The Australian Commonwealth Government offers a number of loans under the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) scheme. These loans are very different from those available from commercial lenders as you do not require a deposit, employment history, assets, income or guarantor.
Students that meet the citizenship and residency requirements for these loans will be prompted to complete an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) prior to enrolling in courses.
Loan types
HECS-HELP provides eligible Commonwealth supported students with a loan to pay all or part of their student contribution. Check your eligibility for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and HECS-HELP by reading the Commonwealth Supported Places and HECS-HELP  factsheet.
In 2026, the combined HELP loan limit will be $186,544 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $129,883 for all other students.
Not all Commonwealth supported students are eligible for HECS-HELP. Permanent resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens (who do not meet the eligibility requirements) must pay their student contribution in full by the census date.
Citizenship and residency requirements
To be eligible for HECS-HELP, a student must be enrolled in a CSP and either:
an Australian citizen who will undertake in Australia, at least one unit of their course of study
a New Zealand Special Category Visa (NZ SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements, and will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
a permanent visa holder who held a NZ SCV immediately prior to their permanent visa and had previously met the long-term residency requirements
a Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
an eligible former Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study*
a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study.
Note: Students undertaking a single course of study (Non‑award) are not eligible to access HECS‑HELP.
They must also have read the Australian Government's HELP information booklet:
A student must also complete the following by the census date:
a Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP loan form
provide their Tax File Number
provide their Unique Student Identifier (USI)
provide a current International Movement Record from Department of Home Affairs. This is only required for eligible New Zealand students applying for HELP loans for the first time.
A student must also:
be assessed as a genuine student and as academically suitable for their unit of study
maintain a reasonable study load of no more than two EFTSL per year unless approved to study a higher load (visit Job-ready Graduates Package for more information).
Payment options for the student contribution:
receive a HECS-HELP loan for the full student contribution amount
make a full upfront payment of your student contribution by the census date
make a partial upfront payment of the student contribution and receive a HECS-HELP loan for the balance.
SA-HELP provides a loan to eligible students to pay their student services and amenities fee. Eligible students can choose to defer all or part of their fee for the relevant year.  Check your eligibility for a SA- HELP loan by reading the SA-HELP factsheet.
Australian permanent residents are not eligible for SA- HELP. They must pay their student services and amenities fee in full by the census date, unless they are approved for a Griffith University Academic Payment Plan.
Citizenship and residency requirements
To be eligible for SA- HELP, a student must be enrolled in a course of study and either:
an Australian citizen
a New Zealand Special Category Visa (NZ SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements
a permanent visa holder who held a NZ SCV immediately prior to their permanent visa and had previously met the long-term residency requirements
a Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
an eligible former Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study*
a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study.
Note: Cross-institutional students and students studying a single course (Non-award) are not eligible for SA-HELP.
They must also have read the Australian Government's HELP information booklet:
A student must also complete the following by the census date:
a Request for SA -HELP loan form
provide their Tax File Number
provide their Unique Student Identifier (USI)
provide a current International Movement Record from Department of Home Affairs. This is only required for eligible New Zealand students applying for HELP loans for the first time.
FEE- HELP provides a loan to eligible fee-paying undergraduate or postgraduate students. Read the FEE-HELP factsheet to check your eligibility for a FEE-HELP loan.
In 2026, the combined HELP loan limit will be $186,544 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $129,883 for all other students.
A 20% loan fee applies to FEE-HELP loans taken out by undergraduate fee-paying students. There is no loan fee for postgraduate students or for students enrolled in an enabling program. The loan fee does not count towards the borrowing limit.
Citizenship and residency requirements
To be eligible for FEE-HELP, a student must be either:
an Australian citizen who will undertake in Australia, at least one unit of their course of study
a New Zealand Special Category Visa (NZ SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements, and will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
a permanent visa holder who held a NZ SCV immediately prior to their permanent visa and had previously met the long-term residency requirements
a Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
an eligible former Permanent Humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study*
a permanent visa holder undertaking bridging study for overseas-trained professionals who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study
a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study.
Note: Students undertaking a single course of study (Non‑award) are not eligible to access FEE‑HELP.
They must also have read the Australian Government's HELP information booklet:
A student must also complete the following by the census date:
a Request for FEE-HELP loan form
provide their Tax File Number
provide their Unique Student Identifier (USI)
provide a current International Movement Record from Department of Home Affairs. This is only required for eligible New Zealand students applying for HELP loans for the first time.
A student must also:
be assessed as a genuine student and as academically suitable for their unit of study
maintain a reasonable study load of no more than two EFTSL per year unless approved to study a higher load (visit Job-ready Graduates Package for more information).
Eligible students can apply for an OS-HELP loan, which is a loan scheme provided by the Australian Government specifically to support overseas study. It is not considered a grant, therefore approved students can receive this loan as well as a grant.
FEE-FREE Uni Ready (FFUR) courses are designed to equip you with the skills, experience, and confidence needed to begin your university journey.
A FFUR course is offered as a Commonwealth supported place. The Australian Government pays your course fees on your behalf directly to the university. You will not be charged a tuition fee for undertaking a FFUR course.
The EmpowerED programs offered at Griffith are part of the FFUR initiative. For more information on these programs, please visit EmpowerED programs.
New Zealand citizens who hold a Special Category Visa must meet eligibility criteria and provide proof of long-term residency to be eligible for a HELP loan. You must:
have first begun to be usually resident in Australia at least 10 years ago
have been a child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner when you first began to be usually resident in Australia
have been physically present in Australia for at least eight out of the 10 years and 18 months out of the past two years
be a resident in Australia for the duration of your unit.
You must also meet the other eligibility for a HELP loan under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
For the University to be able to assess eligibility, a student must lodge a Request for International Movement Records from the Department of Home Affairs. While this is a free service, it may take up to 45 days for the Department of Home Affairs to process the request.
You must have your International Movement Records assessed by Griffith University, and your HELP loan eligibility approved, by the census date (due date), to be able to defer your fees for the current trimester/teaching period. If you provide your International Movement Records after the census date of your enrolled courses, your eligibility for a HELP loan can only be assessed for future trimesters/teaching periods.
Please note: The date range used to request the record should be from your date of birth up until the current date.
Further information on New Zealand Special Category Visa eligibility and requirements is available at Study Assist.
From 1 January 2020, a combined HELP loan limit has replaced the FEE- HELP limit, and includes FEE- HELP , VET Student Loans, VET FEE- HELP and HECS - HELP .
Any existing FEE- HELP , VET FEE- HELP and VET student loan debts will be carried over and count towards your HELP loan limit. Only HECS - HELP loan debts from 1 January 2020 onwards will count towards your combined HELP limit.
myHELPbalance portal
The myHELPbalance portal allows you to track your available HELP balance. You will need your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN), or your Unique Student Identifier (USI) to login to myHELPbalance. Your CHESSN / USI is located on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice.
Alternatively, you can contact the Australian Taxation office on 13 28 61.
HELP loan repayment
You will start to repay your HELP debt through the taxation system once your repayment income is above the compulsory repayment threshold, even if you are still studying.
The amount you repay each year is a percentage of your repayment income. The percentage increases as your income increases, so the more you earn, the higher your repayment will be. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include it on your income tax notice of assessment.
Your HELP balance is renewable. This means that if you reach your limit, you can make repayments on your HELP debt and access HELP until you reach the limit again.
Repayments starting from the 2019–2020 income year will credit your HELP balance.
Voluntary repayments will credit your HELP balance once they are reported by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Compulsory repayments will only credit your HELP balance once you have completed your tax return, and the repayments are reported by the ATO.
Indexation
Indexation is applied to your HELP debt by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to maintain the real value of the loan by adjusting it in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI), whichever is lower.
Each trimester the University is required to send a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) to all students who are Commonwealth supported for a course and/or received Commonwealth assistance in the form of a HELP loan. A student can access their CAN via myGriffith. A CAN is issued within 28 days of the census date.
If you think there is a mistake in your CAN , you have fourteen days from its date of issue to make a written request to tell Student Connect what you think is wrong and why.
More information is available to Griffith users. Log in to view it.
Explanation
The Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a reference number made up of a combination of ten numbers and letters. Your USI is used to connect your student loan information to your personal details. You are required to provide a USI via the Pre-Enrolment Questionnaire to study at Griffith.
Your legal first name, last name and date of birth need to match exactly between Griffith University and the USI Registry. If they do not match, then your USI cannot be verified. You need a verified USI to:
be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
be eligible for Commonwealth financial assistance (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, OS-HELP and SA-HELP)
The Australian Government has removed the 50 per cent completion rate requirements for students accessing Commonwealth assistance from 1 January 2024. You can find updated information on the Impacts to Commonwealth assistance webpage.
Answer
You may be eligible to access a HECS-HELP loan if you:
Indexation is applied to your HELP debt by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to maintain the real value of the loan by adjusting it in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI), whichever is lower.
You may be eligible for HECS-HELP if you are any of the following:
An Australian citizen who will undertake in Australia at least one unit of your course of study.
A New Zealand Special Category visa (NZ SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements and will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study.
A permanent visa holder who held a New Zealand Special Category visa immediately prior to your permanent visa and you previously met the long-term residency requirements.
A permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study.
An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study.
A Pacific Engagement visa holder will be resident in Australia for the duration of your units of study.
Note: if you apply for a TFN (in order to access a HELP loan) less than a month before the census date, it is recommended that you obtain a 'Certificate of Application for a TFN' from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), or an Australia Post TFN application summary (with the matching barcoded receipt), and submit it as proof of your TFN application by the census date using the Services@Griffith Student Support Enquiry form.  Â
An international student is any student who does not identify as an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, a Pacific Engagement visa holder or the holder of a permanent resident/humanitarian visa.
International students are not eligible for an Australian Government fee subsidy and are required to pay their tuition fees in full by the census date.
International students may be eligible for student loan programs or scholarships offered by their home country. You can find more information on the Financial aid and student loans and Sponsor students webpages.
Explanation
A Commonwealth supported student is required to make a contribution to the cost of their education, with the majority of the cost met by the Commonwealth Government. A Commonwealth supported student can be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, a Pacific Engagement visa holder or the holder of a permanent resident/humanitarian visa.
The majority of students who are studying undergraduate programs are Commonwealth supported students.
Commonwealth supported students are required to pay a contribution towards the cost of their education, known as the Student Contribution Amount. Eligible students can defer this amount to a HECS-HELP loan.
A small number of Commonwealth supported programs are available for domestic postgraduate students. You can refer to Programs and Courses to see if your postgraduate program is Commonwealth supported.
You are not able to study courses outside of your program structure as a Commonwealth supported student. You will also not be able to access HELP for the course.
If you wish to study a course that is not part of your program, you may be able to undertake the course on a non-award basis.
a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (SCV) who meets the long-term residency requirements
a permanent visa holder who held a New Zealand Special Category visa immediately prior to your permanent visa and you previously met the long-term residency requirements
a permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study
an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study (from 2022)
a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) of study (from 1 Febrary 2024).
A domestic fee-paying student is an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, a Pacific Engagement visa holder or the holder of a permanent resident/humanitarian visa who is enrolled in a program where Commonwealth Supported Placesare not available.
Domestic fee-paying students are not eligible to receive an Australian Government subsidy and are required to pay their tuition fees in full by the census date. Eligible domestic fee-paying students can apply to defer their tuition fees to a FEE-HELP loan.
The majority of students enrolled in postgraduate programs are domestic fee-paying students.
