How to Apply for FEE-HELP for a Full Fee-Paying University Place in Australia

What does FEE-HELP cover?

FEE-HELP is an Australian Government loan for eligible students enrolled in a full fee-paying place at an approved higher education provider. The Australian Government pays the approved FEE-HELP amount directly to the provider, reducing the tuition fee that you need to pay upfront.

A full fee-paying place is different from a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). If you are in a CSP, the tuition loan used by eligible students is generally HECS-HELP rather than FEE-HELP. Helpydo has a separate procedure explaining how to apply for HECS-HELP for a Commonwealth supported place.

FEE-HELP can pay all or part of your eligible tuition fees, subject to your available HELP balance. It does not automatically mean that the entire cost of a full fee-paying course can be borrowed because providers set their own tuition fees and a course can cost more than your available HELP balance.

Who can qualify for FEE-HELP?

You must satisfy the FEE-HELP citizenship or residency rules as well as the other loan requirements. Current Australian Government guidance includes the following eligible categories:

• an Australian citizen who will complete at least one unit of the course of study in Australia;
• a New Zealand Special Category Visa holder who meets the long-term residency requirements and the applicable Australian residence requirement;
• an eligible former New Zealand Special Category Visa holder who meets the relevant long-term residency requirements;
• a permanent humanitarian visa holder or eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who meets the applicable Australian residence requirement;
• a Pacific Engagement Visa holder who is resident in Australia for the duration of the relevant unit or units; and
• in the specific case of bridging study for overseas-trained professionals, an eligible permanent visa holder who meets the applicable residence requirement.

Visa status alone is not enough to establish eligibility. Your provider assesses your circumstances and may require evidence of your visa or residency status.

Do you need a TFN and USI for FEE-HELP?

Yes. A FEE-HELP applicant must meet both the Tax File Number (TFN) and Unique Student Identifier (USI) requirements. The details supplied in the application need to match the information held in the relevant government systems.

If you do not yet have a USI, follow the separate process to create a Unique Student Identifier for study in Australia.

How much can you borrow with FEE-HELP in 2026?

FEE-HELP is subject to the combined HELP loan limit. For units with census dates in 2026, the limit is $129,883 for most students. A higher limit of $186,544 applies to specified medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses leading to initial registration and to eligible aviation courses.

Your available HELP balance is your remaining borrowing capacity, not the same thing as the total HELP debt you currently owe. Previous relevant HELP borrowing reduces the available balance, while eligible repayments can replenish it under the HELP balance rules.

You can check your available balance through myHELPbalance. If the tuition fee for a unit is greater than the HELP balance available to you, the Australian Government guidance states that you must pay the amount that cannot be covered by the loan upfront to your provider.

How do you get and submit the FEE-HELP eCAF?

You do not obtain the FEE-HELP eCAF from a general public application form. Only your higher education provider issues the eCAF. After you accept your course offer and begin enrolment, tell the provider that you want to use a HELP loan for your tuition fees. The provider may give you access through a link or its student portal.

Before submitting it, check your name, date of birth, address, TFN, USI and the course information. You must also read the applicable FEE-HELP information booklet. Your provider then assesses your eligibility.

For HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP, an eCAF generally needs to be submitted once per course of study. A new eCAF is required if you change course or provider, and you should contact your provider if a change in circumstances could affect your HELP eligibility.

What is the FEE-HELP census-date deadline?

The census date is the legal deadline for submitting the FEE-HELP eCAF. Each provider sets and publishes its census dates, and individual units of study can have different census dates.

A provider may also set an earlier administrative date for completing enrolment or payment requirements. However, Australian Government guidance states that the provider must still allow you to submit the HELP loan form on or before the census date.

If you do not submit a valid eCAF by the census date, you cannot access FEE-HELP for that study period and will need to deal with the tuition fee directly with your provider. The census date is therefore different from an optional provider reminder or administrative deadline.

Does FEE-HELP have an application or loan fee?

There is no separate application fee for requesting FEE-HELP. However, a 20% FEE-HELP loan fee applies to some undergraduate study. It is applied to each affected unit of study and is added to the HELP debt, but it does not reduce the student's available HELP balance.

The Australian Government states that the 20% loan fee does not apply to postgraduate study, enabling courses, undergraduate study through Open Universities Australia, bridging study for overseas-trained professionals, and specified undergraduate study at Table B providers.

Because the fee depends on the type of study and provider, do not assume that every full fee-paying student will pay the 20% loan fee. Confirm how it applies to your enrolment with your provider.

Is FEE-HELP the same as HECS-HELP, SA-HELP or OS-HELP?

No. FEE-HELP is specifically used for eligible tuition fees in full fee-paying higher education places. HECS-HELP applies to eligible student contribution amounts in Commonwealth supported places.

Other HELP programs cover different costs. For example, eligible students undertaking approved overseas study may need the separate OS-HELP application process. If you apply for more than one type of HELP assistance, separate eCAFs are required for each loan type.

What happens after you submit the eCAF?

Your higher education provider assesses whether you satisfy the FEE-HELP eligibility requirements. There is no single national processing time published for this provider assessment, so check directly with your provider if you need to know the status of your application.

If eligible, the Australian Government pays the approved FEE-HELP amount directly to your provider and the amount becomes part of your HELP debt. HELP debt is managed through the Australian taxation system and is subject to the applicable repayment and indexation rules.

What should you check before the census date?

• Confirm that your offer is for a full fee-paying place and that your provider offers FEE-HELP.
• Check the census date for every relevant unit rather than assuming one date applies to the whole course.
• Make sure your TFN, USI, name and date-of-birth details are accurate and consistent with government records.
• Check your available HELP balance before relying on the loan to cover the entire tuition fee.
• Read the current FEE-HELP information booklet before signing the eCAF.
• Keep a copy of the completed eCAF for your records.
• If you change course, provider, citizenship or visa circumstances, contact your provider because a new eCAF or reassessment may be required.