There are Five different types of HELP loans available to students.

Your eligibility for each type of loan depends on what it is being used for and your citizenship and residency status.

If you enrol to study at a university or higher education provider, you might be enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). In a CSP, the Australian Government pays some of your fees and you pay the rest, this is called your 'student contribution amount'.

  1. HECS-HELP can be used to pay your student contribution amount. If you aren't enrolled in a CSP, you are enrolled in a fee-paying place.
  2. FEE-HELP can be used to pay your fees in a fee-paying place.

Separate to your tuition fees, each semester you might have to pay a fee for student services and amenities.

  1. SA-HELP can be used to pay your student services and amenities fee (SSAF).
  2. OS-HELP can help pay your expenses if you are enrolled in a CSP and want to study overseas.

When you attend university and participate in a Startup Year course (also known as an accelerator program course), you might be eligible for a loan.

  1. STARTUP-HELP is used to help you pay the course fees for a Startup Year course.

HELP debt assistance for teachers in very remotes areas

There are two types of assistance under the initiative that commenced in 2019:

  1. waivers on indexation on accumulated HELP debt indexation, and
  2. reduction of accumulated HELP debt.

For both measures, view the Application Form for the Very Remote Teachers Initiative(Opens in a new tab/window).

Both types of assistance are available to teachers who are/were teaching in a very remote area of Australia, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Remoteness Structure, at any of the following:

  • a school providing primary or secondary education
  • a centre based day care service
  • a preschool.

To be eligible for either type of assistance, teachers must have already completed their initial teacher education qualification to commence teaching and have a HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP debt in relation to that qualification.

The term initial teacher education qualification refers to the first teacher education qualification obtained that satisfies the minimum academic requirements for registration as a teacher by an authority of a state or territory.

More information

View the Reduction of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debts for teachers in very remote areas(Opens in a new tab/window) page on the Department of Education website for information on:

  • frequently asked questions,
  • application forms
  • lists of very remote schools
  • preschool and centre based day care services

For further information please contact veryremotehelp@education.gov.au.

Increased HELP loan limit for aviation courses

Students undertaking eligible aviation courses of study, with census dates after 1 January 2020, can access the higher combined HELP loan limit.

The list of eligible courses can be found in the FEE-HELP Guidelines 2017(Opens in a new tab/window) available on the Federal Register of Legislation website.