In accordance with the VET Student Loans Act 2016 and Vet Student Loans Rules 2016, all students electing to access a Commonwealth VET Student Loans to study an approved course with Australian Skills Group must meet eligibility, citizenship and residency requirements and must be assessed for academic suitability.

This academic assessment is in addition to any other entry requirements that may be required by the specific course a student is applying
to undertake.

Eligibility for a VET Student Loan

 https://www.myskills.gov.au/more/financial-assistance?ExpandTab=31006 

     1.  To be eligible for a VET Student Loan ASG is required to collect and verify information and documentation for the purposes of establishing your identity, date of birth and eligibility for a Vet Student Loan eg: Drivers Licence, Birth Certificate, Passport, Citizenship certificate.

      2.   Citizenship                      

You must be:

·      An Australian Citizen*; or

·      The holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who is usually resident in Australia; or

·       A pacific engagement visa holder who is usually resident in Australia; or

·      A qualifying New Zealand Special Visa Category Holder (SCV) who meets the long-term residency requirements and:

o  Has been usually resident in Australia for at least 10 years; and

o  Was a dependent child when he or she was first usually resident in Australia; and

o   Has been in Australia for periods totalling 8 years during the previous 10 years; and

o  Has been in Australia for periods totalling 18 months during the previous 2 years

o  This must be evidenced by a valid NZ passport
with a Special Category Visa, and an international movement record:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/request-international-movement-records

Note:* Australian Citizenship

The evidence required to demonstrate proof of Australian citizenship may differ as different rules applied at different times and depends on whether you were:

·      Born overseas:

o  Australian Passport, or Australian Citizenship certificate, or a Citizenship by Descent extract

·      Born in Australia before 20 August 1986:

o  Australian Passport or Full Birth Certificate issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths (RBMD)

·       Born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986:

If you were born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986 and do not have a valid Australian Passport and one (or both) of your parents was an Australian citizen at the time of your birth:

o   A full birth certificate issued by an Australian RBMD showing at least 1 of your parents was born in Australia before 20 August

1986; or

o   A full birth certificate and 1 parent’s Australian passport issued on or after 20 August 1986 that was valid for at least 2 years at the time of your birth;

o   If your parent was born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986, your parent’s full birth certificate is required.

Alternatively, you can provide evidence of your own Australian citizenship by lodging Form 119 Application for evidence of Australian citizenship with the Department of Home Affairs.

      3.      Academic Suitability

 In order for a VET Student Loan to cover part or all fees, a student must be academically suited to the course and meet one of the following requirements:

·      Provide a copy of the student’s Senior Secondary Certificate of Education that has been awarded by an Australian agency or
authority of a state or territory for the completion of year 12; or

·      Provide a copy of the student’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) diploma; or

·      Provide evidence of successful completion of an AQF qualification delivered in English and:

o  was at Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 4 or higher; or a framework that preceded the AQF that is equivalent to
level 4 in the AQF; and

·      has been assessed by a federal, state or territory government agency which assesses overseas qualifications as equivalent or comparable to:

o  a qualification at level 4 or above in the AQF; or

o   a qualification at a level in a framework that preceded the AQF that is equivalent level 4 in the AQF; or

·      Undertake an approved LLN assessment tool as displaying competence at, or above, Exit level 3 in the Australian Core Skills framework (ACSF) in both reading and numeracy  and where ASG reasonably believes that the individual displays that competence.

o   The approved tool used by ASG to assess competence is LLN Robot 

o   The process of assessing competence will be conducted with honesty and integrity and will be invigilated in person by an
ASG assessor.

o   The LLN Robot assessment is undertaken online at ASG and will be completed by the individual after the pre-course information session and after eligibility requirements have been determined as met.

o   On completion the result is generated by the LLN system and must be reported:

§  to the student as soon as practicable after the assessment; and

§  to the Secretary in the form, manner and by the time requested by the Secretary

o   ASG will also conduct a competency conversation with all students who achieve Exit Level 3 or above to be assured they display that level of competence.

o   ASG must retain the LLN assessment result for a period of 5 years.

o   If required, any re-sit must be after a period of at least 3 months, after targeted learning and assessment has taken place
and these results will also be retained for a period of 5 years after enrolment.

      4.   You must apply for the VET Student Loan using the approved electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) on or before 11.59pm AEST on or before the first census date, no less than 2 business days after enrolling

      5.    You must meet the Tax File Number requirements:

·      You must have a valid TFN by the census date

·      If you don’t have a TFN you can apply for one from the ATO website and receive a Certificate of Application which you must
use to upload your TFN to your eCAF before you submit

·      You must advise ASG as soon as you receive your TFN from the ATO. If you do not provide your TFN you will not be able to use a
VET Student Loan for that study period.

      6.  You must have or obtain a Unique Student Identifier (USI).

      7.   You must comply with ongoing Commonwealth engagement and progression requests to log-on and confirm that you are a
genuine student. These requests will be 2-3 time a year and are necessary for you to continue to access the loan throughout your course.

      8.  You must not have exceeded the FEE-HELP limit (in 2024 this is $121,844 for most students).

      9.   You must have read the Vet Student Loans Information Booklet: VET Student Loans Information Booklet – Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Government (dewr.gov.au)

      10.  PLEASE NOTE: A VET Student Loan will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirements.

      You should also understand that:

• you will incur a loan from the Australian Commonwealth Government who will, on your behalf, pay your tuition fees to ASG
• a loan fee of 20% applies (this is added to your VETSL debt at the ATO)
• you will have the loan as a personal debt until it is repaid to the Commonwealth
• you must repay your VSL debt when your income exceeds the repayment threshold. For the 2023-2024 year this is $51,550, and is adjusted annually.
• until the debt/loan is repaid, may have their take-home (after tax) wage or salary and borrowing capacity reduced;
• you may wish to seek independent financial advice before applying for the loan
• A VET Student Loan will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirements