Who is eligible for an OS-HELP loan at JCU?
Permanent non-humanitarian visa holders and some New Zealand citizens are not eligible for OS-HELP. To be eligible for an OS-HELP loan, students must meet the criteria below.
Eligibility criteria
be an Australian citizen, permanent humanitarian visa holder, or New Zealand citizen who meets certain criteria (check www.diac.gov.au for the list of humanitarian visa subclasses);
be enrolled in a course of study as a Commonwealth supported student;
have already completed, as a Commonwealth supported student, units to the value of at least one EFTSL (usually one year of full-time study) in Australia which count towards the course you are enrolled in;
be undertaking full-time study overseas;
have your overseas study count towards the course requirements for the Australian course you are enrolled in;
on return from overseas study, you must have units to the value of at least 0.125 EFTSL (usually one 3 credit point subject) to complete in Australia for the course you are enrolled in;
meet the TFN requirements by giving JCU your TFN or a Certificate of application for a TFN;
have been selected by JCU to receive an OS-HELP loan for a six-month period;
have lodged a completed OS-HELP debt confirmation form
have not received an OS-HELP loan in relation to more than one other six-month period;
have not received any other OS-HELP loan for a period that overlaps or coincides with the six-month period; and
have not completed your overseas study before applying for the OS-HELP loan.
Eligibility criteria for Asian language study
have been selected for OS HELP assistance for overseas study in Asia for that six-month period;
be undertaking intensive study in language in preparation for undertaking that overseas study;
have indicated on your OS-HELP debt confirmation form that you would like to receive a supplementary amount for Asian language study;
have been selected by your approved provider to receive a supplementary amount for Asian language study; and
have not yet completed the Asian language study before applying for the supplementary amount.
Please note: you will not be able to receive a supplementary amount if your Asian language study is part of a course of study for which you are receiving Commonwealth assistance for the cost of tuition (i.e. you are a Commonwealth supported student for those language units of study and/or you are using a HELP loan to pay for those units of study). Refer to the Study Assist website for further information.