Your university or higher education provider can charge you a fee each year called the student services and amenities fee (SSAF).
This fee is to cover things at your campus like child care, food services, financial advice, sporting and recreational activities or employment and career advice.
SA-HELP is a loan available to you pay for all or part of your SSAF.
In 2023, the maximum SSAF amount your provider can charge you is $326.
You can view a fact sheet on SA-HELP here.
Eligibility
Your provider will assess your eligibility for a SA-HELP loan against the criteria below. If you have any questions, please contact your provider.
To get a SA‑HELP loan, you must:
- be one of the following:
- an Australia citizen who will study at least one unit of your course of study in Australia; or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who studies the entire course while living in Australia; or
- a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long term residency requirements and who studies the entire course while living in Australia
- be enrolled in a higher education course at a provider that offers HELP loans
- submit the Request for a SA-HELP loan form to your provider by the census date.
Applying
To apply for SA-HELP, you will need a tax file number (TFN) and Request for a SA-HELP loan form, which your provider will give you.
Your form must be filled in and submitted to your provider before the census date.
You only need to apply for SA-HELP once for the duration of your course.