Eligibility for HECS-HELP

You are eligible for HECS-HELP if you:

• are enrolled in a unit of study as a Commonwealth supported student;
• meet the citizenship and residency requirements.  That is, you must be:
  • an Australian citizen⁴; or
  • ­ the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who will be resident in Australia for the duration of the unit⁵; or
  • ­ a New Zealand citizen or the holder of a permanent visa (other than a permanent humanitarian visa) who is a pre-2005 HECS student and who meets the eligibility requirements that were in place under HECS (see Information for pre-2005 HECS students).

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You must also, on or before the census date (or an earlier date set by your higher education provider), submit a completed Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form (see Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form); and

• supply your tax file number (TFN) if you intend to obtain a HECS-HELP loan (see What are my payment options under HECS-HELP?); or
• pay 80% of your student contribution up-front to your provider (see What are my payment options under HECS-HELP?). The Australian Government will pay the remaining 20% to your provider – this is your HECS-HELP discount.

Where you meet the citizenship requirements for HECS-HELP after you have completed your Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form, but on or before the census date for a unit of study, you must advise your provider in writing of the change in your eligibility status and give your provider evidence of the change (such as your Certificate of Australian Citizenship – see Meeting the citizenship and residency requirements).
 

Failure to do so may result in you being considered as not meeting the eligibility requirements for that unit of study.

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No.  An existing HELP debt does not affect your eligibility for HECS-HELP (see When do I start repaying my HELP debt?).

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No.  Your assets or income do not affect your eligibility for HECS-HELP.  However, your income will affect when you begin repaying your debt (see When do I start repaying my HELP debt?). 


 

⁴A person does not meet the Australian citizenship requirements for access to Commonwealth assistance until the person is an Australian citizen. That is, the person must have taken the Australian Citizenship Pledge and be in possession of their Certificate of Australian Citizenship. The only exception to this is for pre-2005 HECS students. Pre-2005 HECS students can be taken to have met the Australian citizenship requirement if they have had their application for Australian citizenship approved by the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
⁵In determining whether you are resident in Australia for the duration of the unit, any period of residence outside Australia will be disregarded if:

a) it cannot reasonably be regarded as indicating an intention to reside outside Australia for the duration of the unit; or
b) it is required for the purpose of completing a requirement of that unit.

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