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FEE-HELP

Fee help

Eligible students can avail of a government loan scheme to help them pay their tuition fees.

FEE-HELP government loan scheme

This Australian Government scheme assists eligible students to pay all or part of their tuition fees for diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree programs at SIBT. Australian citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders* are eligible to apply for FEE-HELP.

Students will be required to repay this loan through the taxation system once their income is above the minimum repayment threshold. Currently, if you use a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your undergraduate course, you will be required to pay a 20 per cent loan fee which is imposed by the Government. 

Loan fee exemption

In response to COVID-19, the Government waived loan fees from April 2020 until 31 December 2021. This means that undergraduate students accessing a FEE-HELP loan were not charged the FEE-HELP loan for census dates from 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2021.

Subject to the passage of legislation, the Government will extend the exemption until 31 December 2022. We will update this page if and when that legislation is passed. Visit Study Assist for more information about the FEE-HELP loan fee.

*Applies to visa subclasses: 200-217, 803, 807, 809, 810, 817, 851 (CD), 866.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for FEE-HELP must have a Tax File Number (TFN) and Unique Student Identifier (USI).

If you do not have a TFN, you can apply for one online or visit the local post office. Similarly if you do not have USI, you can apply online and get it immediately here. You must provide proof of your TFN and USI number if you want to apply for Fee-Help.

If you already have an application number, you can simply send the TFN and USI to the Admissions team who will assist with in applying for your Fee-Help.

To guarantee a place at SIBT, you will have to complete the online eCAF  form prior to session commencement. Once we have received your TFN and USI, we will create your profile in eCAF which will then send you an e-mail with a unique link to complete your profile. If you don’t have both or either one of them and its close to Orientation, contact us (hyperlink to contact us page) and we will assist you accordingly.

Please note that you must complete the registration as soon as possible, and no later than the start of Orientation.

For more information about FEE-HELP, visit the Study Assist website.

Commonwealth supported place (CSP)

In a CSP, the cost of your Undergraduate Certificate study is split into two parts: 

  • the Australian Government pays a share of the costs directly to SIBT as your education provider —this is your subsidy amount.
  • you pay your share of the costs—and this is called your student contribution amount. If you are eligible, you can use a HECS-HELP loan to pay your student contribution amount.

Am I eligible for a CSP? 

SIBT currently offers CSPs for its Undergraduate Certificate courses to eligible students who are either:  

  • an Australian citizen who will complete some of your course of study in Australia
  • a New Zealand citizen, a permanent visa holder or permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be in Australia for the duration of your study.

Students must also:

  • meet the entry requirements for an Undergraduate Certificate
  • meet the Unique Student Identifier (USI) requirements (for new students commencing a course of study on or after 1 January 2021)
  • have completed all the necessary steps to secure their CSP by the start of the September session or the census date (hyperlink to important dates), 1 October 2021.

How to apply for a CSP 

You can apply for a CSP directly with SIBT, details will be attached to your offer letter. SIBT will assess whether you meet the eligibility requirements and if so, an offer of enrolment will indicate whether you have been offered a CSP.  To accept your CSP offer, you need to submit a valid CSP and HECS-HELP eCAF to SIBT prior to session commencement.  

What is HECS-HELP?

HECS-HELP is a loan you can use to pay your student contribution amounts if you have been offered a CSP.

You must also be either:

  • an Australian citizen who will complete some of your course of study in Australia
  • a NZ SCV holder who meets the long-term residency requirements and who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your study
  • a permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be resident in Australia for the duration of your study.
  • meet the TFN requirements
  • meet the USI requirements (for new students commencing a course of study on or after 1 January 2021)
  • have enough available HELP balance to pay your student contribution amounts
  • be assessed as a genuine student and as academically suitable for your unit of study
  • maintain a reasonable study load
  • have read the booklet available on per session as indicated on your offer of enrolment
  • have submitted a valid CSP and HECS-HELP eCAF to SIBT by the start of the session or the census date.

If you do not have a TFN, you can apply for one online or visit the local post office

Similarly if you do not have USI, you can apply online and get it immediately here. You must provide proof of your TFN and USI number if you want to apply for HECS-Help.

If you already have an application number, you can simply send the TFN and USI to the Admissions team who will assist with in applying for HECS-Help. Once we have received your TFN and USI, we will create your profile and send you an e-mail with a unique link to complete it. 

Please note that you must complete the registration as soon as possible, and no later than the start of Orientation (hyperlink to Orientation page).

For more information about CSPs and HECS-HELP, visit .

Please contact the admissions team if you require more information about this process.