

VET STUDENT LOAN FEE NOTICE

  • A VET Student Loan Fee Notice is issued prior to each census date and lists the enrolled subjects/units for the current census date only. The Fee Notice will show your current VSL eligibility status, the fees that will be deferred to your loan and/or fees payable as at census date. It is the student’s responsibility to check the information and notify us of any errors. (Please note, the Fee Notice is different to the Tax Invoice/Statement.)
  • Fee Notices will be sent direct to your nominated personal email address prior to each census date (as per government requirement) and can also be viewed in myStudentCentre (mySC).
  • Students will also be issued a Tax Invoice/Statement after their enrolment is confirmed, listing all fees and charges relating to the enrolment (including tuition and material fees) and applicable due dates. The Tax Invoice/Statement is different to the VSL Fee Notice and a new invoice will be generated after any activity on your account, including enrolment changes, payments, VSL deferrals, etc. Student Invoices are emailed to your student email account and can be viewed in mySC.

STUDENTS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR A VET STUDENT LOAN

  • Payment is due by the relevant census date, as indicated on your VSL Fee Notice, therefore you do not have to pay your tuition fees for the full year of study in one up-front payment.
  • You must pay the tuition fees in full by the census date (due date) to avoid cancellation of your enrolment.

FREE TAFE FOR PRIORITY

  • If you are enrolling under the Free TAFE for Priority initiative (or another government initiative with a tuition fee waiver), please disregard any VSL information as you will not be required to pay tuition fees.

WITHDRAWAL AND REFUNDS

CHANGING YOUR CONTACT DETAILS

You must notify Federation University if you change your contact details. You can do this via my Student Centre (mySC) or by completing the ‘VET Personal Details Amendment Form’.
 
FURTHER INFORMATION

This information was correct at the time of printing and is subject to change, pending government advice.
Author: Student Finance, updated 28/9/2023
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D | RTO Code 4909 | TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12151 | Provider Category: Australian University                                                     Page 2