FEE-HELP

Students in any MCD course who are Australian citizens, or hold a permanent humanitarian visa, can have their tuition fees met by a loan from the Commonwealth Government. The scheme – brought in under the Higher Education Support Act (HESA, 2003) – is called the Higher Education Loan Program: FEE-HELP for short.

NB: All students who accessed PELS (Postgraduate Education Loans Scheme) in 2004 are also eligible for FEE-HELP, even if they are not Australian citizens.

To apply for a FEE-HELP loan, you must fill in the Government form at the time of enrolment and give it to the Academic Dean or Postgraduate Coordinator. These forms must be processed by YTU and sent to the MCD office before the stated Census Dates (Semester One: 16th March 2012, Semester Two: 10th August 2012). Forms and FEE-HELP information are available from the YTU office. Your fees will be paid to the MCD office by the Commonwealth Government, and YTU will receive payment for your classes and library use.

Before you apply for a loan, please note carefully, the following:

For undergraduate courses (BTheol, AdvDipMin, DipMin) the Government adds a 25% loan fee to your tax liability (e.g., a unit costing $1098 will incur a tax liability of $1372.50 per unit). For postgraduate courses (GradCert, GradDips, Masters, Doctorates) only the amount borrowed is subject to repayment. Only take out a loan for complete units for which you are enrolled (e.g., request a loan for one, two or three units but not fractions).
You must have a Tax File Number to apply for a FEE-HELP loan.
Your loan is repaid through the tax system. When your income reaches $47,196 (in 2012 Australian dollars, indexed upward each June) you pay a proportion back with your tax. The higher your income, the higher the repayment proportion, starting at 4.0%. Voluntary early repayments over $500 receive a discount of 10%. Your FEE-HELP tax liability goes up by CPI on June 1st each year. If someone with a FEE-HELP debt dies, only the repayment due in that tax year is billed; the rest is cancelled.
The Government requires that, before you sign the FEE-HELP form, you must read the FEE-HELP Information booklet so that you are aware of your obligations under the scheme. If you participate in FEE-HELP, your details will be listed in DEEWR’S Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS), and you will receive a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN), which remains unique to you for life.

The administration at the MCD and YTU offices take your right to privacy seriously, and only use information you provide for the purpose for which you give it to us. The second page of the FEE-HELP form includes your Tax File Number, which will be seen by only two people in the MCD office: your RTI office will keep a copy of the first page, which does not include your TFN.

For further information:

Read the FEE-HELP Information Booklet
Visit the Going to Uni website at: www.goingtouni.gov.au
Call the FEE-HELP enquiry line on 1800 020 108.