From January 1st 2017, the VET FEE-HELP scheme has been replaced by VET Student Loans.
The VET Student Loans is a loan program that helps eligible students enrolled in higher level vocational education and training courses at approved course providers pay their tuition fees. Access to a VET Student Loan is approved by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training
To be an eligible student for the purposes of accessing VET Student Loans, you must meet ALL of these criteria:
In addition, your approved course provider must reasonably believe you show competence in completing the course.
The VET Student Loan course cap for students enrolling into a VSL approved course at ALACC in 2025 is $18,838. Follow the links below to the relevant course page to view the applicable fees.
If you are interested in applying for a VSL at ALACC, please contact us. Places are limited!
July 2018 (Group 12)
Semester 1
04/07/2018
13/01/2019
July 2018 (Group 12)
Semester 2
16/01/2019
14/07/2019
July 2018 (Group 12)
Semester 3
17/07/2019
10/01/2020
This course is delivered on a rolling admission basis. Semester 1 will be 24 weeks duration from the date of commencement, and the census date will fall on the first business day of week 6 of each study period.
This course is delivered on a rolling admission basis. Semester 1 will be 24 weeks duration from the date of commencement, and the census date will fall on the first business day of week 6 of each study period.
This course is delivered on a rolling admission basis. Semester 1 will be 24 weeks duration from the date of commencement, and the census date will fall on the first business day of week 6 of each study period.
VET Student Loans are available for certain diploma level and above qualifications. You can search VET Student Loans approved qualifications on the My Skills website or check the VET Student Loans (Courses and Loan Caps) Determination 2016.
Students are eligible for a VET Student Loan if they:
Detailed eligibility information can be found in the VET Student Loans Information Booklet. You should also speak to an approved VET Student Loans provider about accessing a VET Student Loan to pay for your studies. The provider will confirm if you are eligible to access a VET Student Loan.
For information on available assistance for other qualifications (e.g. lower level certificate vocational education and training courses) students should talk to their provider, check the My Skills website or refer to their relevant state or territory education website.
VET Student Loans are only available for approved courses. Eligible students will be entitled for loans up to a capped amount. The VET Student Loans (Courses and Loan Caps) Determination 2016 lists all VET Student Loan approved courses, as well as the maximum loan cap for each approved course. Students can also search VET Student Loans approved courses and providers on the My Skills website. VET Student Loans approved courses are identified by a highlighted 'VSL' symbol.
Students should note that providers may charge above the loan cap for a course. In such instances, students are expected to pay the difference. Payments will be required according to the provider's billing period.
Approved VET Student Loans providers are listed in the VET Student Loans Approved Course Providers List .
Eligible courses, and the providers approved to deliver them, are also available on the My Skills website.
After you enrol in a VET Student Loans approved course at a VET Student Loans approved provider, let your provider know that you wish to access a VET Student Loan. Your provider will assess whether you are eligible for a VET Student Loan and ask you to provide documents to prove that you meet the eligiblility criteria. Once your provider is satisfied that you are eligible, they will give the department your enrolment information through the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) system. You will then receive an email from the department allowing you to sign into the eCAF system so that you can submit a Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF. Make sure to check your spam/junk email folders if you cannot see the email in your inbox. If you are having any difficulties submitting your eCAF, please see the How to submit an eCAF fact sheet or talk to your provider. Once you have submitted your eCAF, you will receive an email confirming your loan approval.
Please refer to the How to Submit an eCAF factsheet. If you are still having any difficulties or if the enrolment details on your eCAF are incorrect, contact your VET Student Loans provider.
Reminder: You must submit your eCAF on or before your first census day. If you do not submit your eCAF on or before the census day, you will not be able to access a VET Student Loan for that fee period.
If your provider is unable to help you, please submit an enquiry below.
You can check your HELP debt by using either myHELPbalance or myGov. For information about how to view and manage your VET Student Loans (HELP) debts, please refer to the VET Student Loans Information Booklet.
Students should refer to the Student Complaints page for all complaints.
As the national regulator for VET, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is responsible for investigating allegations of issues with the quality of training or student treatment by training providers. ASQA uses information from the complaints process to determine how it regulates certain providers. Should you have concerns regarding your experiences, you may wish to submit a formal complaint to ASQA via their complaints page.
For further assistance and information regarding complaints and grievances, please refer to the Student Complaints Page.
Please refer to the Student Complaints page and see the frequently asked question, “My provider agreed to cancel my VET FEE-HELP/ VET Student Loans debt but it is still showing that it has not been cancelled”.
Information for students impacted by a provider closure is available on the Tuition Assurance and Provider Closures page.
From 1 July 2017, students must complete a progression survey for continued access to their VET Student Loan. An invitation email with login details to the eCAF system will be sent to you requesting that you indicate your study intent and complete a short survey. Depending on the duration of your course and the length of time you take to complete the course, you may be requested to complete this form more than once during the length of your course. If you do not complete the form and survey within the required time, you may be ineligible to continue accessing VET Student Loans to pay for the remainder of your course tuition fees.
Contact your provider if you have any queries. Please refer to the ‘Student engagement and progression FAQs factsheet’ for further information.
From 1 January 2018, loan caps for all VET Student Loans will be indexed. If you accessed a VET Student Loan in 2017 and intend to continue doing so in 2018, the indexed cap amount will apply to the remaining units of your course. If you are enrolled in a course in which the tuition fees are equal to or lower than the loan cap, you should not be affected by the indexation. However, if you are enrolled in a course in which the tuition fees are higher than the loan cap, you will be able to use the extra amount for the remainder of the course. For more detailed information on how indexation may affect you, please refer to the VET Student Loans Information Booklet.
New students studying in 2025 may have questions about what student payments they can get from Centrelink. Use Services Australia’s eKit to help find a payment that may support through their studies.
The School leavers resource eKit for education and training providers contains information about Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY and other payments that students can get if they relocate for study. It also has guides to help students set up their myGov accounts so they can claim a payment from Centrelink.
