VET Student Loans

VET Student Loans at CIT
Who is eligible?
Academic Suitability
Applying for a VET Student Loan
What if I am under 18 years of age and wish to apply for a VET Student Loans
Engagement and Progression of your course - VET Student Loans
VET Student Loans Schedules
What does a VET Student Loan cover?
What courses are available and what are the fees?
What is a census date?
Do I need to apply for VET Student Loan for each course I study?
How do I cancel my VET Student Loan assistance applications?
VET Student Loan Ombudsman
More Information including the recrediting of fees and review of decisions

VET Student Loans at CIT

Commonwealth Government VET Student Loan program allows you to access loans for courses that:

have a high national priority
meet industry needs
contribute to addressing skills shortages
lead to employment outcomes.

The program also features loan caps for course loans. This means if your fees are above the loan cap, you will need to pay the difference. Most CIT students will not be affected by course loan caps. Those students who are affected will be informed during their enrolment, and will have the option of accessing a CIT Payment Plan for fees over the cap.

A list of eligible courses under the VET Student Loans program is available from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

Many CIT qualifications are eligible for VET Student Loans assistance.

You will need to start repaying the loan through the Australian Taxation System once your income is above an amount set by the Australian Government. This minimum repayment threshold is adjusted each year.

A loan fee of 20% currently applies to VET Student Loans for full fee courses and subjects. For example, if your tuition fee is $1,000, the loan fee is $200. The loan fee is also repaid through the Australian Taxation System.

Please note this is a loan and therefore it will be classed as a debt whenever you are required to list your liabilities and assets, for example if you are applying to a financial institution for a loan or credit card.

There are specific criteria you must meet to be eligible for a loan through the VET Student Loan program. Until you have met this eligibility, and the CIT Student Management System has been updated, you will be unable to access the Expression of Interest form on CIT Self Service.

You must be assessed as being academically suited to undertake the eligible course and your FEE-HELP balance must be greater than zero.

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Who is eligible?

You are eligible for VET Student Loan if you:

are an Australian citizen or permanent humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand citizen with a Special Category Visa holder; AND
have not exceeded the HELP limit; AND
are enrolled with an approved VET Student Loans and FEE-HELP provider in an eligible unit of study by the census date for that unit; AND
meet the academic suitability requirements for accessing a VET Student Loan AND
meet one of the following course requirements:
- are a full fee-paying / fee for service student studying a diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate or graduate diploma level course at an approved VET Student Loans provider, OR
- are a government subsidised student studying a diploma or advanced diploma course.
You must also supply your Tax File Number (TFN), or a valid Certificate of Application for a TFN, before you can access a VET Student Loan.

To check the most up-to-date eligibility criteria, go to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

Academic Suitability

To be eligible to apply for a VET Student Loan, you must meet the qualification entry requirements (listed as 'entry requirements' for each course) as well as additional academic suitability requirements.

You must provide evidence of your Academic Suitability by supplying CIT with a copy of your Australian Senior Secondary studies (HSC/ Year 12 Certificate); or provide evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English); or undertake an assessment test to show you have the required level of literacy and numeracy (Australian Core Skills Framework Level 3) to complete your course.

If you need to undertake the Language Literacy and Numeracy, please attend either the CIT Bruce or CIT Reid Libraries and discuss completing the LLN assessment with one of the staff.

This assessment will be completed using the LLN Robot and must be completed under supervision by CIT Library staff. This assessment takes between 30-60 minutes and must be completed in a single sitting.

You will be advised of the results of the LLN assessment when you have completed it.

After completing the assessment, you will need to inform Student Services so your student record can be updated.

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Applying for a VET Student Loan

What is the process for applying for a VET Student Loan at CIT?

1. You must first read the current VET Student Loans Information booklet and this handbook. This will ensure you know if you are eligible to apply and that you understand your rights and responsibilities in applying for a loan. The booklets are available on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.
Note: The Information Booklets are updated annually; please ensure you read the booklet for the current year.

2. You must provide proof of citizenship/visa status via email at infoline@cit.edu.au or in person at any CIT Student Services location. Only original documents or those certified as true copies can be accepted.

3. You must provide evidence of your Academic Suitability by supplying CIT with a copy of your Australian Senior Secondary studies (HSC/ Year 12 Certificate); or provide evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English); or undertake an assessment test to show you have the required level of literacy and numeracy (Australian Core Skills Framework Level 3) to complete your course.

4. The literacy and numeracy assessment (LLN) is completed using the LLN Robot. This assessment takes between 30-60 minutes and must be completed in a single sitting.

5. The LLN assessment is required to be conducted with honesty and integrity.

6. The results of a student's Language, Literacy and Numeracy assessment (LLN) will be reported to the Secretary, VET Student Loans, if and when requested.

7. There is a mandatory 'cool down' period after you enrol before you can apply for a VET Student Loan. You will need to wait until three (3) business days after your enrolment (when you added your subjects) before you can apply for a VET Student Loan.

8. You must lodge your Expression of Interest (EOI) three (3) business days before your Census Date. This is to allow time for the data to be uploaded to the government eCAF system so a Passkey email can be sent to you.
Note: The Expression of Interest form cannot be accessed until your academic suitability has been assessed and your citizenship/visa status is confirmed. If you are unable to access the VET Student Loan EOI after providing both your proof of citizenship and academic suitability, contact CIT Student Services via 6207 3188 or Live Chat.

To access the EOI go to CIT Self Service and log in using your CITNumber and your PIN (this is initally set as your 6 digit date of birth and updated once you have activated your Microsoft 365 account). Once logged into CIT Self Service go to My Account > VETSL and HELP Loans > Expression of Interest for VET Student Loans.

When the Expression of Interest (EOI) for VET Student Loans form opens you need to follow the instructions on the form.

Once you have completed the VET Student Loan EOI form, CIT will upload this information into the Australian Government's Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF). You will then be required to complete the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF).

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Passkey for Government eCAF

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will send you an email with a Passkey allowing you to sign into the Commonwealth Assistance (eCAF) system. Once you sign in you will need to verify the prepopulated information and complete the mandatory fields including your Tax File Number. You will then be able to submit your eCAF. You will receive a copy, via email, of your completed form. Keep this for your records. NOTE, if you do not provide a VALID Tax File Number CIT cannot process your eCAF and you will be ineligible for a VET Student Loan.

You will need to complete and submit a valid Request for VET Student Loans assistance electronic form for each course you are wishing to access VET Student Loans for on or before the Census Date.

Please contact CIT Student Services via 6207 3188 or Live Chat if you need assistance.

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What if I am under 18 years of age and wish to apply for a VET Student Loans

If you are under 18 years of age you must have a parent or guardian co-sign the Request for a VET Student Loan form. However, if Centrelink has assessed your situation and you meet the requirements for receiving the independent rate of Youth Allowance you will need to provide your Centrelink Income Statement. You can request a copy of this statement by logging into myGov and selecting your Centrelink online account. For more information, visit https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/online-help/centrelink/request-document-using-your-centrelink-online-account.

The parent/guardian consent form is available here (PDF 1.5Mb)

Engagement and Progression of your course - VET Student Loans

Once you have a VET Student Loan you will be required to complete an engagement and progression survey each Feb, June, and October until the completion of your course. You will be sent an invitation, by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, via email, to confirm you are continuing with the course. You will have two weeks from receipt of the invitation email to complete and submit the survey.

Failure to complete an engagement and progression survey may impact on your VET Student Loan continuing.

If you wish to recommence using a VET Student Loan after having a break, you will be required to complete an engagement and progression where you need to state the 'recommencement' date. If this date is not provided the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations may refuse to reactivate your VET Student Loan. To request a new engagement and progression survey please contact CIT Student Services on 6207 3188.

You will be sent an acknowledgement of your completion with a copy of your responses, together with a reminder that you are agreeing to a VET Student Loan being used to pay for your tuition fees.

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VET Student Loans Schedules

Semester 2 2024

Semester 1 2024

Semester 2 2023

Semester 1 2023

VET Student Loan limits only cover the tuition course fee, but not the tuition course related or mandatory equipment charges. To refer to previous VET Student Loans Schedules, please refer to the Past VET Student Loans and VET-FEE HELP page.

A VET Student Loan is a Commonwealth loan that may affect your borrowing capacity until the debt is repaid. If you are unsure, you should seek independent financial advice prior to applying for a VET Student Loan.

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What does a VET Student Loan cover?

You can only receive a VET Student Loan for the tuition fee component of your course or subject fees (including Skills Recognition). VET Student Loans cannot be used to pay for any other costs such as textbooks, personal equipment/clothing, printing, accommodation, and travel costs.

If you are enrolling in a government-subsidised course or subject, if eligible, you may also apply for a CIT Fee Concession on the tuition fees in addition to applying for VET Student Loan.

Full fee courses and subjects are not eligible for a concession. Concessions must be applied to your account prior to your first Census Date.

What courses are available and what are the fees?

To view current VET Student Loan eligible courses and fees, click on the Fee Schedule documents at the top of this page for the relevant semester of study.

What is a Census Date?

The Census Date is the last day you can submit an eCAF to request either a VET Student Loan or FEE-HELP assistance or withdraw from either a subject or subjects without incurring the cost for that subject or subjects. All eligible CIT subjects will have their own Census Date.

To find out when a subjects' Census Date will be, check the VET Student Loan and FEE-HELP Schedule - Subject Details above.

Census Dates for Skills Recognition applications using work/life experiences will usually be 3 weeks after the invoice is originally issued.

Do I need to apply for VET Student Loan for each course I study?

Yes, you must submit a new Request for VET Student Loans assistance form for each course of study you are enrolled into if you wish to access the VET Student Loan program.

If your course is updated while you are still studying, you will be required to complete a new Request for VET Student Loan assistance to cover the course as it will have a new National ID, even where the CIT Course Code remains the same.

Once you have applied for the VET Student Loan for a course, all subsequent tuition fees for that course will automatically be transferred over to your VET Student Loan.

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How do I cancel my VET Student Loan assistance applications?

A request to cancel your VET Student Loan must be in writing, and submitted prior to, or on, the Census Date. You can submit your written request by emailing infoline@cit.edu.au or in person at any CIT Student Services.

If you decide to cancel your VET Student Loan, you will be required to pay all your fees prior to, or on, the Census Date. You will have the option to arrange a payment plan.

VET Student Loan Ombudsman

The Australian Parliament passed the Education and Other Legislation Amendment Act (No.1) 2017 which established the VET Student Loans Ombudsman function within the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman to manage and investigate complaints regarding the VET Student Loans program. Visit https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/complaints/vet-student-loan-complaints for more information regarding the role of the VET Student Loan Ombudsman.

More Information

Detailed information is available on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website at VET information for students including eligibility, application and loan repayment. If you have questions about CIT policies and procedures for VET Student Loans please contact CIT Student Services on 6207 3188 or infoline@cit.edu.au.

If you are looking for information related to the re-crediting of VET Student Loan fees the reviewing of decisions related to VET Student Loan fees visit the Student Loan Assistance (Re-crediting Fees and Review of Decisions) Policy on the CIT Policy page.

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