Government Student Loans

FEE-HELP is a loan scheme provided by the government that assists eligible students in the payment of part or all of their Higher Education program’s tuition fees. 

Over your lifetime, you may borrow up to the combined HELP loan limit. If you apply at AIT, the limit is $126,839 effective from 1 January 2025. In addition, there is a one-off loan fee* of 20%, imposed by the government, for undergraduate courses and vocational courses of study. The government pays AIT the amount of the loan, and you pay it back through the Australian taxation system once your annual taxable income reaches the minimum repayment threshold.

You begin to pay back your HELP debt through the tax system once you earn above the compulsory repayment threshold. The compulsory repayment threshold is different each year.

• The compulsory repayment threshold for the 2025-2026 income year will be $67,000.

This amount is subject to change annually. You may view the threshold here.

Read more about FEE-HELP

• FEE-HELP Information Booklet

You are eligible for a FEE-HELP Loan if you:

• Are enrolled in a FEE-HELP Loans-approved course offered by a FEE-HELP Loans-approved provider.
• Are an Australian citizen; are a permanent humanitarian visa holder or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder, who studies the entire course while living in Australia; or are a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements.
• Have an available HELP balance of more than $0 (that is, have sufficient HELP balance remaining).
• Have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI)
• Have a valid Tax File Number (TFN) or a Certificate of application for a TFN by the census date.
• Have not undertaken more than 2 years’ worth of higher education study in the last 12 months

If you are aged under 18 at the time of applying for a VET Student Loan you must complete the Parental Consent Form and submit this to AIT before we can provide you with an eCAF (Student loan application form).

Australia has an excellent reputation for quality education. However, sometimes an education provider may close unexpectedly, fail to start a unit or course that students are enrolled in or stop offering a unit or course part-way through your higher education studies. Closing, failing to start, or stopping a unit or course part way through is called a default.

If your education provider defaults, the TPS may be able to help you.

Please see the links below for more information:

TPS for Higher Education Students

TPS for International Students

The first Census Date is the date by which you will need to submit your application for FEE-HELP loan. This is the date by which you can also withdraw from a Unit of Study without penalty or incurring any fees, or a FEE-HELP loan debt.

If you use Commonwealth government’s student FEE-HELP loan scheme, the information you provide as part of the application process will automatically be copied to Services Australia upon submission.