Australian Government assistance

Financial assistance options for eligible domestic students to help manage the cost of study and living expenses.

About this support

The Australian Government provides a range of financial assistance options for eligible domestic students, including subsidised study places, student loans and income support payments.

This webpage provides general information about these options and the University's application processes. The University cannot provide specific advice about eligibility for government assistance.

Commonwealth supported places (CSP)

A CSP is a place in a course where the Australian Government pays part of your tuition fees. You pay the remaining amount, known as the student contribution amount.

Once you’ve enrolled, your student contribution amount for each subject will show on your Statement of Liability and Student Invoice.

If your citizenship or residency status changes, you may become eligible to change to a CSP. See change to citizenship/residency status.

The Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) limits the amount of time you can study in a CSP to seven years full-time. For full details on CSP eligibility and limits, visit the Government’s Study Assist website.

Visit Study Assist – financial and study support

Uni Ready Enabling Program

The Uni Ready Enabling Program is a type of CSP that is free for students. It is fully funded by the Australian Government under the FEE-FREE Uni Ready Courses initiative. You won’t need to make any student contributions and it won't count towards your SLE.

Visit Study Assist - Uni Ready

Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)

HELP allows eligible domestic students to defer payment of their fees through a loan. You repay your HELP debt through the tax system once your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold. Borrowing limits apply across HELP loans.

HELP loan types

Note, you may need more than one type.

Who's it for:

CSP students

What it covers:

Defer your student contribution amount

Who's it for:

Australian full fee paying students

What it covers:

Defer your tuition fees

Who's it for:

All eligible domestic students who have a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)

What it covers:

Defer your SSAF

Who's it for:

CSP students undertaking eligible overseas study

What it covers:

Loan for overseas study expenses

For full details on eligibility, loan limits and repayment, see the Government’s Study Assist website.

Study Assist – HELP loans

Apply for a HELP loan

Applying for a HELP loan is one of the administrative enrolment tasks you will complete via Get Started at Melbourne when you start your course. Or you can follow the steps below.

  • To apply for a HELP loan:

    1. Log into my.unimelb
    2. Go to Student admin > Fees
    3. Click Apply for Commonwealth Assistance > My Tasks
    4. Complete the applicable Commonwealth Assistance forms task
    5. Click Finish. Once the task is marked as complete in My Tasks, you won’t be able to access it here again.

    If it does not appear on My Tasks:

    1. Log into my.unimelb
    2. Go to Student admin > Fees
    3. Click Update my Commonwealth Assistance > My Study
    4. Click Manage my course (in red)
    5. Go to the Government Assistance tab
    6. Click +Add
    7. Select and fill out the Commonwealth Assistance form
    8. Click Submit.

  • You must apply before your earliest census date to avoid paying upfront fees.

  • You need a TFN to access a HELP loan. If you don’t have one, apply for a TFN through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as early as possible.

    If you have applied for a TFN and don’t expect to receive it before the census date, you must obtain a Certificate of Application for a TFN from the ATO and provide it to the University before the census date.

    Email your certificate to sa-can@unimelb.edu.au.

    An application receipt or other evidence that you have applied for a TFN cannot be accepted.

  • Your fees will be listed as optional on your Statement of Liability and Student Invoice.

    After the census date, your deferred fees will show as a ‘student loan deferral’ on your Fee Account Statement. You will also receive a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN), confirming the amount deferred to your HELP loan.

    Learn more about fee invoices and statements

Manage your HELP loan

  • You can use your Unique Student Identifier (USI) or Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) to view your HELP loan balance through myHELPbalance.

    You will also receive a Commonwealth Assistance Notice. This is statement showing your enrolment and any Commonwealth assistance applied to your fees.

  • Make sure enrolment changes are made before census date. If you are paying via HELP loan and withdraw from a subject after its census date, its fees will still be deferred to your loan.

  • You may be able to get your HELP debt cancelled (fee remission) if you were unable to complete a subject’s requirements due to special circumstances.

    Learn about fee remission

  • If a fee is optional, it will automatically be deferred to your HELP debt after the census date. You can choose to pay optional fees before the census date if you do not want to defer them to your HELP loan.

Services Australia (Centrelink) offers payments and services to support you to pay your living expenses while you study higher education. There’s also help if you move to or from a rural, remote or regional area to study.

The main student payments are:

  • Youth Allowance if you’re aged 24 or younger and studying full time.
  • Austudy if you’re 25 or older and studying.
  • ABSTUDY helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students or apprentices.

For full details and to apply, visit the Services Australia website.

Visit Services Australia – Higher Education

Other financial support options