VET Student Loan eligibility

To get a VET Student Loan (VSL), you must meet requirements set by the Australian Government. These include where you live, your study skills and loan conditions.

You can apply if you’re either:

• an Australian citizen
• a permanent humanitarian visa holder who usually lives in Australia
• a Pacific Engagement visa holder who usually lives in Australia
• a qualifying New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements.

To be eligible as a New Zealand citizen, you must:

• hold a Special Category visa (SCV)
• have arrived in Australia as a dependent child
• have lived in Australia as a resident for at least 10 years
• have spent at least 8 of the last 10 years living in Australia, including at least 18 months in the last 2 years.

Other permanent and temporary visa holders are not eligible.

Centrelink benefits do not affect your eligibility or the loan amount you can get.

Find out more about VET Student Loans on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) website. You can also download the VSL Student Manual.

To get a VET Student Loan, you must either have:

• successfully completed Year 12 in Australia or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme
• successfully completed a Certificate IV or higher qualification (in English) or an approved overseas qualification
• passed an approved language, literacy and numeracy test (LLN) at Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Level 3 or higher.

You’ll need to show your certificate or transcript as proof. You can get copies of your certificates or transcripts from your provider or the USI registry. You can also get an Australian Government qualification assessment if you studied overseas.



Read our VSL Student Entry Information [PDF, 205 KB] for more details.

VET Student Loans are only available for some diploma and advanced diploma courses. To check if your course is eligible, view the VET Student Loans Approved Course List [PDF, 257 KB].

Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans include:

• VET Student Loans – Vocational Education and Training Student Loan
• HECS-HELP – Higher Education Contribution Scheme-Higher Education Loan Program
• FEE-HELP – Higher Education Loan Program for eligible fee-paying students
• VET FEE-HELP – Vocational Education and Training Fee-Help.

To apply for a VET Student Loan, you must not have exceeded your HELP loan limit. This is the total amount you can borrow across all HELP loans. For 2026, the loan limit is $129,883 for most students.

Your available HELP balance is the amount you can still borrow. You can check your available balance on the myHELPbalance website.

Visit the Study Assist website for more information about borrowing limits.

Before applying, you must:

• have a tax file number (TFN) or apply for a TFN
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI)
• plan to study mainly in Australia
• read the VSL Student Manual to understand how your loan works.

If you have questions about VET Student Loans, call our customer support team on 131 601 or submit an online enquiry.