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    VET Student Loan eligibility

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    To apply for a VET Student Loan, you must meet the:

    Check your eligibility

    To be eligible for a VET Student Loan, you must be one of the following:

    • an Australian citizen

    • a permanent humanitarian visa holder who is usually resident in Australia

    • a Pacific Engagement visa holder who is usually resident in Australia (if the census date of your course was after 1 February 2024)

    • a qualifying New Zealand citizen on a Special Category Visa (SCV) who meets the long-term residency requirements.

    Requirements for long-term New Zealand residents

    To qualify for a VET Student Loan, New Zealand citizens must:

    • hold a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV)

    • have been living as a resident in Australia for at least ten years

    • have been a dependent child when residence in Australia first began

    • have been in Australia for periods totalling eight years during the previous ten years from the date of the loan application

    • have been in Australia for periods totalling 18 months during the previous two years.

    Please note: Holders of other permanent visas and temporary visas are not eligible for a VET Student Loan.

    Eligibility check

    Academic suitability

    To be considered academically suitable for a VET Student Loan, you need to meet one of the following criteria:

    • Provide a copy of your senior secondary certificate (also known as a Year 12 certificate) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, or

    • Show evidence of a certificate IV level qualification or higher, or

    • Complete a literacy and numeracy assessment.

    Provide your senior secondary certificate

    Please submit a copy of your senior secondary certificate of education (awarded by an Australian authority or agency) or an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

    You’ll need to provide this documentation when you apply to enrol.

    Show evidence of a certificate IV level qualification or higher

    You can provide a copy of your qualification at a certificate IV level or above when applying. If you gained this qualification at TAFE NSW just let us know this when you enrol.

    If you cannot provide a certificate, you may provide:

    Complete a literacy and numeracy test

    TAFE NSW requires you to complete a free literacy and numeracy test to demonstrate you're sitting at exit level 3 (working at Level 4).

    If you need help completing this assessment or providing the above documents, our Customer Support Team can assist you on 131 601. Or if you prefer, you can use the customer service enquiry form linked below.

    Send enquiry

    Other requirements

    Before you apply for a VET Student Loan, there are some important requirements you need to meet.

    These include:

    Tax File Number (TFN)

    You need to apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) or be in the process of applying for one. We require your TFN because your loan repayments are made through the tax system.

    For more information, please see the TFN Student Fact Sheet.

    Unique Student Identifier (USI)

    To study a nationally recognised training course, you must have a USI. If you don’t have one, go to the Unique Student Identifier website to register.

    HELP loan limits

    A ‘HELP loan’ is an umbrella term that covers a group of loans, including VET Student Loans, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and VET FEE-HELP.

    When you apply for a HELP loan under any of these loan types, there is a loan limit on the amount you can borrow. This is your combined HELP loan limit.

    To be eligible to apply for a VET Student Loan, you must not have exceeded your limit. The available HELP balance is the amount you are still able to borrow under the HELP loan limit.

    You can view your available HELP balance via the myHELPbalance website.

    You must also:

    For more information on your loan limit visit the page below.

    Loan limits

    We’re here to help

    If you still have questions, check our FAQs page, or find out more about how to apply for a VET Student Loan below.

    You can also  contact our Customer Support Team on 131 601.

    FAQsApply now