What is FEE-HELP?

To get a FEE-HELP loan, you must:

• be one of the following:
  • an Australian citizen who will study at least one unit of your course of study in Australia; or
  • a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, or eligible former New Zealand SCV holder; who meets the long-term residency requirements and who studies the entire course while living in Australia; or
  • a permanent humanitarian visa holder or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who studies the entire course while living in Australia; or
  • a pacific engagement visa holder who is resident in Australia for the duration of your unit(s) (note: a PEV holder becomes eligible from 1 February 2024)
  • an Australian Permanent Resident can get FEE-HELP for approved bridging studies
• be enrolled in a fee-paying place at a provider that offers FEE-HELP loans
• be enrolled in an eligible course at your provider by the census date (your provider can tell you if your course is eligible)
• submit the Request for FEE-HELP loan form to your provider by the census date
• have an available HELP balance.
• provide your provider with your Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date (for new enrolments from 1 January 2021) unless an exemption applies
• be assessed as a genuine student and as academically suitable for your unit(s) of study
• maintain a completion rate of 50 per cent or above if you are studying at Open Universities Australia (OUA) and your units do not form part of a course of study
• not undertake more than 2 years’ worth of higher education study in the last 12 months (unless your provider has approved a higher study load).

Bridging studies for overseas-trained professionals

If you are an Australian permanent resident, you might be eligible to apply for a FEE-HELP loan for approved bridging studies undertaken in Australia. A bridging course is for overseas-trained professionals to enable them to meet entry requirements for their profession in Australia.

Institute of Health and Management can offer FEE-HELP for the following courses:

• Master of Nursing Online and On campus pages
• Australian Nursing Practice (Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing) and Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (12 specialisations)
• Bachelor of Social Work On campus

• Your tax file number (TFN), or Certificate of application for a TFN
• A USI
• A Request for FEE-HELP loan form, which only your provider can give you
• To fill in and submit your form to your provider before the census date
• You only need to apply for FEE-HELP once for the duration of your course.

For 2024, the HELP loan limit is set at $121,844 for most students.

However, for students enrolled in courses related to medicine, dentistry, veterinary science leading to initial registration, or eligible aviation courses with census dates in 2024, the limit is increased to $174,998.

To find the list of eligible aviation courses, refer to the FEE-HELP Guidelines 2017 available on the Federal Register of Legislation website.

You can view your available HELP balance through the myHELPbalance website. You will need your USI or CHESSN, student ID number and personal details to login to the website.

Students who wish to pay part of their domestic tuition fees and defer the rest to FEE-HELP can do so by first applying for FEE-HELP. Then, they can make the desired partial payment using one of the normal payment methods. Any outstanding balance at the relevant census date will automatically be deferred to FEE-HELP.

No. Your income and assets do not affect your eligibility for FEE-HELP. Your income may result in you being required to start to repay your FEE-HELP debt.

If you’re eligible for FEE-HELP at IHM, you can:

• Pay part of your tuition fees up-front and use FEE-HELP for the rest, or
• Use FEE-HELP to cover the full tuition fee.

Here’s how it works:

• Apply for FEE-HELP before or on your course’s census date.
• The Australian Government pays your tuition fees directly to IHM on your behalf if you’re eligible.
• Repayments start once your income reaches a set threshold.

FEE-HELP provides a loan for tuition fees only. It does not cover accommodation, textbooks, general living expenses, or other costs.

You can check your available HELP balance on the myHELPbalance website. To log in, you will need your USI or CHESSN, student ID number, and personal details.

If your tuition fees for a unit of study exceed your available HELP balance, you will need to pay the remaining amount upfront to your provider.

If the census date passes and you did not have enough HELP balance (meaning your loan did not process) and you didn’t pay upfront, then as a FEE-HELP student, you will owe the amount directly to Institute of Health & management.

If you are eligible for FEE-HELP and wish to apply, you need to complete a Request for FEE-HELP Assistance form. You can get help with this form from the student administrative officers available at all our campuses.

Make sure to complete and submit the form on or before the census date of your first course. If you don’t submit the form by the census date, you won’t be eligible for FEE-HELP for that course, and the Australian Government will not cover your tuition fee.

By signing the Request for FEE-HELP Assistance form, you are:

• Confirming that you have read the Study Assist FEE-HELP information booklet and the form, and that you understand your obligations under FEE-HELP.
• Requesting the Australian Government to lend you the amount of the tuition fee outstanding at the census date for each course covered by the form, and to pay this amount directly to IHM on your behalf.
• >Agreeing to repay the loan to the Australian Government through the taxation system once your income exceeds the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment.

You can choose to pay the tuition fee for some, or all of the courses covered by your form. If you want to stop using FEE-HELP indefinitely, and later decide to reinstate it, you must submit a written request to Student Support Officer before the census date of the course for which you want to use FEE-HELP.

Even if you choose to use FEE-HELP, you will receive an invoice. This allows you to make a payment before the census date. If you do not make a payment by the census date, the debt will be deferred to FEE-HELP.

Yes, applicant must provide the institute with their Tax File Number (TFN) while submitting their admission form along with their USI number.

You must submit your Request for FEE-HELP Assistance form to the student support officer by the census date for the first course for which you want to receive FEE-HELP.

If you do not submit the completed form by the census date, you will not be eligible for FEE-HELP for that course, and the Australian Government will not cover your tuition fee. Census date deadlines are final and cannot be extended.

If you transfer to a different program, you will need to submit a new Request for FEE-HELP Assistance form.

You incur a FEE-HELP debt immediately after the census date for each course of study for which you have received FEE-HELP assistance.

Yes, you may be eligible for FEE-HELP again if you haven’t reached the combined HELP loan limit. This limit includes HECS-HELP from 1 January 2020, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP (which closed on 31 December 2016), and VET Student Loans.

Your HELP loan limit is not a lifetime cap. Repayments made after 1 July 2019 will restore your HELP balance, allowing you to re-borrow up to the current HELP limit.

You can check your HELP balance through the myHELPbalance link, accessible via the Study Assist website or directly on the myHELPbalance webpage. Using your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) and other personal details, you can view your HELP usage as reported by IHM and other institutions to the Department of Education & Training. Note that this may not reflect your most recent courses, so please also check your eCAN.

If your HELP balance is less than your required tuition fees, you must inform IHM. If your tuition fee exceeds your HELP balance, you will receive HELP assistance only up to your remaining balance. You will need to pay the rest of your tuition fee directly to IHM. If this payment is not made, IHM may cancel your enrolment due to unpaid tuition fees.
responsibilities and how to check their HELP balance.

The information in myHELPbalance is based on what has been reported to the department by ANU and the ATO at the time you log in. Your recent enrolment and repayment details won’t be reflected until they have been updated by ANU or the ATO.

If you withdraw after the census date without paying your tuition fees and have requested FEE-HELP assistance, you will incur a debt to the Australian government that you must repay legally.

However, if you withdraw after the census date due to serious illness or other special circumstances that prevent you from continuing your studies, you can apply to have your FEE-HELP balance re-credited and your FEE-HELP debt removed for that course(s). Be aware that there are time limits for applying for this re-credit.

If you fail a course, you are still required to repay the debt for that course, regardless of whether you attended any classes.

You start repaying your accumulated HELP debt when your repayment income exceeds the minimum repayment threshold for compulsory repayment. The thresholds are adjusted annually based on changes in average weekly earnings.

For the 2023-24 income year, the minimum repayment threshold is $51,550.

For more information about your repayment income, contact the Australian Taxation Office.

Once your repayment income exceeds the minimum repayment threshold for a given year, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment and include it in your income tax notice of assessment. These repayment thresholds are adjusted annually based on changes in average weekly earnings.

Your compulsory repayment amount will increase as your income increases—the more you earn, the higher your repayment. Repayments are based solely on your income, not on the income of your parents or spouse.

You are required to start repaying your debt once your income surpasses the minimum repayment threshold, even if you are still studying.

Similar to interest, your HELP debt will grow through a process called ‘indexation’. Indexation is added to your debt on 1 June each year. HELP debts are not indexed until they are 11 months old. For current and past indexation rates, visit the ATO.

If you are struggling to make a compulsory repayment, there may be options available to alleviate the stress. Depending on your situation, you might be eligible to apply to the ATO for an amendment or deferment of your compulsory repayment. For more information, visit www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/study-and-training-support-loans/deferring-repayments.

You can create your USI through Australian Government Unique Student Identifier