VET Student Loans

VET Student Loans (VSL) is an Australian Government loan program that assists eligible students enrolled in an approved Diploma or Advanced Diploma course to pay their tuition fees.

Courses approved for a VET Student Loan must meet certain eligibility criteria that ensures they are linked to industry needs and employment outcomes, as determined by the Australian Government. Approved courses are allocated a maximum loan amount that can be borrowed for each course.

Information on how to access a VET Student Loan, including how to find approved courses and approved course providers can be found on the Australian Government's VET information for students website.

Eligible courses, and the providers approved to deliver them, are also be available on the Australian Government Your Career website. Federation University Australia is an approved VET Student Loan provider.

A VET Student Loan is repaid through the Australian taxation system once a person reaches the minimum income threshold level and will remain as a personal debt obligation until it is repaid to the Australian Government.

• Available for approved courses only (Diploma level and above) and a loan cap applies to each approved course.
• There is a limit on the maximum amount you can borrow over your lifetime, including VET Student Loans, VET FEE-HELP, FEE-HELP, and HECS-HELP (called the HELP loan limit). You need to ensure you have not already exceeded your HELP loan limit and that the VET Student loan amount is not greater than your remaining HELP balance.
• The loan will remain as a personal debt obligation until it is repaid to the Commonwealth and may affect (by reducing) the student’s take‑home (after‑tax) wage or salary until the debt is repaid, and may affect the borrowing capacity of the person until the debt is repaid to the Australian Government. Students may wish to seek independent financial advice prior to applying for a VET Student Loan.

Eligibility

Find out if you're eligible by visiting the Australian Government’s VET Student Loans website. There are specific criteria students must meet to be eligible for a loan through VET Student Loans.

A student must:

• Meet citizenship/residency requirements:
  • an Australian citizen; or
  • a qualifying New Zealand citizen; or
  • a permanent humanitarian visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia; or
  • a pacific engagement visa holder, who is usually resident in Australia.
• Have been assessed as academically suited to undertake the eligible course;
• Have a HELP balance greater than zero;
• Have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) and provide their tax file number (TFN); and
• Submit a completed electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) on or prior to the census date

Federation University must collect and verify the following information and documents in relation to a student applying for a VET Student Loan:

• Information about the student’s identity and date of birth;
• If the student is under 18, either a signed parental consent form or evidence that the student is independent;
• Information and documents to verify the student meets the citizenship and residency requirements in section 11 of the Act; and
• If the student has applied for a TFN but not been issued a TFN, a certificate from the Commissioner that the student has applied for a TFN.

Course fees and loan caps

Total course fees will depend on student eligibility for government funding and the combination of units selected to meet the course requirements. Eligible students will be entitled for a VSL up to a capped amount. The VSL Cap is the maximum loan amount for a course and is indexed annually by the Australian Government.  If the cost of the course exceeds the VSL Cap students will be required to pay the balance or gap fees to FedUni. Students may also be required to pay a materials fee which cannot be deferred to a VET Student Loan.

View the 2025 VSL indicative course fees and caps (PDF, 113.27 KB) and indicative unit fees for approved courses offered by Federation University Australia.

View the 2024 VSL indicative course fees and caps and indicative unit fees for approved courses offered by Federation University Australia.

Further details can be found on the VET enrolment fees page and in our VSL student information sheet (PDF, 229.13 KB). Before considering a VET Student Loan students should read the Australian Government VET Student Loans Information Booklet.

How to apply

• Once enrolled we will notify the Government of your enrolment into a VSL eligible course.
• The Government will email you an invitation, including a passkey and instructions on how to sign into the Government’s eCAF system to complete your application (Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF).
• Once you sign in you will need to verify the pre-populated information and complete the mandatory fields.
• You can then submit the eCAF and you will receive a copy of your completed form. Please note – you will not be able to submit your completed eCAF for two full business days after the initial application date.
• If you do not complete the eCAF (and provide your Tax File Number) by the first census date you will not be able to defer these fees – you will have to submit an eCAF for the next applicable census date to request a VET Student Loan.
• Retrospective access to a VET Student Loan is not allowed under any circumstances.

Student engagement and progression

• To continue accessing a VET Student Loan you will periodically receive an email request from the Department of Education and Training requiring you to log in to the eCAF system and confirm your continued enrolment in the course. Failure to complete the progression form may result in the cancellation of your VET Student Loan.

VET Student Loan Fee Notice

• A VET Student Loan Fee Notice is issued prior to each census date and lists the enrolled units for the current census date. The Fee Notice will show your current VET Student Loans eligibility status, the fees that will be deferred to your loan and/or fees payable as at census date. It is the student’s responsibility to check the information and notify us of any errors. (Please note, the Fee Notice is different to the Student Invoice.)
• Fee Notices will be sent to your nominated personal email address prior to each census date (as per government requirement) and can also be viewed in my Student Centre (mySC).
• Students will also be issued a Student Invoice after their initial enrolment is processed, listing all fees and charges relating to the enrolment (including tuition and material fees) and applicable due dates. The Student Invoice is different to the VSL Fee Notice and an adjusted invoice/statement will be generated after any activity on your account, including enrolment changes, payments, VSL deferrals, etc. Student invoices are emailed to your student email account and can be viewed in mySC.
• Payment: If you have an approved VET Student Loan you may opt to make a partial or full payment towards your tuition fees on or before the census date to reduce the amount that will be deferred to the VET Student Loan.
• Gap fees: You can make partial payments towards your gap fees at any time (using the payment methods on your VSL Fee Notice). Please contact Student Finance if you would like assistance working out a payment schedule for gap fees.

Census dates

The census date for a unit of study is the last day a student can submit their request for a VET Student Loan eCAF to defer their tuition fees through the VET Student Loans program. If you have not submitted a completed eCAF on or prior to the census date, you WILL NOT be entitled to a VET Student Loan for the current unit(s).

A census date is the date by which enrolment may be cancelled without incurring tuition fees for the unit or part of the course.

Census dates cannot be set any earlier than 20% of the way through the period in which a unit is undertaken (this period includes any examination/assessment periods). Census dates cannot be extended.

Tuition fees will be reasonably apportioned throughout your course, according to the census dates. Census dates are predetermined and you will not incur a VET Student Loan liability until after census date.

Below is a list of the VSL census dates. Students should refer to their VET Student Loans Fee Notices to confirm the actual census dates and tuition fees due for enrolled units. VSL Fee Notices are sent to a student's personal email address prior to each census date and can also be viewed in my Student Centre. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they know what the census dates are for their enrolled units and to be aware of the withdrawal and refund rules surrounding VET Student Loans eligible courses.

VSL Census dates