VET Student Loans
A VET Student Loan (VETSL) is a student loans program provided by the Australian Government to support eligible students to undertake quality higher level VET qualifications, particularly those students who could not otherwise afford to pay upfront. It helps students to cover their tuition fees for approved courses at Diploma level and above. Students that take out a VET Student Loan will owe a debt to the Australian Government for the loan, which will be managed by the Australian Taxation Office.
The Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website provides further detailed Information for VET Student Loans Students.
There are specific criteria students must meet to be eligible for a VET Student Loan. Students must be assessed as academically suited to undertake the eligible course and their HELP balance (the amount of your HELP loan limit a student has left) is more than $0. A full list of the eligibility assessment criteria can be found here or check your eligibility via the VET Student Loans Eligibility Tool on the Myskills website.
Courses that are approved for loans, and the amount students can borrow per course, are determined and set by the Australian Government and are known as loan caps. Where a course price exceeds the applicable loan cap the student will need to pay the difference. The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment website provides details of the VET Student Loans Course and Loans Caps.
The VET Student Loans Student Entry Procedure provides information for students on eligibility to access a VET Student Loan at SuniTAFE.
Students that would like to apply for a VET Student Loan for their enrolment are required to complete and submit a VET Student Loan Request form and submit it to the Customer Service team.
Students applying for a VET Student Loan are required to read a copy of the VET Student Loan Information Booklet.
Students that are eligible for a VET Student Loan are required to complete the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance form (eCAF) before the census date. If you do not submit your eCAF on or before the census date, you will not be able to access a VET Student Loan for that fee period.
More information regarding timelines, eligibility requirements and eligible courses can be found on the Study Assist Website.
Students will receive important VET Student Loans information once a VET Student Loan is accessed:
Students will be emailed at least 14 days before census days a VET Student Loan Statement of Covered Fees and Fee Notice detailing the tuition fees that are being deferred.
Students will be emailed a Commonwealth Assistance Notice within 28 days after each census day to confirm the amount of debt that has been deferred to a student’s VET Student Loan.
Students will be required to submit a VET Student Loan Progression Notice throughout their course, until completion of their course, to continue to be eligible for a VET Student Loan.
A census day is the last day a student can can complete the eCAF to access a VET Student Loan for that part of their course. Students must wait at least two business days after enrolment to submit their eCAF to ensure they have had time to fully understand their loan obligations.
A census day is also the last day a student can withdraw from the course or part of the course without incurring a debt for the course or part of the course.
Students that would like to withdraw from their course before census day must submit a completed Student Withdrawal and Refund Request form to the Customer Service Centre or classroom teacher. Please see the Refund of Course Fees Policy and Student Withdrawal and Refund of Course Fees Procedure for more information about withdrawals.
Students that withdraw after the census date will have a debt to the Australian Government. If after the census date, special circumstances occur and a student is not able to continue their studies they may apply to have their VET Student Loan debt removed for that part of the course. More information can be found within the VET Student Loans Student Review Procedure.
2024 Census Dates
Term 1, Fee Period 1 – Friday, 9 February 2024
Term 2, Fee Period 2 – Friday, 3 May 2024
Term 3, Fee Period 3 – Friday, 2 August 2024
Term 3, Fee Period 4 – Friday 25 October 2024
Students that no longer want to defer fees using a VET Student Loan, must notify us prior to the census date, by email adminhelp@sunitafe.edu.au Students that cancel their VET Student Loans will be required to pay the fees up-front to remain enrolled for any units with future census dates.
Please refer to the Statement of VET Tuition Assurance and Fee Protection Policy.
If you have a complaint please refer to the Complaints and Appeals Policy or Complaints and Appeals Procedure – Students and Community.
Other important policies and procedures
Enrolment: Enrolment Policy, Enrolment Procedure and Pre-Training Review Procedure
Fees and charges: Fees and Charges Policy and Fees Charges and Payments Procedure
Privacy: Information Privacy Policy
