Financial assistance

Study Assist

The Australian Government's Study Assist website provides information about fees, loans and scholarships associated with study at university. It also contains information about higher education reforms that affect students.

HECS-HELP

Eligible students have access to HECS-HELP assistance. This allows eligible students to request a HECS-HELP loan and defer payments through the Australian Taxation Office. Subject to the passage of legislation in 2014, the discount applied to upfront payments may be removed.

Further information for Commonwealth-supported students is available at:

HECS-HELP benefit

The HECS-HELP benefit is available to eligible graduates of courses in the fields of:

• mathematics or science
• education, nursing or midwifery.

The benefit is not a cash payment. It is a benefit that reduces your compulsory HELP repayment, or for some early childhood educators, your accumulated HELP debt. For more information, contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

FEE-HELP

FEE-HELP is a loan scheme for eligible full-fee-paying domestic students. Under this scheme students can borrow up to the amount of the tuition fees being charged for units of study. The FEE-HELP limit is the maximum amount a student can borrow over their lifetime. In 2014 the FEE-HELP limit is $96,000. Students who access FEE-HELP for a full-fee undergraduate place also incur a 25 per cent loan fee.

Further information on FEE-HELP is available at:

SA-HELP

Eligible students who do not wish to pay the student services and amenities fee up front to the University can request assistance and defer the fee through SA-HELP, a new element of the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP).

Further information on SA-HELP and the student services and amenities fee is available at:

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

All Commonwealth-supported students and FEE-HELP students are issued with a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN). The CHESSN is a unique identifier that tracks an individual's use of Commonwealth assistance. As a condition of enrolment, students provide informed consent for the University to share their personal information with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, so that the University can comply with legislative requirements. The information provided by students is used to generate the CHESSN. The CHESSN stays with students for their academic life.

Students can access their information using their CHESSN via myUniAssist at:

OS-HELP

OS-HELP is a loan scheme that helps eligible Commonwealth-supported students undertake some of their study overseas. In 2014 the scheme provides up to $6232 per six-month study period for up to two study periods to help students with a range of expenses such as airfares and accommodation.

Further information on OS-HELP is available at:

Centrelink benefits

The Australian Government's benefits for tertiary students are administered by Centrelink and are income and assets tested:

• Austudy (for students aged 25 and above)
• Dependent Youth Allowance (assessed on parental income and assets; for students up to 22 years of age who have not met the independence criteria)
• Independent Youth Allowance (for students up to 22 years of age, who have satisfied the independence criteria, and for students turning 22, who were previously receiving Dependent Youth Allowance)
• Abstudy (see below).

Eligibility, payment rates and registration details for all Centrelink benefits are available from Centrelink:

Registering students need to provide supporting documents to Centrelink as early as possible. The first benefit payment for an eligible full-time student is backdated to the date of registration with Centrelink.

Commonwealth legislation sets strict requirements for Austudy and Youth Allowance over which the University has no control.

Students receiving Austudy or Youth Allowance must be enrolled in a minimum of 18 credit points a semester. They need to advise Centrelink if they drop subjects during semester, and with less than 18 credit points they are no longer eligible for the benefits. Concessional study loads may apply for Austudy recipients with substantial disability or ongoing illness which impacts on their studies or, in exceptional cases, those who are required by the University to undertake a reduced study load.

The financial assistance service at UTS provides a guide to Centrelink benefits for students:

Abstudy

Abstudy assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tertiary students by providing income support and other assistance.

Further information is available from Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at:

The financial assistance service provides a guide to Abstudy at:

International loan schemes

International students from some countries may apply for government-funded and private education loans to support their studies in Australia. UTS International can provide documentation and advice to eligible students. Further information is available at:

Students from Canada, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States may apply for education loans from government departments in their home countries. International students, with the support of a co-borrower who is either a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, can access private education loans. There may also be other loan systems which are not listed here. It is advisable to check with your home country.

UTS also accepts students who are eligible for a range of US Veteran's Educational Benefit Programs.

Further information on educational loans is available from the loans scheme coordinator:

UTS financial assistance

UTS provides scholarships and a range of other financial assistance.

The financial assistance service may also be able to assist students who are experiencing financial difficulties associated with practical and financial aspects of university life. Contact the service at:

City campus, Broadway
telephone +61 2 9514 1177

Kuring-gai campus
telephone +61 2 9514 5342

Contact Student Services for more information:

email financial.assistance@uts.edu.au