HECS-HELP

HECS-HELP eligibility

You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan:

• You are studying in a Commonwealth supported place.
• You meet the citizenship and residency requirements:
  • You are an Australian citizen and meet the residency requirements (you must study at least part of your course in Australia); or
  • You are a New Zealand citizen who meets the long-term residency requirements, is resident in Australia for the duration of your study, and either:
    a) holds a special category visa (SCV); or
    b) is a permanent visa holder who, immediately before becoming a permanent visa holder, held a special category visa; or
  • You are a permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your study.
• You are enrolled in each unit of study by the census date.
• You submit the Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP  eCAF to TAFE Queensland by the census date.
• You have not have already borrowed up to your HELP loan limit.

For more information, download the HECS-HELP information booklet.

HELP limits

Eligible students can borrow up to the combined HELP limit to pay your tuition fees. This includes all FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans amounts you have borrowed.  It will also include any HECS-HELP loans incurred from 1 January 2020.

Once you begin using your HELP loan limit, the amount of HELP you have left to borrow is known as your available 'HELP balance'. The HELP loan limit is published annually on the Study Assist HECS-HELP website. 

For information on the new combined HELP loan limit, please visit the Study Assist website.

Loan fees and charges

There are no application or loan fees for HECS-HELP.  There is no interest charged on your HELP debt but indexation will be applied to the portion of your debt that is 11 months or older on 1 June each year. Indexation maintains your debt’s real value by keeping it in line with the cost of living, as measured by the consumer price index.

Repaying your HECS-HELP debt

You repay your HELP debt through the tax system once you earn above the compulsory repayment threshold.  The compulsory repayment threshold is different each year.

You can also make a voluntary repayment to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) at any time.

More information

Our customer service team is ready to support you through the application process. You can contact us if you have any questions, or need any help with your HECS-HELP application.

HECS-HELP and our partners

If you’re studying a University of Canberra, Federation University or Southern Cross University degree through TAFE Queensland, you may be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan to help you pay your course fees and student contribution amount. Please visit the relevant university website for more information and to see if you're eligible.