The Australian Government administers the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
There are four types of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans that Griffith students may be eligible for.
The right loan for you will depend on your circumstances, eligibility and citizenship status.
Update on the 50% completion rate requirement
From 1 January 2024, the Australian Government has removed the 50% completion rate requirement for students accessing Commonwealth assistance (a Commonwealth supported place, HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP assistance).
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 2024, the combined HELP loan limit is $174,998 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $121,844 for all other students.
In 2025, the combined HELP loan limit will be $182,172 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $126,839 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 (from 2022)*
- a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study (from 1 February 2024).
They must also have read the Commonwealth supported places and HECS-HELP information booklet.
*An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is someone who meets all of the following:
- is not a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa.
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.
From 2022, 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 (from 2022)*
- a Pacific Engagement visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of their unit(s) of study (from 1 February 2024).
They must also have read the SA-HELP information booklet.
* An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is someone who meets all of the following:
- is not a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa.
A student must also complete the following by the census date:
- a Request for SA-HELP loan form
- provide their Tax File Number
- 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.
Note: Cross-institutional students are not eligible for SA-HELP .
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 2024, the combined HELP loan limit is $174,998 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $121,844 for all other students.
In 2025, the combined HELP loan limit will be $182,172 for some medicine, dentistry, aviation and veterinary science students, and $126,839 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 (from 2022)*
- 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 (from 1 February 2024).
They must also have read the FEE-HELP information booklet.
* An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is someone who meets all of the following:
- is not a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa.
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.
From 2022, 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.
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.
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 on Study Assist.
Combined HELP loan limit
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.
You can track your HELP balance on the myHELPbalance portal, or contact the Australian Taxation office on 13 28 61.
Renewable HELP balance
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 .
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.
Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)
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.