Study now pay later

Need help to pay for your study?

A VET Student Loan can help you study.

VET Student Loans

VET Student Loans is a loan program that helps eligible students enrolled in higher level vocational education and training courses at approved course providers to help pay their tuition fees. A person’s access to a VET Student Loans is approved by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. You access the loan for your course, and the debt is then managed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). VFA Learning is an approved VET Student Loans provider and is able to offer eligible individuals access to the VET Student Loans scheme for the following courses:

SIS50321 – Diploma of Sport (Coaching)

CHC50121 – Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

HLT52015 – Diploma of Remedial Massage

HLT54121 – Diploma of Nursing

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What are VET Student Loans?

VET Student Loans is an Australian Government Loan scheme that helps eligible students pay their tuition fees for diploma and above VET courses undertaken at an approved provider (such as VFA Learning) Your VET Student Loans becomes part of your HELP debt and must be paid back when your repayment income is above the compulsory repayment threshold. The compulsory repayment threshold is adjusted each year. compulsory repayment threshold for the 2023/2024 income year was $51,550. The compulsory repayment threshold for the 2022-23 income year was $48,361. You can make a voluntary repayment to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) at any time.

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Go to policies and procedures

Got to fee schedule

Go to forms and requests

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Student Applications

VFA Learning will assist students to apply for VET Student Loans by confirming their eligibility and providing them with the VET Student Loans Information booklet and access to the Governments electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF). Students must read the Information booklet and understand their obligations before completing their online application via the eCAF program together with their course enrolment form available from the College. The student must complete their online eCAF and provide VFA Learning a copy of their acceptance letter on or before the census date for the first subject of study for which they wish to obtain VET Student Loans assistance.

If a student does not submit a completed Request for a VET Student Loans eCAF on or before the census date for the subject, they will not be entitled to VET Student Loans assistance for that subject. If students are eligible, they may borrow funds up to the lifetime HELP loan limit to help pay for all or part of the course fees. The 2024 HELP loan limit is $121,844. This amount is indexed on 1 January each year. There is a 20% loan fee that applies to fee for service students who request for VET Student Loans assistance. The HELP loan limit does not include the loan fee. This loan fee is NOT applied to subsidised students studying in a state or territory that has implemented subsidised VET Student Loans arrangements (such as Victoria).

Student Eligibility

An Australian citizen, or a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements, or permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit of study in which they are seeking VET Student Loans assistance;

Has not exceeded the HELP limit;

Is enrolled with an approved course provider in an approved course and have enrolled in accordance with the application requirements;

Is studying the approved course primarily at a campus in Australia.

Is studying a course that meets the course requirements, if it:

is specified on the VET Student Loans (courses and loan caps) determination (the courses and loan caps determination); and

delivered by an approved course provider; and

is a qualification of diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate or graduate diploma in the Australian Qualifications Framework;

Has been assessed by your approved course provider as academically suited to undertake the approved course by either:

providing your Australian Year 12 Certificate; OR

providing evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English); OR

displaying competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved Language, Literacy and Numeracy test.

In addition, your approved provider must reasonably believe you show competence in completing the course;

Meets the tax file number requirements;

Has a Unique Student Identifier (USI) or are otherwise exempt;

Has read the 2021 VET Student Loans information booklet; and

Has given the required documents to your approved course provider and submitted the loan application form by the first census day no less than two business days after enrolling.

*VET student loans will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirements.