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Apply for HECS-HELP

If you're eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) and HECS-HELP loan you must apply to confirm your place and defer your tuition payment.

What is HECS-HELP?

HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan that allows eligible Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) students to defer their student contribution amount payments.

HECS-HELP can't be used for extra study costs such as accommodation, textbooks, administrative or incidental fees.

To be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan, you must be:

  • an Australian citizen 
  • a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder
  • a permanent humanitarian visa holder (or eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder)
    OR
  • a Pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder.

Your eligibility also depends on where you live, your study place type and your HELP balance. You can view the specific criteria on the Study Assist website.

New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holders must provide proof that they have been long‑term residents of Australia since childhood.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is responsible for managing HELP debt repayments. You'll pay your loan back through the tax system once you earn above the compulsory repayment threshold. The more you earn, the higher your compulsory repayment will be. When you complete your tax return, the ATO will calculate your income for the year and tell you how much your compulsory repayment is. You can also make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time.

You can check how much you owe through the ATO online services in your myGov account or by contacting the ATO on 13 28 61.

How to apply for a HECS-HELP loan

You must complete an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) before your first payment due date to confirm your Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) and apply a HECS-HELP loan.

If you’ve accepted an offer for a Commonwealth Supported Place, you should have received an email from ecafsystem@education.gov.au. (Can’t find it? Look in your junk folder.) It contains a passkey and link to access and submit your CSP eCAF via the Government portal.

Use the passkey and your date of birth to log into the eCAF portal.

When you’re filling out your eCAF, your personal details must match those on our system (which you can view in my Student Centre under 'Personal Information'.) You’ll also need your Unique Student Identifier (USI) and your tax file number. If you don’t have a tax file number (TFN), complete your eCAF anyway but apply for a TFN straightaway. You must tell us your TFN before census date or you won’t get a HELP loan (and it can take up to 28 days for your TFN to arrive). 

FAQs when completing your eCAF

No, you only need to complete an eCAF/s once for each program, unless you would like to change the way that you pay. You must complete a new eCAF/s for each type of assistance you are eligible for when accepting a place in a new program.

Yes, if you would like to change the way that you pay for your fees, for example you would like to apply for a HECS-HELP loan after previously paying upfront, you must complete a new eCAF.

There are four types of eCAF covering HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, SA-HELP and VET Student Loans. Most domestic students will need to complete one or more. If you have already completed an eCAF but are being asked to do another, then you have done one for which you are eligible but not the other.

When you accept your offer an eCAF email and unique passkey will be automatically generated for each type of assistance you are eligible for by the eCAF system. If you have not received an email or cannot find it in your inbox:

  1. Search your inbox for Sender ecafsystem@education.gov.au
  2. Check your Junk/Spam folder, particularly for the date that you accepted your offer
  3. Check that your personal email address is correct in my Student Centre
  4. Request a new eCAF email/s via our Enquiry and Application Portal.
    Select Category 'Fees & Charges', Sub-category 'Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)' > add your request > and Click 'Submit your question'
  5. Add ecafsystem@education.gov.au as a Safe/Recognised Sender once your request is submitted so that you receive the regenerated email/s. 

Your eCAF email/s will be sent to the email address you used when submitting your application. If you have changed emails, you will need to update your email in my Student Centre, and then request a new eCAF email be generated.

  1. Login to my Student Centre, select 'Personal Information' and then 'Contact Details' from the menu. Update your 'Home' email address.
  2. Request a new eCAF email/s via our Enquiry and Application Portal.
    Select Category 'Fees & Charges', Sub-category 'Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)' > add your request > and Click 'Submit your question'.
  3. Add ecafsystem@education.gov.au as a Safe/Recognised Sender once your request is submitted so that you receive the regenerated email/s. 

Your eCAF passkey expires 12 weeks after it was issued so it's important to complete your eCAF/s as soon as possible after accepting your offer. You don't need to be enrolled to complete your eCAF/s.

  1. Request a new eCAF email/s via our Enquiry and Application Portal. Select Category 'Fees & Charges', Sub-category 'Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)' > add your request > and Click 'Submit your question'
  2. Add ecafsystem@education.gov.au as a Safe/Recognised Sender once your request is submitted so that you receive the regenerated email/s. 

If your passkey was generated within the last 12 weeks, but you cannot login with passkey and date of birth, your date of birth may be incorrect. 

  1. Check your date of birth is correct in my Student Centre.
  2. Login to the Enquiry and Application Portal and select 'Ask a question', 'Ask a question related to my studies (past or current students)'. Select Category 'Fees & Charges', Sub-category 'Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)'. Detail your request to change your date of birth and click submit.
  3. On the next page, submit supporting documentation including a copy of your driver's license, passport or birth certificate showing your correct date of birth.
    Once your details are correct, request a new eCAF email/s and passkey/s.

To successfully submit your eCAF, the information you provide in your eCAF must match the details you give to Federation University. If the details held by Federation University are incorrect, they must be corrected in order to submit your eCAF.

  1. Update your addresses, phone numbers, email addresses in my Student Centre
  2. Update your 'Primary' and 'Degree' name with the Amend your Personal Details form (PDF 399 KB) and submit it via our online enquiries portal
  3. Request a new eCAF email/s via our Enquiry and Application Portal.
    Select Category 'Fees & Charges', Sub-category 'Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)' > add your request > and Click 'Submit your question'
  4. Add ecafsystem@education.gov.au as a Safe/Recognised Sender once your request is submitted so that you receive the regenerated email/s. 

What is the HELP loan limit?

There’s a cap on how much you can borrow through HELP loans. This is called your HELP loan limit, and it's set by the Australian Government each year.
 
Your limit depends on what you’re studying. In 2025, most students have a HELP loan limit of $126,839, but students studying medicine, dentistry, vet science or aviation may have a higher limit.
 
You can find out more about the HELP loan limit on the Study Assist website, and you can use the myHELPbalance portal to view your available balance.