CSP eCAF

A Commonwealth supported place (CSP) receives some funding from the Australian Government. This means you will only need to contribute part of the cost of your unit and this is referred to as the student contribution amount.

A CSP and HECS-HELP loan are not the same thing. A CSP is the portion of fees paid by the Government and HECS-HELP is a loan that allows eligible students to defer their student contribution each semester.

An electronic Commonwealth assistance form (eCAF) is compulsory for all commencing students studying in a CSP. Commencing students must complete their CSP HECS-HELP eCAF in my Student Centre before they enrol.

The Request for a Commonwealth supported place and a HECS-HELP loan is a legal document, which requires you to declare that you:

  • are enrolling using the same legal name, date of birth, and personal details as held by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO);
  • have read the Commonwealth supported places and HECS‑HELP information booklet
  • are aware of your obligations as a Commonwealth supported place student; and
  • are aware you have a legal obligation to the Commonwealth to repay your HECS-HELP loan.

Whether you wish to pay up-front or defer your fees through HECS-HELP, all commencing CSP students must submit an eCAF to indicate how you will pay your student contribution. Students who are not eligible for a HECS-HELP loan are still required to complete the eCAF to accept their CSP and acknowledge their up-front payment requirements. Students who are fee exempt (enabling course) must also complete a CSP eCAF.

IMPORTANT: If you do not complete your eCAF by the semester census date you will not be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place with the University and your CSP enrolment will be cancelled as required under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

Steps to submit your CSP eCAF

Step 1. Check your email to find your invitation and passkey

Once you’ve accepted your FedUni offer, you’ll receive an invitation email from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment containing a passkey, link and steps to complete your electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form. In most cases it will take 10-15 minutes to receive the email invitation from the Government system.

Your eCAF invitation and passkey expires 12 weeks after it was issued so it's important to complete your eCAF as soon as possible after accepting your offer.

You’ll receive a separate passkey for each eCAF type. For example, if you are eligible for both HECS-HELP and SA-HELP, you’ll receive a separate passkey for each, unique to each eCAF.

If you’re unable to locate your invitation email, you can:

  • Search your inbox for sender ecafsystem@education.gov.au
  • Check your Junk/Spam folder
  • Request a new eCAF invitation email by submitting an online request via our Enquiry Portal

Step 2.  Login into the Government eCAF portal

You will need to use the unique passkey from the invitation email and your date of birth to log into the Government eCAF portal.

Step 3. Complete and submit your eCAF

Before you begin, please make sure you have the following details on hand:

  • Your tax file number (if eligible and applying for a HECS-HELP loan)

    • You must have a tax file number (TFN) before you can apply for a HELP loan.

Read through the information carefully, answering any applicable questions and confirming the pre-populated information.

Once you have completed the form and checked the information is correct, select Submit to finalise your eCAF request.

Step 4. Confirm your eCAF submission has been received

Once you've submitted your eCAF via the government portal you’ll receive an email confirming your personal details, unit and fee payment information.

If you can't see the confirmation email, check your junk mail or spam folder. You can also add ecafsystem@education.gov.au to your safe sender list to ensure the confirmation email arrives in your inbox.