Professional Documents
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CONTENT
Who is this booklet for? ................................................. 4
Content ............................................................................ 5
Glossary .......................................................................... 7
Transitioning to tertiary study ....................................... 9
1. What is a CSP and what are the benefits? .............. 10
1.1 Where are CSPs available? ............................................. 10
1.2 Am I eligible for a CSP? ................................................... 11
1.3 How do I apply for a CSP? ............................................... 11
1.4 What if I made a mistake on my form? ............................ 11
1.5 How much will my student contributions be? ................... 12
1.6 How do I pay for my CSP? ............................................... 13
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GLOSSARY
Accumulated HELP debt The consolidated total of any
HECS-HELP, OS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or SAHELP debts you have incurred (including any Australian
Government study loans incurred before 2005).
Administrative date A date (that occurs before the census
date) set by approved providers for you to complete various
requirements.
Approved provider (provider) In this booklet, this term
means a university or other accredited higher education
institution approved to offer CSPs and access to HECS-HELP for
eligible students.
ATO Australian Taxation Office.
Census date This date is set by approved providers and it is
the deadline for various requirements, like making upfront
payment of your student contributions, applying for a HECSHELP loan or formally withdrawing your enrolment in order to not
incur a debt.
CAN (Commonwealth Assistance Notice) A notice from your
approved provider detailing information about the
Commonwealth assistance you have used for the study period.
CSP (Commonwealth supported place) A place at an
approved provider that is subsidised by the Australian
Government. In a CSP, students only pay the student
contribution amount, set by their approved provider, for their
units of study.
CSP and HELP Handbook for 2014 A comprehensive
handbook that contains information about CSPs and the various
HELP loans available to assist eligible tertiary students with
paying for their study.
EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) How your study
load is measured. One EFTSL is the load you will have when
studying full-time for a year.
HECS-HELP An Australian Government scheme to assist
eligible students enrolled in CSPs with paying their student
contributions.
HECS-HELP Benefit A financial benefit, granted to certain
graduates under specific circumstances, that reduces a persons
compulsory HELP repayment (or HELP debt for some early
childhood educators).
HECS-HELP discount A 10% discount granted to eligible
students who make an upfront student contribution payment of
Commonwealth supported places and
HECS-HELP information for 2014
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TRANSITIONING TO TERTIARY
STUDY
Regardless of whether you are undertaking tertiary study for the
first time, gaining further education, up-skilling, or re-training in a
different field, moving into tertiary study is a big step and many
students can find the transition difficult. To make the most of
your tertiary education experience, speak with student
administration staff at your approved provider (provider) for all
enrolment-related matters and to inform yourself of all the
support services available to you.
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an Australian citizen
AND
will undertake, in Australia,
at least one unit of study
contributing to your course of
study
OR
AND
will be resident in Australia
for the duration of your unit
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You have six weeks from the census date to correct information
you have submitted about your entitlement to HECS-HELP,
including collecting and submitting the documents you need to
prove citizenship status as at the census date.
Note: This six-week period cannot be used as an extension to
apply for Australian citizenship, submit your Request for
Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form or provide your
TFN, which all must be done by the census date. It just gives you
the chance to correct information on your form, or to collect and
provide the relevant documentation, to prove your eligibility for
HECS-HELP as at the census date.
Student
contribution
range (per
EFTSL)
Band 3
$0 $10,085
Band 2
$0 $8,613
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Band 1
Humanities, behavioural
science, social studies,
education, clinical psychology,
foreign languages, visual and
performing arts, nursing
$0 $6,044
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a permanent
humanitarian visa
holder
AND
will undertake, in
Australia, at least
one unit of study
contributing to your
course of study
OR
AND
will be resident in
Australia for the
duration of your unit
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Current arrangements
If you are eligible for HECS-HELP and you make an upfront
payment of $500 or more, you will receive a 10% discount. This
is known as the HECS-HELP discount. This discount effectively
increases the value of your upfront payment (refer to the
following examples).
Proposed arrangements
If the proposed changes were to go through, upfront payments
of $500 would no longer be eligible for the HECS-HELP
discount.
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If you want to use a HECS-HELP loan to pay for your study, you
must submit your valid TFN, even if you do not have a job. This
is because repayments on your HELP debt are made through
the Australian taxation system. If you do not provide your own
TFN or you provide an incorrect one, your form will not be valid
and you will not be able to use a HECS-HELP loan for that study
period.
If you do not have a TFN, you will need to apply to the ATO for
one. When you do so, the ATO will, on request, supply you with
a Certificate of application for a TFN. Even before you receive
your TFN from the ATO, you can attach your certificate to your
Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form. If
your form does not have your TFN or the certificate attached to
it, it will not be valid and you will not be eligible for HECS-HELP.
You must advise your provider of your TFN within 21 days of
receiving it.
You must keep your TFN secure. Only provide your TFN or the
certificate on the actual Request for Commonwealth support and
HECS-HELP form in order to pay your student contributions for
the specific course(s) of study in which you are enrolled.
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submit your Request for Commonwealth support and HECSHELP form to access HECS-HELP; or
withdraw from your unit without incurring the debt for that
unit (if you have already provided your TFN on the form).
As providers set their own census dates (within rules set by the
Australian Government), this date will vary across units and
providers. You must contact your provider to confirm the census
date for each unit you enrol in and to confirm the exact deadline
of the census date (i.e. close of business etc).
What is the administrative date?
In addition to the census date, some providers also set an earlier
administrative date for you to complete certain requirements. For
example, some may want you to submit your Request for
Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form or withdraw your
enrolment by the administrative date so they have time to finalise
your enrolment.
If you miss the administrative date, you may have to pay a late
enrolment fee or a late withdrawal fee. However, you can still
withdraw from a unit by the census date to avoid incurring the
cost or debt for that unit.
Check with your provider to find out if they have:
an administrative date;
the census date(s) for your units of study; and
the exact deadline of the census date (i.e. close of business
etc).
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the CAN doesnt include any units you withdrew from by the
census date.
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If you failed the unit or withdrew from the unit after the census
date because you became seriously ill or for other special
circumstances, you can apply to your provider to have your
HELP debt remitted or upfront payment refunded. Contact your
provider directly for information on how to apply for a remission
or refund.
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did not make their full impact on you until on or after the
census date; and
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Repayment % rate
Below $51,309
Nil
$51,309 - $57,153
4.0%
$57,154 - $62,997
4.5%
$62,998 - $66,308
5.0%
$66,309 - $71,277
5.5%
$71,278 - $77,194
6.0%
$77,195 - $81,256
6.5%
$81,257 - $89,421
7.0%
$89,422 - $95,287
7.5%
8.0%
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enrolments;
withdrawals;
Department of Education
The Department can help you with information about:
CSPs;
Contact details:
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call the student enquiry line on 1800 020 108 (or +61 3 9938
2545 from outside Australia); or
call the student enquiry line on 1800 554 609 TTY for
hearing or speech impaired students.
Contact details:
visit www.ato.gov.au;
call 1300 720 092 to get the booklet Repaying your HELP
debt in 2013-2014;
visit www.humanservices.gov.au;
Contact details:
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NOTES
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NOTES
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NOTES
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Image credits
Copyright
Commonwealth of Australia 2013
ISSN 1449-9282
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under
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2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca.
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