When to have FEE-HELP balance re-credited & your FEE-HELP debt removed?
Open Universities Australia (formerly OLA) Students
What are special circumstances?
No re-credits or debt removal for completed units
Apply to your provider
Time limits for applying
Not satisfied with the decision?
When to have FEE-HELP balance re-credited & your FEE-HELP debt removed?
You should apply to your provider to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited and your FEE-HELP debt removed for a unit of study only if you:
- withdraw your enrolment in a unit of study after the census date due to special circumstances, or
- have not completed the requirements for a unit of study due to special circumstances.
If your FEE-HELP balance for a unit of study is re-credited, any FEE-HELP debt you have incurred for that unit will also be removed.
Open Universities Australia (formerly OLA) Students
Open Universities Australia (formerly OLA) students should apply to Open Universities Australia to have their FEE-HELP balance re-credited and their FEE-HELP debt removed in these circumstances.
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What are special circumstances?
Your provider will re-credit your FEE-HELP balance and remove your FEE-HELP debt only if it is satisfied that special circumstances applied to you.
Special circumstances are circumstances that:
- were beyond your control
- did not make their full impact until on or after the census date of the unit of study
- made it impracticable for you to complete your unit of study requirements.
Your provider will decide whether to re-credit your FEE-HELP balance in accordance with the requirements and guidelines of the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
See also: Higher Education Support Act 2003
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No re-credits or debt removal for completed units
If you have successfully completed a unit of study, you are not eligible, under any circumstances, to have your:
- FEE-HELP balance re-credited, or
- debt removed for that unit.
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Apply to your provider
You should apply to your provider to have your FEE-HELP balance for your units of study re-credited and your FEE-HELP debt removed.
Do not apply to:
- the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), or
- the Australian Tax Office.
Your application for re-crediting your FEE-HELP balance must include:
- the units of study for which you are seeking to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited
- details of the special circumstances that you believe made it impracticable for you to complete those units.
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Time limits for applying
You must apply for re-crediting of your FEE-HELP balance and removal of your debt, in writing, within 12 months of the:
- date of your withdrawal from the unit, or
- if you did not withdraw, the end of the period in which the unit was to be undertaken.
Your withdrawal day is the day specified by your provider as the day your application for withdrawal of your enrolment takes effect.
Your provider may waive the time limit for making your application to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited and your FEE-HELP debt removed if it is satisfied that it was not possible for you to apply within the time limit.
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Not satisfied with the decision?
If you are not satisfied with the decision made on your application, you should apply in writing to your provider for a review of that decision. Your application must state the reasons for your request for a review.
The time limit for applying for a review of a decision is either:
- 28 days from the day on which you first received notice of the decision, or
- longer if allowed by your provider.
If you are not satisfied with the decision of your provider's review officer, you can apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a further review. Your provider will give you information on this process. You can also obtain information about the contact details for the AAT, application procedures and application fees from their website.
See also: Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
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