What is VET FEE-HELP?

VET FEE-HELP is a student loan scheme for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector that is part of the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). VET FEE-HELP assists eligible students undertaking certain VET courses of study (diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate and graduate diploma courses) with an approved VET provider, to pay for all or part of their tuition costs. A VET provider is a registered training organisation that has been approved by the Australian Government to offer VET FEE-HELP assistance to their students.

Am I entitled to get VET FEE-HELP?

You are eligible for VET FEE-HELP if you: are Australian citizens or permanent humanitarian visa holder (resident in Australia for the duration of the unit); and are a full fee-paying / fee for service student studying a diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate or graduate diploma level course at an approved VET FEE-HELP provider; or are a student subsidised by the Victorian or South Australian State Government studying a diploma or advanced diploma course; and have not exceeded the FEE-HELP limit; and meet the tax file number (TFN) requirements: after you have applied for a TFN or if you do not have a TFN you can give your provider a Certificate of application for a TFN. This certificate is available from the Australian Taxation Office, after you have applied for a TFN; and submitted a completed, signed Request for VET FEE-HELP Assistance Form to your VET provider prior to the census date.

How do you apply for VET FEE-HELP with HBD Services?

If you are eligible for VET FEE-HELP assistance and would like to obtain a VET FEE-HELP loan for your course, then please contact our team on 02 97408612. We will assist you in applying by confirming your eligibility and providing you with the VET FEE-HELP Information booklet and Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form. You must read the Information booklet before completing and signing the form, when completing the form; you must tick all relevant boxes and sign the declaration. Return the form to our team on or before the census date.

How much can I borrow?

Eligible students can borrow up to the FEE-HELP limit to pay their tuition fees. The FEE-HELP limit is the total amount available to eligible students under both the VET FEE-HELP and FEE-HELP loan schemes. This means that any amount you borrow under either VET FEE-HELP or FEE-HELP will reduce your FEE-HELP balance (the amount of FEE-HELP you have left to use) until you have reached the FEE-HELP limit. For 2015, the FEE-HELP limit is $122,162 for students undertaking medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses and $97,728 for all other students.

The FEE-HELP limit is a lifetime limit and is not reset or 'topped up' by any repayments that you make.

What are the Fees and Charges?

No application fees are charged for requesting VET FEE-HELP assistance. A 20% loan fee applies to full fee-paying students receiving VET FEE-HELP assistance. The loan fee is included in your VET FEE-HELP debt and will not decrease your FEE-HELP loan limit. Students in a Reform State or Territory will not incur a loan fee. Victoria is the only Reform State or Territory for the purposes of VET FEE-HELP. No interest is charged to your VET FEE-HELP debt; however, your debt is indexed annually by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to maintain its real value. If you do not have a Tax File Number (TFN) you can request one from the Australian Taxation Office

What are the Repayments?

VET FEE-HELP debts become part of your accumulated HELP debt. You must start repaying your accumulated HELP debt when your repayment income is above the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayments. Repayments rate for the 2014-2015 income year: