Important Information about VET Student Loans

VET Student Loans

The VET Student Loans scheme is a loan program designed to help eligible students enrol and gain a quality higher level Vocational Education and Training at EQUALS who could not otherwise afford to pay fees upfront.

From November 2025, EQUALS has elected not to continue offering VET Student Loans (VSL) services.   However, the information in this section may be relevant to existing VSL students who are yet to complete their course.

Loan Caps

Eligible students will be entitled for loans up to a capped amount. Students will need to contribute the difference if the total course fee exceeds the loan cap for a course. Loan caps for specific courses are detailed on the specific course information page.

Is there a loan fee?

Non State Government subsidised students will be charged a 20% loan fee. The loan fee is added to the student loan, but is not included within the student’s lifetime FEE-HELP limit.

Tuition Fees

Tuition Fees are provided on each course page and should be used as a guide to provide information on fees. Student will be provided with fee advice during course counselling/admissions and will be provided fee and census date information specific to their application into the relevant qualification.

Looking for More Information on VET Student Loans

http://www.education.gov.au/vet-student-loans

What happens if I withdraw? 

If you are an eligible student studying a Diploma or above qualification and withdraw before the census date you will receive a full 100% refund of any tuition fees you have paid upfront and will not incur a student loan debt.

If you are an eligible student studying a Diploma or above qualification and withdraw after the census date you will incur a debt, unless the debt is remitted under special circumstances. If special circumstances apply, you will need to apply for a refund/recredit. Please refer to our Policies (https://equals.edu.au/policies-and-procedures/)  page for further information.

Tuition Protection Services

The Australian Government’s Tuition Protection Service (TPS) provides tuition protection assistance for domestic students accessing VET Student Loans at EQUALS.   Learn more about Tuition Assurance here (https://www.education.gov.au/tps/vsl-students).

Other Information 

Students and prospective students should make sure that they have accessed and read important policy information that relates to enrolment at EQUALS. Policies relate to tuition assurance, fair treatment, personal information, academic grievance, student complaints and appeals, and refunds/re-credits. Our key policies are available on our Policies page.

What is the Census Date?

The census date is the last date which students can withdraw from a unit of study (CRN) without incurring a debt for that unit of study. A student’s CRN census date is calculated as their nominated start date plus 20% of the course duration.

DESE can now remove a student’s VET Student Loan debt if it was incurred because of inappropriate conduct by a VET Student Loan provider or their agent.

The VET Student Loan Ombudsman (VSLO) in the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman is the primary contact point for any person who believes that they have a VET Student Loan debt which they should not have.

If you believe you have a debt you shouldn’t you can find information about how to make a complaint, how the VSLO can help and FAQs at https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/complaints/vet-student-loan-complaints/.

A fact sheet available at https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/ also provides information about the new VET Student Loan Student Redress Measures.

You can also check your VET Student Loan debt records by logging on to the myUniAssist portal at: https://app.heims.education.gov.au/myuniassist/Forms/Logon.aspx. You will need your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) to log on. Your CHESSN will be in documentation sent to you by the VET Student Loan provider.

If you are not able to locate your CHESSN, you can check your HELP debt records in your myGov account. If you do not have a myGov account, you can set one up by selecting “Create an account” from this link. For more information about myGov accounts call 13 28 61.