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FEE-HELP loan

If you're studying in a full fee-paying place you may be able to apply for a FEE-HELP loan to pay all or part of your fees.

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What is a FEE-HELP loan?

FEE-HELP is a loan available to eligible domestic students enrolled in a full fee-paying place which can be used to pay all or part of your tuition fees. You won't have to repay this loan until your income reaches a certain amount.

Who can apply

Citizenship and residency requirements

You can apply for a FEE-HELP loan if you are one of the following:

  • an Australian citizen who will complete some of your course in Australia
  • a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, or eligible former SCV holder, who meets the long-term residency requirements and will be a resident in Australia while studying
  • a permanent humanitarian visa holder, or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder, who will be a resident in Australia while studying
  • a Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who will be a resident in Australia while studying
  • an Australian permanent resident who has been approved for bridging studies.

Additional requirements

You also need to:

For a full list of eligibility requirements, visit the Government's Study Assist website.

Sign in to myHELPbalance
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<p>Your available HELP balance is the amount you can still borrow through the HELP scheme. View your balance on the myHELPbalance portal.</p>

Your HELP balance

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When to apply

  • The deadline to apply for FEE-HELP is the earliest census date for your units of study.
  • You can apply for a loan as soon as enrolment opens for your course.
  • You only need to apply once for your course. However, if you change courses, you'll need to apply again.
  • If you don't apply, you need to pay your fees upfront by the due date listed on your student financial statement to avoid any penalties or sanctions.

How to apply

Find out what to do if you don't have your TFN yet.
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<p>You can still complete enrolment without a TFN, but won&#39;t be able to apply for FEE-HELP until you have it.</p>

You'll need your TFN and USI to apply.

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To apply for FEE-HELP, complete a Request for FEE-HELP assistance form (eCAF). You can do this during enrolment by logging in to Sydney Student > My Studies > Enrolment.

You can also complete or update your eCAF after you enrol by logging in to Sydney Student > My finance > Your finances > Government forms.

Steps to complete your eCAF

  1. Log in to Sydney Student.
  2. When you reach the Request for FEE-HELP loan page, select that you would like to complete a request for FEE-HELP assistance.
  3. Watch the video and read the FEE-HELP information booklet.
  4. Complete a short quiz.
  5. Complete the remaining questions and submit the form.
  6. If you're returning to complete your eCAF after you've enrolled, you also need update your payment option. If you don't, your fees will remain liable for upfront payment. Follow the prompts on screen to update this.
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Related questions

The first step is to request a TFN from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It can take up to 28 days to receive your TFN. However, Australian citizens can set up a 'Strong Digital ID', and generally receive a TFN straight away.

If you've applied and didn't receive your TFN immediately, follow the steps in our knowledge article I don't have a Tax File Number (TFN), what should I do?

Creating your USI is simple and takes about 5 minutes. Once you have it, you can submit your eCAF and complete enrolment.

Create your USI on the Government's website.

Yes. Provided you're eligible, you can update your eCAF to change whether or not to apply for FEE-HELP. You need to do this before the earliest census date for your units of study.

You can change your payment option each session.

Log in to Sydney Student > My finance > Your finances > Government forms > Change Payment Option.

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What happens next

Student financial statement

Once you've completed enrolment you'll be able to view your student financial statement in Sydney Student, which will show your FEE-HELP liability status.

Commonwealth assistance notice (CAN)

After each census date you will be emailed your CAN. This is not an invoice requesting you to pay any fees to the University. It is an official statement outlining your unit of study enrolment for that session, student contribution and any HELP debt or loan fee you may have incurred.

For seven days from when it's sent, you will be able to access your CAN by logging in to Sydney Student > My finance > Your finances > CAN statements.

After this you will need to refer to the copy sent to you in the email.

Paying back your loan

Once your income reaches a certain level, you are required to start paying back your accumulated HELP debt through compulsory repayments directly to the Australian Taxation Office.

You also have the option of making voluntary repayments.

Find out how this works on the Study Assist website.

How to make a part payment

  • If you apply for FEE-HELP you can choose to make a voluntary part payment of your student contribution. The window to do this is within seven days before the census date.
  • You can pay up to $1 less than your total contribution amount. If you'd like to pay your contribution in full, you'll need to change your payment option.
  • You can make one partial payment per semester.
  • Log in to Sydney Student > My finance > Your finances > Government forms > Partial upfront payments.
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Contact us

If you're a current student, this is how you can get in touch with us

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Link URL: https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/admin/ask-a-question.html

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Last updated: 03 November 2026

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