Eligibility:
For a student to be eligible for FEE-HELP assistance ALL of the following must be true:
they meet the citizenship requirements;
their FEE-HELP balance is greater than zero;
the census date for the unit is after January 1, 2005;
the unit meets the course requirements of being undertaken as part of an accredited course;
the student enrols on or before the census date;
the student remains enrolled at the end of the census date;
meets the tax file number requirements;
has, on or before the census date, completed and signed a request for Commonwealth assistance in relation to the unit, or in relation to the course of study of which the unit forms a part.
Amount:
The amount of FEE-HELP assistance to which a student is entitled is the difference between the tuition fee and the sum of any up-front payments made in relation to tuition fees. If this amount is higher than the FEE-HELP balance for a student, they will only get paid the balance amount.
Example: Kath has used up $48,000 of her FEE-HELP entitlement and has a FEE-HELP balance of $2,000. She is enrolled in 4 units with the same census date. Kath’s tuition fee for each unit is $600. The total amount of FEE-HELP assistance to which Kath is entitled for the units is $2,000, even though the total amount of her tuition fees is $2,400.
Up-front payments:
Up-front payments can be made for all or part of a unit’s tuition fee. The payment must be made on or before the census date for the unit.
FEE-HELP Payments:
If a student is entitled to an amount of FEE-HELP assistance the Commonwealth must lend to the student the amount of FEE-HELP assistance (ie. give the student a debt for that amount); and pay the amount lent to the ACT in discharge of the student’s liability to pay his or her tuition fee.
Effect of FEE-HELP balance being re-credited:
If the ACT re-credits a student’s FEE-HELP balance, the ACT must pay to the Commonwealth an amount equal to the amount of FEE-HELP assistance to which the student was entitled.
How do I pay off my FEE-HELP debt when the Australian Tax Office has not processed the details yet?:
To pay off any amounts on your FEE-HELP debt call the Higher Education Loan Accounts Unit on 1300 650 225. You will need to ask them to set up an account for you if you don't already have information on your debt amount. They do take a while to have accounts set up automatically. When the Australian Tax Office have finally processed the information we have given them the amount in your account will be taken off any debt balance you may have.
FEE-HELP Information Booklet
The FEE-HELP Information Booklet is available from the Going to Uni Website. Click here to download the FEE-HELP Booklet directly from Going to Uni website.
