EQUALS is an approved VET Student Loans provider.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION VET STUDENT LOANS
The VET Student Loans scheme is a loan program designed to help eligible students enrol and gain a quality higher level Vocational Education and Training at EQUALS who could not otherwise afford to pay fees upfront.
ELIGIBILITY FOR VET STUDENT LOANS
You may be eligible for the loan program if you:
(1) are an Australian citizen or a Permanent Humanitarian Visa holder residing in Australia for the course duration or a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category Visa (SCV) meeting the long-term residency requirements
(2) study in an approved VET Student Loans course; and
(3) have not exceeded your FEE-HELP limit. Refer to study assist
COURSE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
In addition to believing that a student is suitable to undertake a qualification and is able to successfully complete the course for which a VET Student Loan is sought, during enrolment, you will need to:
(1) provide a copy of your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, that has been awarded by an Australian authority or agency. EQUALS is required to keep the copy in your file for 5 years; or
(2) provide a copy of a successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or Higher Qualification (where the language of instruction is English); or
(3) displaying competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both Reading and Numeracy through CSPA approved testing tool.
If you cannot meet any of these requirements, you will not be eligible to apply for VET Student Loans.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU ENROL?
(1) Decide on your preferred course and check if the course is an approved VET Student Loans course
(2) Check if you meet the eligibility and entry requirements. Be prepared to provide evidence of identification (inclduing Australian Birth Certificate or copy of your Visa), records of your past academic qualifications and undertake the Language, Literacy and Numeracy assessment when is required
(3) You must have ready a Tax File Number. This detail is required on your loan application form
(4) Read VET Student Loans Booklet
ECAF LOAN APPLICATION FORM
If you have met the VET Student Loans requirements, EQUALS will advise the Australian Government Department of Education and Training of your enrolment. The Department will provide you login details to access their system to apply the loan and complete eCAF loan form. You will need to provide the email confirmation and form to EQUALS at admissions@equals.edu.au for processing.
Ensuring that you have submitted your eCAF loan form to EQUALS for processing prior to course commencement and/or term census date is your responsibility.
LOAN CAPS
Eligible students will be entitled for loans up to a capped amount. Students will need to contribute the difference if the total course fee exceeds the loan cap for a course. Loan caps for specific courses are detailed on the specific course information page.
IS THERE A LOAN FEE?
Non State Government subsidised students will be charged a 20% loan fee. The loan fee is added to the student loan, but is not included within the student’s lifetime FEE-HELP limit.
TUITION FEES
Tuition Fees are provided on each course page and should be used as a guide to provide information on fees. Student will be provided with fee advice during course counselling/admissions and will be provided fee and census date information specific to their application into the relevant qualification.
CURRENT APPROVED LIST OF COURSE UNDER VET STUDENT LOANS
More information about VET Student Loan approved courses can be found here Approved Courses.
For information about what EQUALS courses are VET Student Loans approved, look at the detailed Courses page.
TERTIARY ACCESS PAYMENT
Did you finish Year 12 in 2020 and need to move from outer-regional or remote Australia to study a VET course? You might be eligible for the $5000 Tertiary Access Payment (TAP). Please click here for more information.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON VET STUDENT LOANS
http://www.education.gov.au/vet-student-loans
WHAT IS A COMMONWEALTH ASSISTANCE NOTICE?
You will be sent an Invoice Notice 14 days before each census day, indicating your fees and census dates. Your debt is incurred on the day after the census day you will be issued with a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) within 28 days of the census date via email. The CAN will include details of the units of study covered by VET Student Loan.
If you believe that the information in your CAN is incorrect, you must, within 14 days of the CAN issue, submit a CAN review request by emailing accounts@equals.edu.au. You should include evidence showing why you think the CAN is incorrect.
When the VET Student Loans team receives the CAN review request, they will review the request and re-issue the CAN if they determine that the original CAN was incorrect.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I WITHDRAW?
If you are an eligible student studying a Diploma or above qualification and withdraw before the census date you will receive a full 100% refund of any tuition fees you have paid upfront and will not incur a student loan debt.
If you are an eligible student studying a Diploma or above qualification and withdraw after the census date you will incur a debt, unless the debt is remitted under special circumstances. If special circumstances apply, you will need to apply for a refund/recredit. Please refer to our Policies page for further information.
TUITION PROTECTION SERVICE
The Australian Government’s Tuition Protection Service (TPS) provides tuition protection assistance for domestic students accessing VET Student Loans at EQUALS. Learn more about Tuition Assurance here.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Students and prospective students should make sure that they have accessed and read important policy information that relates to enrolment at EQUALS. Policies relate to tuition assurance, fair treatment, personal information, academic grievance, student complaints and appeals, and refunds/re-credits. Our key policies are available on our Policies page.
WHAT IS THE CENSUS DATE?
The census date is the last date which students can withdraw from a unit of study (CRN) without incurring a debt for that unit of study. A student’s CRN census date is calculated as their nominated start date plus 20% of the course duration.
DESE can now remove a student’s VET Student Loan debt if it was incurred because of inappropriate conduct by a VET Student Loan provider or their agent.
The VET Student Loan Ombudsman (VSLO) in the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman is the primary contact point for any person who believes that they have a VET Student Loan debt which they should not have.
If you believe you have a debt you shouldn’t you can find information about how to make a complaint, how the VSLO can help and FAQs at https://vet.ombudsman.gov.au/.
A fact sheet available at https://vet.ombudsman.gov.au/how-we-can-help also provides information about the new VET Student Loan Student Redress Measures.
You can also check your VET Student Loan debt records by logging on to the myUniAssist portal at: https://app.heims.education.gov.au/myuniassist/Forms/Logon.aspx. You will need your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) to log on. Your CHESSN will be in documentation sent to you by the VET Student Loan provider.
If you are not able to locate your CHESSN, you can check your HELP debt records in your myGov account. If you do not have a myGov account, you can set one up by selecting “Create an account” from this link. For more information about myGov accounts call 13 28 61.
