Content
HECS-HELP
HECS-Help is a scheme that helps eligible students pay their student contributions for courses in which they are enrolled as a Commonwealth supported student. There are three ways students can pay their student contribution:
- pay their student contribution up front *
- receive a HECS-HELP loan for the full student contribution
- pay some of the student contribution up front and receive a HECS-HELP loan for the balance of the student contribution
Eligible students need to provide their Tax File Number by the fee due date after they are admitted to a USC program. Once your tax file number is provided you may still choose to pay all or part of your student contribution up front* by the fee due date included on your invoice.
Who is eligible?
Australian citizens and holders of a permanent humanitarian visa are eligible for HECS-HELP assistance. Other permanent visa holders and New Zealand citizens are not eligible for a HECS-HELP loan or discount and must pay their student contribution in full by the fee due date.
How to keep track of your HECS-HELP loan
A Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) will be available via USCCentral within 28 days of each census date if you have fees deferred to your HECS-HELP loan. Check your student email account for advice on when your CAN is available. You have 14 days from the date your CAN is issued to submit a written request for correction if you think there are incorrect details included on your CAN. You can also keep track of your HECS-HELP loan by using your unique CHESSN (which is included in your eCANs) and other personal identifying details to access myUniAssist on the study assist website.
Students with a HECS-HELP loan begin making compulsory repayments direct to the Australian Taxation Office when their annual income reaches the minimum repayment threshold published in the Information for Commonwelath supported students booklet available from Student Administration or via the study assist website.
What happens to my HECS-HELP liability if I drop out of university?
To avoid unnecessary financial expenses, make sure that you withdraw before the relevant census date. If you withdraw from a subject after the census date, you will still be liable to pay for this subject. This means that if you have already paid upfront, you may not be able to get a refund, and if you have deferred your fees, you will continue to have a debt with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
If you withdraw after the census date, due to serious illness or other special circumstances, you may be able to have your debt removed or refunded if you paid upfront. Please download a 'Removal of Financial Liability and/or Withdrawal without Academic Penalty in Special Circumstances' form from the Student Portal by clicking on Student Central, How to..., Student Financial, Remove Financial Liability or email: fees@usc.edu.au.
More information