SLE & HELP Balance
Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) and HELP balances are different.
All Commonwealth Supported students should understand and monitor their Student Learning Entitlement. If you are eligible for, and choose to use, a HELP loan such as HECS‑HELP, you should also monitor your available HELP balance. Changes to your study plans, including changing courses, changing majors, studying at multiple institutions, withdrawing after census dates or repeating subjects, may affect your remaining entitlement and future study options.
Check your balance regularly through myHELPbalance before making enrolment decisions.
Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) - Applies to all Commonwealth Supported students
HELP Balance – Is only relevant for students who have accessed HECS-HELP loans (post 1/1/2020) and/or FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans.
Why should you care about your SLE and HELP balance?
Your SLE can affect:
- whether you can continue studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place where the Australian government subsidises the cost of your study.
Your HELP balance can affect:
- whether you can defer your subject fees to a HELP loan
- whether you need to pay some or all of your subject fees upfront before the census date
Both SLE and your remaining HELP balance may affect your ability to undertake future study due to financial implications.
Many students don't think about these limits until they are close to reaching them. Understanding them early can help you make informed decisions about your study plans.
Students are responsible for monitoring their Student Learning Entitlement and HELP balance through myHELPbalance and considering the impact of enrolment decisions on future study options.
Your Student Learning Entitlement and HELP balance are managed by the Australian Government across all Australian higher education providers. Study undertaken at more than one institution may affect your available entitlement, even if those studies are not undertaken at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Australian Government sets a maximum amount that eligible students can borrow through HELP loans. This is known as the Combined HELP Loan Limit.
For 2026, the Combined HELP Loan Limit is:
- $129,883 for most students.
- $186,544 for students studying medicine, dentistry, veterinary science leading to initial registration, and certain eligible aviation courses.
Your HELP Balance is the amount of that limit you still have available to borrow. Each time you defer eligible fees using a HECS‑HELP or FEE‑HELP loan your available HELP Balance decreases.
Monitoring your HELP Balance is only relevant if you are eligible for a HELP loan and choose to defer your fees. Students who pay their student contributions or tuition fees upfront will not be impacting their HELP Balance.
For example:
- A student has an available HELP balance of $50,000.
- They defer $10,000 in eligible fees using a HELP loan.
- Their available HELP balance reduces to $40,000.
- Over time, they make HELP repayments through the tax system.
- Those repayments are added back to their available HELP balance.
- The available balance may also increase if the Government increases the HELP loan limit in future years.
Unlike Student Learning Entitlement (SLE), a HELP Balance is renewable. Your available balance can increase over time when:
- you make compulsory or voluntary repayments towards your HELP debt; and
- when the Australian Government increases the Combined HELP Loan Limit through annual indexation and legislative updates.
You can check your available HELP Balance through the Australian Government's myHELPbalance service.
No.
These are two separate concepts.
Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) applies to how much Commonwealth Supported study you can undertake over your lifetime. This is study where the Commonwealth contributes to the cost of your subjects, thereby reducing the amount you have to pay.
HELP balance applies only to students who access Australian Government HELP loans (specifically HECS-HELP loans since 1/1/2020 and FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans) and relates to how much can be borrowed through those loan schemes in the future.
Some Commonwealth Supported students may be affected by both SLE and HELP balances, while others may only be affected by SLE.
Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) is measured using Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL). Commonwealth Supported students received an initial entitlement of 7 EFTSL from the beginning of 2022. This is equivalent to seven years of full-time Commonwealth Supported study.
EFTSL is a standard measure used across Australian higher education providers to calculate a student's study load:
- 1 EFTSL = one year of full-time study
At JCU 1 EFTSL is equivalent to 24 credit points, a standard 3 credit point subject = 0.125 EFTSL.
Your SLE is generally reduced after census date according to the EFTSL value of the Commonwealth Supported subjects you remain enrolled in. This means your entitlement is based on the amount of study you undertake, rather than how many years you spend at university.
Examples
Study Undertaken | JCU Credit Points | EFTSL Used | SLE Remaining (from 7 EFTSL) |
One standard subject | 3 credit points | 0.125 EFTSL | 6.875 EFTSL |
One full-time year | 24 credit points | 1 EFTSL | 6 EFTSL |
Three-year bachelor degree | 72 credit points | 3 EFTSL | 4 EFTSL |
Four-year bachelor degree | 96 credit points | 4 EFTSL | 3 EFTSL |
Your SLE applies across all Australian higher education providers, not just JCU. Any Commonwealth Supported study you undertake at another university (including studies undertaken since 1/1/2022) will also reduce your SLE.
Tip: Don't assume your SLE will last exactly seven calendar years. If you repeat subjects, change courses, change majors, undertake additional qualifications, or study at multiple institutions, you may use your SLE more quickly than expected. Conversely, studying part-time generally uses SLE more slowly because it consumes less EFTSL each year.
Check your SLE and HELP balance regularly.
Understanding your available entitlement before making enrolment decisions can help you avoid unexpected fees and plan your studies more effectively.
You can view both through the Australian Government's myHELPbalance service. You will need your USI to access this service, this can be found on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN).
We recommend checking your balances:
- before you enrol each study period
- before changing courses
- before changing majors
- before commencing study at another institution
- if you have previously withdrawn from or failed subjects.
If you remain enrolled after the census date, the study load will count towards your Student Learning Entitlement (SLE), even if you do not successfully complete the subject.
If you used a HELP loan to defer the fees for that subject, the deferred amount will also reduce your available HELP balance and contribute to your HELP debt.
Changing courses does not restore SLE that has already been used. Previous Commonwealth Supported study continues to count towards your overall entitlement.
If you used a HELP loan to defer payment for previous study, any amounts already deferred will also continue to count towards your renewable HELP Balance.
Potentially.
If changing majors means you need to complete additional subjects that were not required in your original study plan, you will use more of your remaining SLE.
Before changing majors, consider whether the change may extend the number of subjects (and therefore EFTSL value) it takes to complete your degree.
If you withdraw before census date, the subject will generally not count towards your SLE and you will not incur a HELP debt for that subject.
The census date is an important deadline.
If you withdraw after the census date, you will normally remain financially liable for the subject. This means:
- the study load may count towards your SLE;
- any student contribution amounts or tuition fees remain payable; and
- if you deferred your fees using a HELP loan, the debt will generally remain as part of your HELP debt.
However, the Australian Government recognises that unexpected events can sometimes affect a student's ability to continue their studies.
If you experienced circumstances beyond your control that occurred or worsened after the census date and prevented you from completing your studies, you may be able to apply for consideration under the Special Circumstances provisions.
If your application is approved, you may be eligible to:
- have your HELP debt removed or remitted (where applicable);
- receive a refund of student contributions paid upfront (where applicable); and/or
- have the affected study load re-credited to your Student Learning Entitlement (SLE).
Because every situation is different, students experiencing significant illness, injury, family circumstances, or other unexpected events are encouraged to seek advice as soon as possible and review the University's Withdrawal without Financial and/or Academic Penalty due to Special Circumstances information.
Important: Withdrawing from a subject after the census date does not automatically qualify for Special Circumstances consideration. Applications must meet the requirements set out by the Government and supporting evidence is required.
Your SLE is generally consumed based on your study load rather than the number of calendar years you are enrolled.
This means part-time students use SLE more slowly than full-time students, but the study still contributes towards their overall entitlement.
If you exhaust your SLE, you may no longer be eligible to study in a Commonwealth Supported Place.
Depending on your circumstances, you may need to:
- pay domestic full fees (where available)
- access another form of loan if eligible
- pay tuition fees upfront
- seek information about whether additional SLE may be available under Australian Government rules.
Who is most likely to use their SLE faster than expected?
Students often use more entitlement than expected when they:
- change courses multiple times
- change majors late in their degree
- undertake more than one qualification
- enrol in longer degree pathways such as double degrees
- repeat failed subjects
- undertake study at multiple universities
- withdraw after census dates
Most students begin with an ordinary Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) of 7 EFTSL, which is equivalent to seven years of full-time Commonwealth Supported study. However, some students may be eligible for Additional SLE or Lifelong SLE under Australian Government legislation.
What is Additional SLE?
Additional SLE is extra entitlement provided under Australian Government legislation for certain study pathways. Depending on the qualification you undertake, additional entitlement may accrue to support study in longer undergraduate degrees, honours programs, postgraduate coursework qualifications and certain graduate-entry bachelor degrees.
You may be eligible for Additional SLE if:
- you are enrolled in a longer undergraduate course that exceeds 6 EFTSL; or
- you undertake an honours year, postgraduate coursework qualification, or certain graduate-entry bachelor degree after completing an undergraduate qualification.
Additional SLE is designed to give eligible students enough entitlement to complete these types of qualifications without being disadvantaged by the standard 7 EFTSL limit.
What is Lifelong SLE?
Lifelong SLE is a separate entitlement that may become available later in your study journey.
Under current arrangements, eligible students may receive an additional 3 EFTSL of Lifelong SLE on the later of:
- 1 January 2032, or
- 10 years after they first commenced higher education study at an Australian higher education provider.
The Lifelong SLE initiative is intended to support lifelong learning by providing additional Commonwealth Supported study opportunities later in a person's career or life. Eligibility is determined by the Australian Government.
Do I need to apply for Additional or Lifelong SLE?
In most cases, entitlement is managed by the Australian Government and reported through the Student Learning Entitlement system. If you are concerned about your remaining entitlement or believe you may qualify for additional SLE, you should check your balance through myHELPbalance and review the information available on StudyAssist.
Example
A student completes a three-year bachelor degree (3 EFTSL) and later undertakes an honours year (1 EFTSL) and a postgraduate qualification. Their ordinary SLE, Additional SLE and, where applicable, Lifelong SLE work together to support access to Commonwealth Supported study over time.
A student who has fully consumed their Ordinary SLE (7 EFTSL), and not in a course eligible for Additional SLE, will not be able to be Commonwealth Supported for any study undertaken before they become eligible for Lifelong SLE. This means you would need to pay full tuition fees during that period.
Yes.
Your Student Learning Entitlement is a single entitlement managed across Australian higher education providers. It is not specific to JCU. Commonwealth Supported study undertaken at any Australian university will reduce your remaining SLE.
If you are eligible and choose to access HELP loans at more than one institution, those borrowings also reduce your HELP loan balance.
This question only applies to students who have accessed HECS-HELP loans (since 1/1/2020) and/or FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans (since 1/1/2005).
If you have exhausted your available HELP balance, you may no longer be able to defer eligible fees using HECS‑HELP or FEE‑HELP. You may need to pay future fees upfront by the subject’s census date.
Having no HELP balance does not automatically mean you have used all of your Student Learning Entitlement. Some students may still be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place but be required to pay their student contribution amounts upfront.
Yes.
SLE and HELP balances are separate limits.
A student may still be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place but be unable to defer fees through HECS-HELP because they have exhausted their HELP balance. Any FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP and Vet Student Loans also consume a student’s HELP balance.
Yes.
You may still have HELP borrowing capacity available, but if you have exhausted your SLE you may no longer be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place. This means you would need to pay full tuition fees for the subject/s, but if eligible for a FEE-HELP loan you could defer payment of these fees. As tuition fees are more expensive, your HELP Balance would reduce more quickly.
If you experienced circumstances beyond your control that occurred or worsened after the census date and prevented you from completing your studies, you may be able to apply for consideration under the Special Circumstances provisions.
If your application is approved, you may be eligible to:
- have your HELP debt removed or remitted (where applicable);
- receive a refund of student contributions paid upfront (where applicable); and/or
- have the affected study load re-credited to your Student Learning Entitlement (SLE).
Because every situation is different, students experiencing significant illness, injury, family circumstances, or other unexpected events are encouraged to seek advice as soon as possible and review the University's Withdrawal without Financial and/or Academic Penalty due to Special Circumstances information.