HECS-HELP Loan

If you are:

• an Australian citizen, or
• a permanent humanitarian visa-holder, or
• a New Zealand citizen who meets certain criteria,
• Commonwealth supported, and
• you meet residency requirements,

you are eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.

New Zealand citizens (who do not meet certain criteria), permanent residents and international students are not eligible to defer payment of their fees.

If you are eligible to defer your fees, submit the Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form through eStudent. See defer your fees for more information.

You can make voluntary repayments of your HELP loan at any time to the Australian Taxation Office. Otherwise, repayments will automatically be deducted once you begin earning an income above the compulsory repayment threshold.

Each study period and trimester, JCU will provide you with a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN). This notice details your payments and debts for that study period or trimester.

The CAN only shows the current study period or trimester, not your entire HECS-HELP debt.  For a complete statement of your accumulated HELP debt, contact the Australian Tax Office.

You can also keep track of how much you have borrowed through a HECS-HELP loan at the Government’s myUniAssist website. You’ll need your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) to log in. This is detailed on your CAN.

Please note: myUniAssist will not show your entire debt balance or any payments made.